Macromedia Flash 8 : A Tutorial Guide

by Armstrong, Jay; deHaan, Jen

• ISBN13: 9780321394149
• ISBN10: 0321394143
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-06
• Publisher: Macromedia Press

Summary

This guide allows you to learn specific Flash skills step-by-step at your own pace. Choose from among several tutorials to develop the skills that are most appropriate to the Flash projects you are working on at any given time. Each lesson leads you through the workflow for implementing a specific real-world feature or effect in your Flash applications. InMacromedia Flash 8: A Tutorial Guide,learn how to: bull; Navigate the Flash workspace and use common document types bull; Use the Flash drawing tools and create engaging graphic effects bull; Use ActionScript to add interactivity and custom functionality to your documents bull; Connect your Flash projects to external data sources to create data-driven applications Powerful development and design tools require thorough and authoritative technical advice and documentation. When it comes to Macromedia Flash, no one is more authoritative than Macromediars"s own development and writing teams. Now their official documentation is available to you in printed book form. As you work, keep this guide by your side for ready access to valuable information on using Flash. Wers"ve designed it so that itrs"s easy to annotate as you progress.

Author Biography

Jay  Armstrong and Jen deHaan are members of the staff of the Instructional Media Development team at Macromedia. The Macromedia Instructional Media Development (IMD) team is a group of technical writers, editors, and production engineers who create the technical documentation for all Macromedia products and technologies. Each product has a team of dedicated writers who document the help systems, feature descriptions, and learning paths that Macromedia customers use. Through their years of insider, hands-on product experience, the IMD team is uniquely qualified to bring you these official Macromedia-branded documentation reference guides.

Table of Contents

Introduction	11	(2)
Basic Tasks: Create a Document	13	(12)
Take a tour of the user interface	14	(3)
Change background and Stage size	17	(1)
Change your view of the Stage	18	(1)
View the Library panel	18	(1)
Add graphics to the Stage	19	(1)
Add video	19	(1)
View object properties	20	(1)
Add video control behaviors	20	(2)
Use the Movie Explorer to view the document structure	22	(1)
Test the document	23	(1)
Find help	23	(1)
Summary	23	(2)
Basic Tasks: Creating a banner, Part 1	25	(18)
Examine the completed FLA file	26	(3)
Creating a new document	29	(1)
Changing document properties	30	(3)
Importing graphics	33	(3)
Introducing layers and the timeline	36	(4)
Test the application	40	(1)
Summary	41	(2)
Basic Tasks: Creating a banner, Part 2	43	(20)
Examine the completed FLA file	44	(2)
Adding text	46	(3)
Creating a symbol	49	(2)
Adding animation to a timeline	51	(5)
Creating a button	56	(3)
Writing simple actions	59	(2)
Test the application	61	(1)
Summary	62	(1)
Basic Tasks: Creating a banner, Part 3	63	(16)
Examine the completed FLA file	65	(2)
Considering your audience	67	(1)
Checking your publish settings	68	(3)
Inserting Flash on a Dreamweaver site	71	(2)
Using roundtrip editing	73	(1)
Checking for Flash Player	74	(2)
Test the application	76	(1)
Summary	77	(2)
Basic Tasks: Create Accessible Flash Content	79	(10)
Set up your workspace	80	(1)
Make your document accessible to screen readers	81	(1)
Provide a document title and description	81	(1)
Provide a title and description for instances	82	(1)
Specify that screen readers ignore elements in your document	83	(1)
Change static text to dynamic text for accessibility	83	(1)
Control the tab order and reading order	84	(3)
About testing your document with screen readers	87	(1)
Summary	87	(2)
Basic Tasks: Work with Layers	89	(8)
Set up your workspace	90	(1)
Select a layer	91	(1)
Hide and show layers	92	(1)
Lock a layer	92	(1)
Add and name a layer	93	(1)
Change the order of layers	93	(1)
Organize layers in a folder	94	(1)
Add a mask layer	94	(1)
Add a guide layer	95	(1)
Delete a layer	96	(1)
Summary	96	(1)
Basic Tasks: Create an Application	97	(10)
Set up your workspace	98	(1)
Copy input and dynamic text fields	99	(1)
Name text fields	99	(1)
Add and name a Button component	100	(1)
Declare variables and values for the prices	101	(1)
Specify values for input text fields	102	(1)
Write a function	103	(1)
Write an event handler for the component	104	(1)
Test your application	105	(1)
Summary	105	(2)
Basic Tasks: Use Layout Tools	107	(10)
Set up your workspace	108	(1)
Use guides to align an object	108	(1)
Change the Stage size	109	(1)
Resize objects to match the Stage size	110	(1)
Specify snap alignment settings	111	(1)
Align an object using the alignment guides	111	(1)
Align objects using the Align panel	112	(1)
Snap objects to each other	113	(1)
Align objects using the Property inspector	114	(1)
Align objects using the grid and arrow keys	115	(1)
Summary	115	(2)
Basic Tasks: Create Symbols and Instances	117	(8)
Set up your workspace	118	(1)
About creating symbols	118	(1)
Create a graphic symbol	119	(1)
Duplicate and modify an instance of a symbol	120	(1)
Modify a symbol	121	(1)
Create a movie clip symbol	122	(1)
Assign an instance name to the movie clip	122	(1)
Add an effect to the movie clip	123	(1)
Summary	123	(2)
Basic Tasks: Add Button Animation and Navigation	125	(10)
Set up your workspace	126	(1)
Create a button from grouped objects	127	(1)
Name a button instance	127	(1)
View the hit area by enabling buttons	128	(1)
Change the hit area of a button	128	(1)
Align buttons	129	(1)
Create animation for a button state	130	(1)
Add an action to a button	131	(1)
Add navigation to a button	132	(1)
Test the SWF file	133	(1)
Summary	133	(2)
Basic Tasks: Create a Presentation with Screens (Flash Professional Only)	135	(10)
Set up your workspace	136	(1)
View the screen hierarchy and screen Timelines	137	(1)
View screen properties	138	(1)
Add content to a presentation slide	139	(1)
Add screen navigation behaviors to buttons	140	(1)
Add and name a slide	141	(1)
Select and move slides	141	(1)
Add content to a new slide	142	(1)
Add transition behaviors	142	(1)
Test your presentation	143	(1)
Summary	143	(2)
Creating Graphics: Draw in Flash	145	(8)
Select a shape tool	146	(1)
Select options to create a polygon	147	(1)
Draw a polygon	147	(1)
Rotate the shape	148	(1)
Use the cutout feature	148	(1)
Transform the shape of your drawing	149	(1)
Copy strokes	149	(1)
Draw with the Line tool	150	(1)
Select and add a different fill color	150	(1)
Group the shape	151	(1)
Create a logo with the Pen tool	151	(1)
Summary	152	(1)
Creating Graphics: Create a Timeline Animation	153	(8)
Create a motion tween	155	(1)
Create a shape tween	156	(1)
Copy and paste keyframes in an animation	157	(2)
Change the speea of the animation	159	(1)
Test the SWF file	160	(1)
Summary	160	(1)
Creating Graphics: Making Animations with Easing (Flash Professional only)	161	(16)
Examine the completed FLA file	163	(2)
Open the starter document	165	(11)
Test the application	176	(1)
Creating Graphics: Applying Gradients	177	(16)
Examine the completed FLA file	179	(2)
Open the starter document	181	(1)
Apply a linear gradient	181	(2)
Create a radial gradient	183	(3)
Create a transform gradient with a shape	186	(1)
Apply the finishing touches	187	(4)
Test the application	191	(2)
Creating Graphics: Apply Graphic Filters and Blends (Flash Professional Only)	193	(6)
Review your task	194	(1)
Open the starter document	195	(1)
Apply filters and blends	195	(4)
Text: Add Text to a Document	199	(10)
Set up your workspace	200	(1)
Create an expanding-width text block	201	(1)
Create a fixed-width text block	202	(1)
Edit text and change font attributes	202	(1)
Select device fonts	203	(1)
Add an input text field	203	(1)
Copy a text field	204	(1)
Assign instance names to text fields	205	(1)
Create a dynamic text field	205	(1)
Specify format options	206	(1)
View ActionScript for the dynamic text field	207	(1)
Test the SWF file	207	(1)
Check spelling	208	(1)
Summary	208	(1)
ActionScript: Use Script Assist mode	209	(16)
Examine the completed FLA file	211	(2)
Open the starter document	213	(1)
Add a script to a button by using Script Assist mode	213	(5)
Add frame scripts to the Timeline by using Script Assist mode	218	(3)
Add a frame script to the Title movie clip	221	(2)
Test the application	223	(1)
Summary	223	(2)
ActionScript: Add Interactivity	225	(10)
Set up your workspace	226	(1)
Name button instances	227	(1)
Add a scene	227	(1)
Move between scenes	228	(1)
Control the document with a stop( ) action	228	(1)
Link a button to a scene	229	(1)
Add navigation to return to Scene 1	229	(1)
Play a movie clip	230	(3)
Use a behavior to play an MP3 file	233	(1)
Test your document	233	(1)
Summary	234	(1)
ActionScript: Write Scripts	235	(10)
Set up your workspace	236	(1)
Create an instance of a symbol	236	(2)
Name button instances	238	(1)
Initialize the document	238	(1)
Apply ActionScript syntax	239	(1)
Locate ActionScript reference documentation	240	(1)
Add comments to ActionScript	240	(1)
Write a function for a button	241	(1)
Copy and modify a button function	242	(1)
Check syntax and test your application	243	(1)
Summary	244	(1)
ActionScript: Create a Form with Conditional Logic and Send Data	245	(10)
Set up your workspace	246	(1)
Add an input text field to collect form data	246	(1)
Add a Submit button to the form	247	(1)
Add an error message	248	(1)
Add a confirmation message	249	(1)
Add a stop( ) action	249	(1)
Add frame labels for navigation	250	(1)
Add conditional logic for the Submit button	251	(1)
Pass data out of a SWF file	252	(1)
Write a function for the Try Again button	253	(1)
Test your SWF file	253	(1)
Summary	254	(1)
ActionScript: Work with Objects and Classes	255	(12)
Set up your workspace	256	(1)
Learn about classes and object types	256	(1)
Create an object from a class	257	(2)
Create a custom class	259	(3)
Create two objects from the Product class	262	(1)
Learn about extending existing classes	263	(1)
Extend the MovieClip class to create a new class	264	(2)
Summary	266	(1)
Data Integration: Overview (Flash Professional Only)	267	(2)
Data Integration: Using the Macromedia Tips Web Service (Flash Professional Only)	269	(8)
Connect to a public web service	270	(2)
Create a user interface and bind the components with the web service	272	(5)
Data Integration: Using XML for a Timesheet (Flash Professional Only)	277	(10)
Create the user interface	278	(8)
Edit the data	286	(1)
Data Integration: Using XUpdate to Update the Timesheet (Flash Professional Only)	287
Update the timesheet	288