FLASH: Programmable Menu Object: FREE if you want it

[Len Harrison]

Thanks to this group I finally got the TellTarget /movieclip concept clear

in my sometimes dimly-lit brain. Once that happened I began to understand

how you could actually create programmable objects and built a sample one

that may or may not see use in our current project.


Essentially this is a movie clip popout menu that drops in place within a

movie and requires no hard-coding for its actions. All actions are

soft-coded and indirect. The value of the thing is not so great in my

current environment because I don't really care that much about Flash file

size or load times. I'm not doing stuff that is primarily distributed over

the Web. There may be some value in the indirection aspect since the same

object can be kept on screen throughout the movie and used to call up

accessory movie clips like glossaries and context sensitive help whose entry

points change along the main timeline. For the primary content navigation I

don't really care that much if I need another clip for each menu selection.

The advantages outweigh the disadvantages which are only two: file size and

ease of coding new actions. But if I were doing Web, the file size reduction

might be desirable, particularly if one were to really jazz the menu

graphics up.


What I'm doing here is probably old hat to the old hands on this list, but

I'm sure there are a number of you out there like myself  yesterday who are

still struggling with the basic concept and possibly some who've got

TellTarget /movieclip down but never thought how it could be used to

instantiate indirect control methods. So, if you have a use for this or are

just curious, email me and I'll send you a copy. It's FREE.


You'll want to modify the graphics and may wish to add more or less choices

to it (the current version has three hard-coded choices, but I may be able

to soft-code that aspect also using a variant of the same technique. if so,

all "registered" users will get a free update), but that's trivial in both

cases. You'll also want to label the menu choices which is only slightly

less trivial. So far I've haven't done that because I'm not sure whether I'm

going to implement this as a universal navigation system in which the labels

need to be virtual or for the single purpose function mentioned above, in

which cases the labels can be hard-coded into the control.


Here are the conditions of use:

This control can be reverse engineered, modified, deconstructed,

reconstructed, and used in any Flash movie for any purpose whatsoever,

commercial or non-commercial, without payment to or acknowledgement of the

original author, Len Harrison. The only condition for use is that you

register by requesting the control through email and agree to send the url's

of any movies you create which use the control or a derivation of it to the

author so that he can see what children it spawned. You further agree not to

redistribute the control yourself, but to redirect anyone else who wants it

to the author who will continue to provide it for free under these

conditions. If you make any enhancements to the control, you may, at your

option, send these to the author who will include these in later revisions

and distributions. Enhancements may be graphical, sonic, or "code" (in the

sense that Flash has "code"). You may also send your enhancements to the

author for his own interest but not for future redistribution. Just put "Not

for redistribution" in the subject line or body and the author will not

include your version in any future distributions. The author retains all

rights to this object except for those explicitly granted here. All users

agree not to hold the author responsible for any negative side effects

resulting from the use of this control including but not limited to Flash

movie failures, Unrecoverable Page Faults, system malfunctions whether in

hardware or software, criminal prosecution, or the loss of your job,

girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, or your dog or pickup truck. Use at

your own risk. Your mileage may vary.


If ya want it and can abide by these Draconian limitations, email me and

I'll send it to ya


len harrison

instructional designer

lenhabtcorp [dot] com

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