RE: [flasher] Movie Clip in a button

[AndyA]

Hey Erik,


The command gotoAndPlay() will always act on the timeline in which it is

programmed. The button has its own four frame timeline. So

gotoAndPlay("Up"), would tell the button to go to the frame labelled "Up" in

this timeline. If you want to reference another timeline such as the main

timeline (or _root as it is called) in which you have put your button you

need to use the tellTarget() command.


For example, you could create a second frame in the main timeline with the

navbar rolled out and the extra rollover buttons. In both of the frames in

the main timeline put a stop action. Then using the following code:


tellTarget (_root) {

	gotoAndPlay (2)

}


will tell the main timeline to go to frame 2.


Since you have put a movie clip in the 'over' frame of the button, you have

created a hierarchy of timelines that looks like this:


_root

	button

		movieclip


The hierarchy can be used to target accurately too. So, if you had a

Movieclip on the main timeline you could use the 'instance' panel to give

the movieclip an instance name of e.g. Movie1. The hierarchy would then be:


_root

	Movie1


If you then wanted to tell the movieclip Movie1 to do something you can use:


tellTarget (_root.Movie1) {statement}


Similarly, if you put another movieclip in a fram in Movie1, then the

hierarchy would be:


_root

	Movie1

		Movie2


and this one could be referred to as _root.Movie1.Movie2 etc.


If you go to "Window - Help" in flash and search for TellTarget, you'll find

lots more info. You might also want to look at gotoAndStop.


I haven't found a way of giving a button an instance name though, so you

cannot target the button timeline from somewhere else (if anyone knows how

to do this, I'd love to know!!). As a result, you might want to look at the

possibility of making your NavBar a MovieClip instead of it being a button.

To get the rollover action in your new Navbar movieclip, you can include an

invisible button (one with just the "Hit" frame specified and no content).

Have a play with the idea and see what you come up with!


Regards


Andy