Working with Symbols and Interactivity Chapter 3 Working with Symbols and Interactivity

Chapter 3 Lessons Create symbols and instances Work with libraries Create buttons Assign actions to frames and buttons Import graphics

Work with Symbols and Interactivity Introduction Flash allows you to keep a movie file small by creating reusable graphics, buttons, and movie clips Flash allows you to create a graphic (drawing) of a movie file, and then make unlimited copies of that file

Work with Symbols and Interactivity Introduction The original drawing is called a symbol and is stored in the Library panel The copied drawing is called the instance and only its size, shape, and color are stored A link is established between the symbol and the instance so that the instance has the same properties as the symbol

Work with Symbols and Interactivity Three categories of symbols A graphic symbol allows you to reuse a single image and make changes in each instance of the image A button symbol allows you to create buttons for interactivity A movie clip symbol allows you to create complex animations

Work with Symbols and Interactivity You can use the New Symbol command on the Insert menu to create and then draw a symbol. You can draw an object and then use the Convert to Symbol command on the Modify menu to convert the object to a symbol.

Create Symbols and Instances Use the Convert to Symbol dialog box to convert an object to a symbol

Create Symbols and Instances After you complete the Convert to Symbol dialog box, Flash places the symbol in the Library panel.

Create Symbols and Instances Name of Flash movie the Library is associated with Click to display list of all open Flash movies Preview of symbol Icon identifies symbol as a graphic Symbol name A graphic symbol in the Library panel

Create Symbols and Instances To create an instance of a symbol, you can drag a symbol from the Library panel to the Stage. To edit a symbol, you can double-click it in the Library panel or use the Edit Symbols command on the Edit menu.

Create Symbols and Instances An instance is a single object with no segments or parts, such as stroke and a fill. You can rotate, skew, and resize instances, as well as change their color, brightness, and transparency.

Create Symbols and Instances Stacking other objects on top of an instance can change its appearance. If you use the Break Apart command on the Modify menu, you will break the link between the instance and the symbol and changes can then be made to the instance.

Create Symbols and Instances To create an instance: Open the Library panel Drag the desired symbol to the Stage Select the instance by using the Selection tool to drag a marquee around it. A blue box indicates that the object is selected Use the Free Transform tool options to modify the instance

Create Symbols and Instances Drag the car image, the name of the symbol, or its icon from the Library panel below the original instance to create a second instance of the symbol Creating an instance Newly created symbol in the Library panel

Work with Libraries The Library panel in Flash contains the symbols and other items such as imported graphics, movie clips, and sounds. It allows you to view and organize items, change the item name, display item properties, and add and delete items.

Work with Libraries Parts of the library: Tab title: Identifies the panel title Panel options menu: Provides access to several features used to edit and organize symbols Display movies list arrow: Allows you to use items from one movie in another movie

Work with Libraries Parts of the library: Item preview window: displays the selected item Name text box: Lists the folder and item names Toggle Sorting Order icon: Allows you to reorder the list of folders and items within folders

Work with Libraries Parts of the library: New Symbol icon: Displays the Create New Symbol dialog box, allowing you to create a new symbol New Folder icon: Allows you to create a new folder

Work with Libraries Parts of the library: Properties icon: Displays the properties dialog box for the selected item Delete icon: Deletes the selected item or folder

Work with Libraries The Library panel Panel options list arrow Display movies list arrow; click to display list of all open Flash movies; click a movie to open Library panel for that movie Tab title Item Preview window Toggle Sorting Order icon (position may vary) New Symbol icon New Folder icon Name list box Properties icon Delete icon The Library panel

Create Buttons You can use button symbols to provide interactivity. When you click a button an action occurs. You can make any object, including Flash drawings, text blocks, and imported graphic images into buttons.

Create Buttons Four states of buttons: 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—Represents how the button appears after the user clicks the mouse

Create Buttons Hit—Defines the area of the screen that will respond to the pointer. In most cases, you will want the Hit state to be the same or similar to the Up state in location and size

Create Buttons The Button Timeline

Create Buttons The process for creating and previewing buttons: Create a button symbol Edit the button symbol Return to the Main Timeline Preview the button

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons Provide users with the ability to interact with a movie by assigning an action to the Down state of a button. Whenever the user clicks a button with an assigned action, the assigned action occurs.

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons ActionScript is a powerful scripting language that allows those with even limited programming experience to create complex actions. A basic ActionScript involves an event (such as a mouse click) that causes some action to occur by triggering the script.

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons ActionScript 2.0 and 3.0 address the different needs of both designers and developers. AS3 is used by developers because it provides a programming environment that is more familiar to them AS2 allows new Flash users to create compelling applications without expertise

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons Script Assist Event on (release) Action gotoAndPlay(1) The Actions panel displaying an ActionScript

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons An advantage of using AS2 is a feature called Script Assist, which provides an easy way to use ActionScript without having to learn the scripting language. The Script Assist feature within the Actions panel allows you to assign basic actions to frames and objects.

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons Adobe has two types of Flash users, designers and developers. Designers focus on the visual features of a Flash movie Developers focus on the programming aspects of a Flash movie Together they create sophisticated Flash applications

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons Button actions respond to one or more mouse events, including: Release Key Press Roll Over Drag Over

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons You can assign actions to frames that you can execute when the playhead reaches the frame. Stop is a common action that you can assign to the first and last frame of a layer on the Timeline.

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons 1. Select the button 2. Display the Actions panel 3. Click the Script Assist button to toggle between on (seen here) and off 4. Click the Add a new item To the script button 5. Select the Actions menu, the Actions category, and the action Hide/Display arrow, click to hide or display the Toolbox pane The process for assigning actions to buttons

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons The Actions panel has two panes: The left pane (also called the Toolbox pane) uses folders to display the Action categories The right pane (also called the Script pane) uses the Script Assist features and displays the ActionScript code as the code is being generated

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons When using the Script Assist feature, it is best to close the left pane. To do this click the Hide/Display arrow. The lower-left corner of the Script pane displays the symbol name or the frame to which the action(s) will apply.

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons Frame labels can be referenced in the ActionScript code. Adding or deleting frames will not disrupt the navigation to a frame reference, since the label remains attached to the frame even if the frame moves.

Assign Actions to Frames and Buttons Script Assist on Code that references the frame label Frame label “StartRace” In frame 2 The Timeline with a frame label

Import Graphics Bitmap images are made up of a group of tiny dots of color called pixels (picture elements). Vector graphics represent an image as a geometric shape made up of lines and arcs that are combined to create various shapes, such as circles and rectangles.

Import Graphics Flash drawing tools create vector images which can be resized without distorting the image. Filename extensions: Bitmap graphic file types: .jpg, .tif, .bmp, and .gif Vector graphic file type: .ai

Bitmap graphic enlarged Import Graphics Bitmap graphic enlarged

Import Graphics To bring a graphic into Flash use the Import feature. Bitmap graphics are not easy to edit in Flash so you should edit them in another program, like Photoshop, to obtain the desired size, color, and other enhancements.