Re: FLASH: Movie levels: Pardon

[John Croteau]

Hi Thomas,


> can i just say, dammit! I'm so lame...trying to figure out how to create an

> expression to auto-load my movies while ensuring they are on "current

> level+1"...well duh! when you load a movie into the same level where there's

> already a movie residing..it just REPLACES the movie. 

OK first why are you using an expression to load movies. Normally, you

want to load one movie at a time. We will assume that load movie is

better suited than movie clips for now.


Take a simplified version of Flash Central (may not be current version).


We have a loader on level 0 that plays the opening animation and then

loads the Menu into Level 20. The Still Logo might be loaded to Level 10

to replace the end of the Logo on level zero which would be Parked in an

empty frame.


Then other movie might be loaded to levels 1-9 to be under the logo,

11-19 to be over the Logo. Further more if you do not want the logo to

appear at all you would move the movie on level ten to a frame that

would be completely empty (a Park frame).


Level0       - Loader and Beginning Animation

Level 1-9    - Movies that should be under both the Logo and the Menu.

Level 10     - Logo Standard Placement

Level 11-19  - Movies that are over Logo but under Menu

Level 20     - Menu

Level 21 up  - Movies that will be above both Menu and Logo


Now normally you will have up to 3 movies visible at a time

  The Menu (20)

  The Logo (10)

  The current content movie (others)


You would choose a movie in one of the three ranges depending on the

needs of the movie. If you load a movie you would park any other movies

you do not need to see.


If you want to cover the Menu in part so that something in the left part

of the image would fly over or appear on the Menu you would choose a

layer above level 20. But if instead you do not want to have the menu

appear you would not just want to cover the menu because the buttons

even if not seen will still be active, so the obvious choice is to move

the Menu movie  to a blank Park frame to wait until it is needed again.


Ging every movie its own level and parking it after it is already is

loaded is the best and smoothest way to handle load movies.


The key to handling Load Movies and levels is to plan out everything in

advance and leave room for expansion in all sections. D'nt use Levels,

0,1,2 and 3. Use levels 1, 10, 20 and 30. You have 16000 levels to work

with so use them but plan it out based on th needs of your animation.


Whenever possible, try to concentrate control in one or two spots. Do't

load movies willy nilly as this is likely to lead to disorder and

confusion.


-----------                               -----------------------

John Croteau

croteauerols [dot] com (mailto:croteauerols [dot] com)

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