Flash Reference Guide

So far, you have learned how to create a Library. What makes the Library useful is what it can do with media within Flash. Flash comes with a number of tools that enable you to create graphics, and the Library gives you the tools that allow you to store and reuse the art work you create.

Media, such as graphics, are stored in the Library. Once in the Library, the graphic can be dragged onto the Stage. However, the trick is that the object you drag onto the Stage is not the original version of the graphic; it is a copy that is called an instance. If you drag a second copy of a graphic from the Library, you add a second instance on the Stage. You can drag as many instances onto the Stage as you like. As you do this, you do not increase the overall file size of the movie. Isn't that cool?

To give you an idea of how this works, in the following exercise you will draw an object on the Stage and then save it to the Library:

1. Select File, New From Templates. Choose the Library template you created earlier. Click OK. The Library template opens in edit mode.

2. Select the Rectangle tool. On the Stage, draw a rectangle with the Rectangle tool.

3. Highlight all the objects on the Stage by selecting Edit, Select All. The rectangle shape is now highlighted. You can also double-click the rectangle to select both the stroke and fill.

4. Press F8 to convert the shape to a symbol, which is the name given to an object that will be placed into the Library. Name the new object rectangle_gr. The _gr is a suffix I add to all graphic symbols. You do not need to do this, but I find it easier to track down files when I use a naming convention.

5. Below the name field is a Behavior section, which allows you to determine what type of symbol is being added to the Library. You are given three different options: Movie Clip, Button, and Graphic. Select Graphic and then choose OK. A new symbol appears in the Library.

6. As I mentioned earlier, I am a bit of a neat freak, so let's start with some good habits. The new graphic instance is the root of the Library. That is, the file is not hidden within any of the folders. You will now click and drag the graphic symbol and drop it onto the Graphic folder. When you release your cursor, the Graphic folder expands, and the new graphic symbol is now within the folder. The Use Count for the symbol is 1 because you have only one instance of the Library item on the Stage.

7. Click and drag an instance of rectangle_gr away from the Library onto the Stage. You now have two copies of the rectangle_gr graphic on the Stage. The Use Count now says 2. Drag on five more copies of the graphic. Each time you add a new instance, you do not increase the overall size of the movie. Add as many as you like.

8. The power of instances now starts to come forward. Select one of the instances of the rectangle_gr graphic on the Stage. Select the Free Transform tool and resize the graphic. It changes shape independently of the other instances. Select a second instance on the Stage and resize that. Keep doing that until you have five or six instances as different shapes.

9. From the Stage, select an instance of the rectangle_gr. From the Property Inspector, select the Color drop-down menu and choose Alpha from the drop-down list. Change the Alpha settings to 25%. Just this one instance of the graphic is now transparent. The tint and brightness can also be changed for any graphic instance for rectangle_gr symbol on the Stage.

10. Select another instance of the rectangle_gr graphic. Right-click the symbol and choose Edit in Place, which enables you to edit the main symbol within the Library for rectangle_gr. Choose Edit, Select All to highlight the entire rectangle shape. Choose Delete to remove the shape. From the Tools panel, choose the Oval tool and draw an oval shape on the Stage. You see that all the instances of the rectangle_gr graphic are now ovals.

11. Try creating more graphic symbols on the Stage to see how you can control them through the Library.

It is the Library's capability to control objects that make it so powerful. The graphic symbol is the most basic object you can create in the Flash Library. The following sections highlight objects you will find in the Library.

Graphics

As discussed, the graphics symbol is the most basic symbol and its function is to manage only single frame graphics.

When I work with Flash MX, I often use Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia Freehand to create the basic graphic files. These files can be imported directly into Flash through the File, Import feature. The Illustrator or Freehand files are normally only single frames. The first thing I do is to convert the imported graphics into Library symbols, which makes life just so much easier.

When you create graphics in the Library, add the suffix _gr. (An example name is rectangle_gr.)

Buttons

Ever want to create a simple button? The Button symbol is the one feature you need. By using it, you can create buttons that have four states: Up, Over, Down, and Hit Area. Each state can have its own graphic. You see the effect when you drag the button onto the Stage. When you move your cursor over the button, you see the different states change, depending on whether you have your cursor on the button or you are clicking it.

A second cool feature you get with buttons is the capability to attach ActionScript to the button. When a user interacts with the button (such as clicking it), an ActionScript is executed. It can be something as simple as jumping to a new section of the movie or as complicated as calculating formulae.

When you create buttons in the Library, add the suffix _btn. (An example name is clickMe_btn.)

Movie Clips

The most complicated and sophisticated symbol you will add to the Library is the Movie Clip symbol. What makes it so complicated is that each Movie Clip instance is its own Flash movie. Animation, timelines, and everything you have in a normal movie can be encapsulated within each Movie Clip.

If you come from the Web HTML design world to Flash, you can think of a Movie Clip as a separate browser window running within the main movie, but without the frames and with the capability to intelligently talk to the main movie through ActionScript. You will run into 101 uses for this symbol.

When you create Movie Clips in the Library, add the suffix _mc. (An example name is myFirstMovie_mc.)

I recommend that you place imported bitmap images within a Movie Clip so you can modify and apply image effects such as alpha levels, tint, and brightness.

Fonts

New to Flash MX is the capability to link fonts into your movie. With Flash's capability to embed a font into a movie, you may wonder why you need to add fonts as symbols to the Library. The reason is driven from large groups sharing Flash movies. I may not have all the fonts you have on your computer. When I open an FLA file that contains a custom font you created, I need to have your font installed on my computer to read the document correctly. If I don't, Flash replaces the font you used with one from my computer. Sharing a font in the Library prevents this from happening.

When you create graphics in the Library, add the suffix _ft. (An example name is garamondBlack_ft.)

Video

Another new feature of Flash MX is the inclusion of video, which is remarkable because the Flash Player is just over 300KB for Internet Explorer users; whereas video playback devices from RealNetworks, Apple, and Microsoft all generally come in over 10MB! When Flash is connected to the Flash MX Communication Server, you can deliver live video and audio through the Flash Player.

Flash allows you to import AVI, QuickTime, ASF, Flash video, and MPEG files.

When you add video in the Library add the suffix _video. (An example name is home_video.)

Audio

Audio support has been available within Flash for a number of years. With Flash MX, the support is extended to enable support for microphones and external MP3 files. The Flash Player now plays back MP3 encoded files and, through ActionScript, you can display ID3 Tag information embedded with any MP3 file.

Flash enables you to import WAV, ASF, AU, AIFF, and MP3 files. When you add audio in the Library, add the suffix _sound. (An example name is sound_sound.)

Practice using the Library panel to manage and organize your symbols. It really helps you control where the content is within the Library.