Re: FLASH: Shared Buttons bug, OR : not documented res

[Andrew Shirk]

JD,


Thanks for the typically evasive Macromedia response.


>If this is "Are scripts on buttons shared across libraries?" then no, the

>actual actions in a button are unique to each instance of its use...

>they're not stored in the library, and so aren't shared.


Well, that's not was "this" was. There was little ambiguity in the original

question:

"any of you noticed that including a shared Button... does not execute the

actions then assigned to the imported symbol"


So, you're answering a question that wasn't asked so as to not answer the

real questions:


1. Why do using shared libraries not work as Macromedia implied they would?

2. Why do using shared libraries in their current state actually increase

development time?

3. When will these problems be fixed?

4. Will I have to pay again for features I've already purchased?


These are the questions, and noone from Macromedia will answer them, so I will:


1. Basically, we released Flash 5 before it was feature complete. Producing

quality software that lives up to the advertised features costs too much

money. Sorry. We don't mind screwing you over because, quite frankly, you

have nowhere else to go.

2. Oh boy...that's funny. Shared libraries were never intended be a useful

"feature", just a useful selling point.

3. We don't talk about unannounced software, but I'll give you a hint, Flash 6.

4. Yes.


>If you want to cut down on filesize and guarantee uniformity in a project

>where multiple movies use the same graphics for buttons, then do what

>PSWoods recommends: share the graphics. You can then use these in each

>movie's various buttons.


Okay, I think I get it. So, if I have a button that is used in 20 different

Flash files, it will actually take me 20 times as long to produce this

button as it would have if shared libraries worked properly? Wow, that's a

great feature. Thanks.


>> Geeeee, where the *$%#&@ is this written in MM's Flash5 docs ?

>

>Sorry, the writers try to document the features, but it takes awhile to

>imagine the frequent questions in months to come.


It takes a while to imagine that people will use shared button symbols and

attach scripts to them in other movies?  It takes a while to imagine people

will try and use shared font symbols in dynamic text fields? Just how long

does it take to imagine these things, JD? About 15 seconds? How about some

straight answers instead of this side-stepping bs.


>If you could, please drop

>a note to wish-flash with something like "in addition to documenting the

>tool, please try to imagine what questions I may later have".


Or, an equally clever request might be "in addition to announcing the

features, please try and imagine that I will attempt to use the features."


>> GRRRR... i just spent the whole week-end optimizing 20 movies

>> in order to get them sharing 24 Kb of nice buttons, just to

>> discover that it doesnt work 8-(

>

>If you lost time like this, then you'll likely lose time in the future in

>similar approaches to other problems. When trying something new it's good

>to try a small proof-of-concept first, testing in several environments and

>conditions, before committing to a larger labor investment in a new path.


Of course! It's our fault. We didn't do the proper tests. We didn't read

the proper technotes that should have been in the documentation in the

first place. We didn't do this or that or the other thing. Guess what JD.

You didn't release a complete product. You deceptively sold software. And

you don't really give a rat's rump about any of this.


Andrew





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