FLASH: Davo's Flash tip of the day.(#14)

[David Gary]

Hiya Flashers,


New to FLash3 buttons?


How about "Flash for dummies" with "dummy buttons"?


The best direction( for me at least) when creating "active" buttons is using

"tell target".


In this process I create a "dummy" button, which is actually only a round,

square, or

rectangle solid color shape in the "hit" frame in my button events.(the rest of

the frames a blank.  I can use this  "dummy" for all buttons in the movie with

the same shape as in my  "hit" frame.

I usually name these "dummy" buttons,  "active circle" , "active square", etc.

The reason I add "active" is:


1. To let me now what type of buttons they are(dummy)in the library and

2.To place them in the library on top of one another for easy finding.


Then I create the "animation" of the button as an MC(movie clip).

THen I add a "COM"(command layer) to this MC. On this layer, I add with my frame

actions, I.E., "stop" "play", goto, whatever. I usually have the first frame

with a "Stop" action keyframe labeled "park".


I name all "dummy" button MCs with MC/button"whatever" to line them up in

library for easy finding.


I place the "dummy" button on the top layer and the MC underneath it,

on a second layer.


I double clik on the MC and add its "instance name", I.E. "enter button" or

whatever.


THen I double click on the "dummy" button(in flash 3 you will see a transparent

"ghost" of your dummy button to position and scale it correctly) and then I

select "actions"/"tell target"(the name of the MC's "instance") and a "play" or

"goto and play", or whatever "label". I usually have my labels named "over"

"out", etc, to apply the correct actions to its tell target.


With "dummy" buttons I have more control of what the button is supposed to do.

Also by using this "tell target' routine I can tell the MC(button) animation to

do more

than one thing with "mouse events". You can embed MCs into your "event" frames

in the button itself, but it limits what you can REALLY do wit' a butn'.


Not such a "Dumb button" after all, huh?<g>


HTH,


-DG-



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