Re: FLASH: Flash Naming Conventions?

[Marc Hoffman, Poison Dart Frog Media]

At 09:46 AM 1/6/00 , you wrote:


>Do any of you more experienced Flash experts use any type of naming

>conventions for your movies, variables, instances, etc�?  I�m especially

>interested in hearing from those who have done large projects in Flash and

>have found an orderly way of naming things so that the movies are easy to go

>back and work on and intuitively recognize what�s being used for what

>purposes.


I do lots of labeling in the timeline. If annotating a frame, use comment 

instead of label, to save file size in the .swf (comment doesn't export; 

label does).  Also in labeling layers, if there are movie clips in a layer 

I will name the label "/instancename" so I can easily remember the instance 

names for any movie clips that need to be TellTargeted. You could also do 

this as a comment in the timeline itself.


I often name movie clips "...mc" even though Flash4's library lets you sort 

by symbol type (I got my start in Flash3). Sometimes I create a button or 

movie clip based on a graphic that is first drawn on stage. In that case, I 

might name the symbol "widget mc." Then if I need to tween the object 

within the movie clip, I'll select the widget within the symbol edit window 

and make it a graphic symbol which I'll name "widget basis."


Remember, you can make a layer in Flash a "guide" layer and it won't export 

to the movie. This can be used to type notes right onto the stage. I find 

this easier than keeping separate notes on paper or in a text file, 

although I'll sometimes do that too, especially if a TellTarget or other 

routine gets complex. More and more, though, I do everything right in the 

flash file.


Hope this helps.

Marc Hoffman


Poison Dart Frog Media: Specializing in Flash Animation and Digital Audio 

Production

Our latest Flash job is on display at <http://www.dartfrogmedia.com/rickfrnd>

See our Flash portfolio at <http://www.dartfrogmedia.com/sampler>

(featured in Flash 3 Web Animation, by Ken Milburn)




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