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Mastering Flash Symbols and Interactivity

Learn to create and manipulate symbols and instances, work with libraries, create buttons, and assign actions for interactive Flash projects. Understand the importance of symbols in reducing file sizes and enabling reusability. Explore different symbol types and button states for enhanced interactivity.

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Mastering Flash Symbols and Interactivity

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  1. OVERVIEW Chapter Lessons • Create symbols and instances • Work with Libraries • Create buttons • Assign actions to buttons Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  2. INTRODUCTION Using Flash Symbols • Create small file sizes • Symbols are graphics that can be re-used without adding file size • Symbols are the original object • Instances are the copied object • Flash stores only symbol information (size, shape, color) thus creating a smaller file size Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  3. INTRODUCTION 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 Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  4. INTRODUCTION Flash Symbol Types • Three types of symbols • Graphics, Buttons, Movie Clips • Graphics are effective for single, re-usable images • Buttons are for interactivity, such as starting or stopping a movie • A Movie Clip is a “movie within a movie” Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  5. LESSON 1 Creating a Graphic Symbol • Two ways to create a symbol • New Symbol command • Convert to Symbol command • “Convert to Symbol” dialog box allows you to name and specify the type of symbol • Symbol gets placed in the Library • To create an instance, drag a symbol from the Library panel to the stage Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  6. LESSON 1 Naming a Symbol FIGURE 1 Using the Convert to Symbol dialog box to convert a symbol Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  7. LESSON 1 Editing a Symbol • Select from the Library and double-click, or use the Edit Symbol command • Changes made to symbols are reflected in all their associated instances • Changes made to instances do not affect their symbol Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  8. LESSON 1 Working with Instances • Instances can be altered in many ways • Rotate, skew, resize • Change color, brightness, transparency • Some limitations to editing an instance • Changes must be made to entire instance • Use “Break Apart” for more edibility, but note that the link to the symbol will be broken Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  9. LESSON 2 Understanding the Library • The Library provides a way to view and organize symbols • Change symbol names and properties • Add or delete symbols Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  10. LESSON 2 The Library • Title Bar • Names the movie with which the Library is associated • Options Menu • Provides access to additional features of the library • Item Preview window • Displays the selected symbol Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  11. LESSON 2 The Library • Toggle Sorting Order Icon • Allows you to reorder the lists of folders and symbols within folders • Wide Library View and Narrow Library View icon • Used to expand and collapse the Library window to display more or less of the symbol properties Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  12. LESSON 2 The Library • Name Text Box • Lists the folder and symbol names • New Symbol Icon • Displays the Create New Symbol dialog box • New Folder Icon • Allows you to create a new folder Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  13. LESSON 2 The Library • Properties Icon • Displays the Symbol Properties dialog box for the selected symbol • Delete Item Icon • Deletes the selected symbol or folder Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  14. LESSON 2 The Library Panel Options Menu FIGURE 11 The Library panel Click to list Library panel of an open document Item Preview window Toggle Sorting Order Icon Wide Library View Icon Name Text Box Narrow Library View Icon Delete Icon New Symbol Icon Properties Icon New Folder Icon Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  15. LESSON 3 Understanding Buttons • Button symbols provide interactivity • Any object, including Flash objects, can be turned into a Button symbol • Button symbols have four states • Correspond to the use of the mouse • Recognize that the user requires feedback Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  16. LESSON 3 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 Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  17. LESSON 3 The Four Button States • Down • How the button appears after the user clicks the mouse • Hit • Defines the area of the screen that will respond to the click Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  18. LESSON 3 The Four Button States Up Over Down Hit FIGURE 18 The four button states FIGURE 19 The button timeline Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  19. LESSON 3 Button Development • Create a button symbol • Edit the button symbol • Return to the main timeline • Preview the button Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  20. LESSON 4 Understanding Actions • In a basic movie, Flash plays frames sequentially • To gain greater control, ActionScripting provides interactivity • Button presses can start/stop a Movie • Jump to a frame or scene Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  21. LESSON 4 Analyzing ActionScript • Basic ActionScript involves an event (such as a mouse click) that causes some action to occur Category panel Event Action FIGURE 26 The Actions panel displaying an ActionScript Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  22. LESSON 4 Assigning Actions to a Button • Select the desired button on the stage • Display the Actions panel • Select the Script Assist button to display the Script Assist panel within the ActionScript panel Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  23. LESSON 4 Assigning Actions to a Button • Select the appropriate category • Select the desired action • Specify the event that triggers the action Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  24. LESSON 4 Button Actions • Buttons respond to one or more of the following events • Release • With the pointer inside the button Hit area, the user presses and releases the mouse button • Key Press • With the pointer inside the button Hit area, the user presses a predetermined key on the keyboard Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  25. Roll Over The user moves the pointer into 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 Using Frame Actions Actions assigned to frames Executed when the playhead reaches the frame LESSON 4 Button Actions Working With Symbols and Interactivity

  26. SUMMARY Chapter 3 Tasks • Create symbols and instances • Work with Libraries • Create buttons • Assign actions to buttons Working With Symbols and Interactivity

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