Transcript Unit C

Macromedia
Flash MX 2004 –
Design Professional
WORKING WITH SYMBOLS
and Interactivity
Chapter Lessons
Work with symbols and instances
Work with Libraries
Create buttons
Assign actions to buttons
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Using Flash Symbols
An important aspect of Flash is its ability to
create small file sizes
Symbols are graphics that can be re-used
without adding file size
– Symbols are the original (Parent)object
– Instances are the copied (Child) object
Flash stores only symbol information(size,
shape, color) thus creating a smaller file size
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Using Flash Symbols
Attributes, such as color and shape
can be freely changed for each
instance
You can have as many altered
instances as you like
Symbols reside in the Library
– Dragging a Symbol from the Library to
the stage creates an Instance
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Flash Symbol Types
There are 3 types of Symbols:
Graphics, Buttons, and Movie Clips
Graphics are effective for single, reusable images
Buttons are for interactivity, such as
starting or stopping a movie
A Movie Clip is a “movie within a
movie”
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Creating a Graphic Symbol
There are 2 primary ways to create a
symbol
– Insert > New Symbol command, and then
draw a symbol
– Or draw an object and then use Insert >
Convert to Symbol
Use the “Convert to Symbol” dialog box
to name the symbol effectively
The Symbol gets placed in the library, an
instance remains on the stage
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Naming a Symbol
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Editing a Symbol
Select from the Library and double-click,
or use Edit > Edit Symbol
Changes made to Symbols are reflected
in all their associated Instances
Remember: changes made to Instances
does not affect their (parent) Symbol
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Working with Instances
Instances can be altered in many ways
– Rotated, skewed, resized, re-colored, alpha
changes
Some limitations to editing an Instance
– An instance is a single object with no
segments, therefore you cannot select just
part of the instance to change
– Changes are made to the entire instance
– Use “Break Apart” for more edibility, but note
that the link will be broken
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Applying Effects to
Instances
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Understanding the Library
The Library provides a way to view
and organize symbols
Change Symbol names and
properties
Add or delete Symbols
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The Library
Title Bar - names the movie with
which the Library is associated
– Sample and external libraries
Options Menu - provides access to
additional features of the library
Item Preview - displays the
selected symbol
Toggle Sorting Order Icon
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The Library
Wide and Narrow View
Name Text Box - lists the folder
and Symbol Names
New Symbol Icon - displays the
Create New Symbol dialog box
New Folder Icon
Properties Icon
Delete Item Icon
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The Library
Options Menu
Name Text Box
New Symbol Icon
Properties Icon
New Folder Icon
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Understanding Buttons
Button Symbols provide interactivity
Any Flash object can be turned into a
Button Symbol
Unlike Graphic Symbols, Button
Symbols have four States which
correspond to the use of the mouse
and recognize the user requires
feedback
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The Four Button States
Up-represents how the button appears
when the mouse pointer is not over it
Over-represents how the button
appears when the mouse pointer is
over it
Down-how the button appears after
the user clicks the mouse
Hit-Defines the area of the screen that
will respond to the click
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The Four Button States
The button timeline
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Understanding Actions
In a basic movie, Flash plays frames
sequentially
To gain greater control, ActionScripting
provides interactivity
– Button presses can stop a Movie
– Jump to a frame or scene
– Play a sound
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Analyzing ActionScript
Basic ActionScript involves an event
(such as a mouse click) that causes
some action to occur by triggering the
script
Event
Action
ActionScript Panel
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Assigning actions to a
button
Select the desired button on the stage
Display the Actions Panel
Select the appropriate category
Select the desired action
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Button Action Events
Buttons respond to one or more of the
following events
– Press: With the pointer inside the button
Hit area, the user presses the mouse
button
– Release: With the pointer inside the
button Hit area, the user presses and
releases the mouse button
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Button Action Events
– Release Outside: With the pointer inside
the button Hit area, the user presses and
holds down the mouse button, moves the
pointer outside the Hit area, and releases
the mouse button
– Key Press: With the pointer inside the
button Hit area, the user presses a
predetermined key on the keyboard
– Roll Over: The user moves the pointer
into the button Hit area
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Button Action Events
– Roll Out: The user moves the pointer out
of the button Hit area
– Drag Over: The user holds down the
mouse button, moves the pointer out of
the button Hit area and then back into the
Hit area
– Drag Out: With the pointer inside the
button Hit area, the user holds down the
mouse button and moves the pointer
outside the Hit area
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Basic Actions
Can be applied to a Button (to create
interactivity)
Can be applied to a Frame (causes
the playhead to stop)
More advanced actions, discussed in
later chapters, can be applied to many
different types of objects
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Chapter C Tasks
Work with symbols and instances
Work with Libraries
Create buttons
Assign actions to buttons
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