RE: FLASH: Tell Target and Actionscript Question: Movie clips to fade in, then out

[unique]

At the exact moment of 99.11.29.11.37, her/his local time, Gavin Prior

<

Gavin [dot] Priordk [dot] com

> put forth:


<snip>


>> At the exact moment of 99.11.29.6.02, her/his local time, unique

>

> <uniqueptd [dot] net> put forth:

>>> What I *am* doing is redesigning a bad HTML page into a good Flash

>>> page. In essence, there are five buttons across the top of the page,

>>> each of which, onrelease, runs a specific movie clip

>>> (text/information) in the staging area below the buttons.

>>> 

>>> So, I was thinking, what if I want to redesign the whole site this

>>> way? That might become 15 Flash pages, with 1 to 8 distinct movie

>>> clips for each. Where do I go with over 50 movie clip instances that

>>> I've had to create *only because* of this particular awkward

>>> "convention" that Flash uses for referring to the parent of a

>>> duplicate movie clip? The Duplicate Movie Clip action requires an

>>> *instance* name. Why not a specific *symbol* name? Why couldn't

>>> I just design the movie clip exactly the way I want it to be, for

>>> one particular use only, and call it by referring to the symbol

>>> library, instead of having to have a physical "icon" sitting

>>> somewhere off-stage?

>>> 

>>> I'd really like to hear from someone who has found a "clean"

>>> solution for a case such as the one I've postulated here.

> 

> From what I can gather, you may be going about this the wrong way...

> 

> Why not use the timeline to make "jumps" to the section required when

> pressing a button (button1); then you have your next set of buttons

> which will again jump to the movieclip which is set on your stage and

> not as a duplicate (button1A) etc...


Here's the background:


As often happens, I am in a phase of learning Flash, and trying to

implement what I'm learning into a project I am doing -- in this case, a

spec page for a business site redesign for an friend. I never did much

with Flash 3, so I may be more inclined than some to see what kinds of

things I can tweak with Actionscript.


Another aspect of what I am "into" right now is *not* having a humongous

number of frames (been there, done that). Actually, the pile of 50 or so

"unused" movie clips sitting in one corner of my work area is certainly

worth the ease and efficiency with which I am designing this piece.

Using movie clips allows one to minimize timeline scrolling. I will post

a URL and a ZIP file when it is complete, and anyone who's interested

can see what I mean.


> It sounds like you have a complicated structure.


Actually, it is quite elegant, and would be even in its full-blown form.

Neat and tidy.


> Doing it this way

> may not be the best way (flashers?) but it's certainly better than

> what you "are" doing..


I apologize for not having this up on my site yet, but I am just now

getting back to implementing the "roughed-out" movie. It will take "a

coupla" hours.


(I *love* that Flash makes it so easy to rough-out storyboards, and then

flesh-out the very same file later. Just need a simple nav system to run

them as a slide show, for a presentation that the prospect can run on

her own, from a file that you can easily email. But I digress.)


I certainly invite comments on what this topic has become!


Thanks,


Ken Sherwood




                         *zenkat: the Flash trailer*

                    http://www.kensherwood.com/zenkat.htm


kensherwood.com

http://www.kensherwood.com





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