Flash Professional 8 includes the Flash Basic 8 components plus the following additional components and classes:

Accordion component (Flash Professional only) Alert component (Flash Professional only) Data binding classes (Flash Professional only) DateField component (Flash Professional only) DataGrid component (Flash Professional only) DataHolder component (Flash Professional only) DataSet component (Flash Professional only) DateChooser component (Flash Professional only) FLVPlayback Component (Flash Professional Only) Form class (Flash Professional only) Media components (Flash Professional only) Menu component (Flash Professional only) MenuBar component (Flash Professional only) RDBMSResolver component (Flash Professional only) Screen class (Flash Professional only) Slide class (Flash Professional only) Tree component (Flash Professional only) WebServiceConnector component (Flash Professional only) XMLConnector component (Flash Professional only) XUpdateResolver component (Flash Professional only)
To view the Flash Basic 8 or Flash Professional 8 components:

1. 2. 3.

Start Flash. Select Window > Components to open the Components panel if it isnt already open. Select User Interface to expand the tree and view the installed components.
You can also download components from the Macromedia Exchange at www.macromedia.com/exchange. To install components downloaded from the Exchange, download and install the Macromedia Extension Manager at www.macromedia.com/ exchange/em_download/ Any component can appear in the Components panel in Flash. Follow these steps to install components on either a Windows or Macintosh computer.
To install components on a Windows-based or a Macintosh computer:
Quit Flash. Place the SWC or FLA file containing the component in the following folder on your hard disk:
In Windows: C:\Program Files\Macromedia\ Flash 8\language\Configuration\Components On the Macintosh: Macintosh HD/Applications/Macromedia Flash 8/Configuration/ Components (Macintosh)
Start Flash. Select Window > Components to view the component in the Components panel if it isnt already open.
Where component files are stored
Flash components are stored in the application-level Configuration folder.
F o r in format ion about t hese folde rs, se e C o n f ig ur a ti o n f o ld ers i ns t a ll ed w it h F la s h i n Getting Started with Flash.

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Components are installed in the following locations: Windows 2000 or Windows XP: C:\Program Files\Macromedia\ Flash 8\language\Configuration\Components Mac OS X: Macintosh HD/Applications/Macromedia Flash 8/Configuration/ Components
Modifying the component files
The source ActionScript files for components are located in:

This class lets you add columns to the DataGrid instance and
control their appearance.
WebService class This class populates the ComboBox instance with a list of problems or offenses. For this class, you will also need to import the WebServiceClasses item from the Classes common library. This item contains compiled clip (SWC) files that you will need in order to compile and generate the SWF file for your application. Cart class A custom class provided with this tutorial, the Cart class defines the functioning of the shopping cart that you will create later. (To examine the code in the Cart class file, open the cart.as file located in the component_application folder with the application FLA and SWF files).
To import these classes, you will create an Actions layer and add the ActionScript code to the first frame of the main timeline. All the code that you will add to the application in the remaining steps of the tutorial should be placed in the Actions layer.
To import the WebServiceClasses item from the Classes library, select Window > Common Libraries > Classes. Drag the WebServiceClasses item from the Classes library into the library for the application. Importing an item from the Classes library is similar to adding a component to the library: it adds the SWC files for the class to the library. The SWC files need to be in the library in order for you to use the class in an application.

3. 4. 5.

In the Timeline, select the Form layer and click the Add New Layer button. Name the new layer Actions. With the Actions layer selected, select Frame 1 and press F9 to open the Actions panel. In the Actions panel, enter the following code to create a stop() function that prevents the application from looping during playback:

stop();

With Frame 1 in the Actions layer still selected, add the following code in the Actions panel to import the classes:
// Import necessary classes. import mx.services.WebService; import mx.controls.*; import mx.containers.*; import mx.controls.gridclasses.DataGridColumn; // Import the custom Cart class. import Cart;
Set the data types of component instances
Next you will assign data types to each of the component instances you dragged to the Stage earlier in the tutorial. ActionScript 2.0 uses strict data typing, which means that you assign the data type when you create a variable. Strict data typing makes code hints available for the variable in the Actions panel.

Managing component depth in a document
If you want to position a component in front of or behind another object in an application, you must use the DepthManager class in the Components Language Reference. The methods of the DepthManager class allows you to place user interface components in an appropriate relative order (for example, a combo box drops down in front of other components, insertion points appear in front of everything, dialog boxes float over content, and so on). The Depth Manager has two main purposes: to manage the relative depth assignments within any document, and to manage reserved depths on the root timeline for system-level services such as the cursor and tooltips. To use the Depth Manager, call its methods. The following code places the component instance loader at a lower depth than the button component (and in the published SWF file it will appear below the button, if they overlap):
loader.setDepthBelow(button); You can also manage relative depths using Layers and the Modify > Arrange menu options within your document. Components adhere to the same rules for runtime depth management using layers and arrangement as do movie clips.
Components in Live Preview
The Live Preview feature, enabled by default, lets you view components on the Stage as they will appear in the published Flash content; the components appear at their approximate size. The live preview reflects different parameters for different components. For information about which component parameters are reflected in the live preview, see each component entry in the Components Language Reference.
A Button component with Live Preview enabled
A Button component with Live Preview disabled Components in Live Preview are not functional. To test component functionality, you can use the Control > Test Movie command.
To turn Live Preview on or off:
Select Control > Enable Live Preview. A check mark next to the option indicates that it is enabled.
Using a preloader with components

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To change one or more properties in the global style declaration:
Make sure the document contains at least one component instance. For more information, see Adding components to Flash documents on page 50. Select a frame in the Timeline on which (or before which) the components appear. In the Actions panel, use code like the following to change properties on the global style declaration. You need to list only the properties whose values you want to change, as shown here:
_global.style.setStyle("color", 0xCC6699); _global.style.setStyle("themeColor", "haloBlue") _global.style.setStyle("fontSize",16); _global.style.setStyle("fontFamily" , "_serif");
Select Control > Test Movie to see the changes.
Setting custom styles for groups of components
You can create custom style declarations to specify a unique set of properties for groups of components in your Flash document. In addition to the _global objects style property (discussed in Setting global styles on page 86), which determines the default style declaration for an entire Flash document, the _global object also has a styles property, which is a list of available custom style declarations. So, you can create a style declaration as a new instance of the CSSStyleDeclaration object, assign it a custom style name, and place it in the _global.styles list. Then, you specify the properties and values for the style, and assign the style name to component instances that should share the same look. Keep in mind that when you assign the style name to a component instance, the component responds only to style properties that component supports. For a list of the style properties each component supports, see the individual component entries in the Components Language Reference. To make changes to a custom style format, use the following syntax:
_global.styles.CustomStyleName.setStyle(propertyName, propertyValue);
Custom style settings have priority over class, inherited, and global style settings. For a list of style precedence, see Using global, custom, and class styles in the same document on page 92.
To create a custom style declaration for a group of components:
Add at least one component to the Stage. For more information, see Adding components to Flash documents on page 50. This example uses three button components with the instance names a, b, and c. If you use different components, give them instance names in the Property inspector and use those instance names in step 8.
Select a frame in the Timeline on which (or before which) the component appears. Open the Actions panel. Add the following import statement so you will have access to the constructor function for creating a new style declaration from within the CSSStyleDeclaration class:
import mx.styles.CSSStyleDeclaration;

Open the Actions panel and enter the following on Frame 1:
import mx.controls.RadioButton; createClassObject(RadioButton, "myRadio", 0, {trueUpIcon:"MyRadioTrueUp", label: "My Radio Button"});
To manually add a component to the Stage and apply a new skin:
Select File > New to create a new Flash document. Select File > Save and give the file a unique name, such as ManualSkinning.fla. Drag components from the Components panel to the Stage, including the component whose skin you edited (in this example, RadioButton). Drag MyRadioTrueUp and any other symbols you customized from MyTheme.fla to the library of ManualSkinning.fla. This adds the symbols to the documents library, but doesnt make them visible in the document.
Select the RadioButton component on the Stage and open the Actions panel. Attach the following code to the RadioButton instance:
onClipEvent(initialize){ trueUpIcon = "MyRadioTrueUp"; }
Applying new skins to a subcomponent
In certain situations you may want to modify the skins of a subcomponent in a component, but the skin properties are not directly available (for example, there is no direct way to alter the skins of the scroll bar in a List component). The following code lets you access the scroll bar skins. All the scroll bars that are created after this code runs will also have the new skins. If a component is composed of subcomponents, the subcomponents are identified in the components entry in the Components Language Reference.
To apply a new skin to a subcomponent:
Follow the steps in Creating new component skins on page 99, but edit a scroll bar skin. For this example, edit the ScrollDownArrowDown skin and give it the new name MyScrollDownArrowDown. Select File > New to create a new Flash document. Select File > Save and give the file a unique name, such as SubcomponentProject.fla. Drag the List component in the Components panel to the library. This adds the component to the Library panel, but doesnt make the component visible in the document.
Drag MyScrollDownArrowDown and any other symbols you edited from MyTheme.fla to the library of SubcomponentProject.fla. This adds the symbol to the Library panel, but doesnt make it visible in the document. Do one of the following:
If you want to change all scroll bars in a document, enter the following code in the Actions panel on Frame 1 of the Timeline:
import mx.controls.List; import mx.controls.scrollClasses.ScrollBar; ScrollBar.prototype.downArrowDownName = "MyScrollDownArrowDown";
You can then enter the following code on Frame 1 to create a list dynamically:

createClassObject(List, "myListBox", 0, {dataProvider: ["AL","AR","AZ", "CA","HI","ID", "KA","LA","MA"]});
Or, you can drag a List component from the library to the Stage.
If you want to change a specific scroll bar in a document, enter the following code in the Actions panel on Frame 1 of the Timeline:
import mx.controls.List import mx.controls.scrollClasses.ScrollBar var oldName = ScrollBar.prototype.downArrowDownName; ScrollBar.prototype.downArrowDownName = "MyScrollDownArrowDown"; createClassObject(List, "myList1", 0, {dataProvider: ["AL","AR","AZ", "CA","HI","ID", "KA","LA","MA"]}); myList1.redraw(true); ScrollBar.prototype.downArrowDownName = oldName; Set enough data so that the scroll bars appear, or set the vScrollPolicy property to true.
You can also set subcomponent skins for all components in a document by setting the skin property on the subcomponents prototype object in the #initclip section of a skin symbol.
To use #initclip to apply an edited skin to all components in a document:
Follow the steps in Creating new component skins on page 99, but edit a scroll bar skin. For this example, edit the ScrollDownArrowDown skin and give it the new name MyScrollDownArrowDown. Select File > New and create a new Flash document. Save it with a unique name, such as SkinsInitExample.fla. Select the MyScrollDownArrowDown symbol from the library of the edited theme library example, drag it to the library of SkinsInitExample.fla. This adds the symbol to the library without making it visible on the Stage. Select MyScrollDownArrowDown in the SkinsInitExample.fla library, and select Linkage from the Library options menu. Select the Export for ActionScript check box. Click OK. Export in First Frame should be automatically selected; if it is not, select it. Double-click MyScrollDownArrowDown in the library to open it in symbol-editing mode. Enter the following code on Frame 1 of the MyScrollDownArrowDown symbol:
#initclip 10 import mx.controls.scrollClasses.ScrollBar; ScrollBar.prototype.downArrowDownName = "MyScrollDownArrowDown"; #endinitclip
Do one of the following to add a List component to the document:
Drag a List component from the Components panel to the Stage. Enter enough label parameters so that the vertical scroll bar will appear. Drag a List component from the Components panel to the library. Enter the following code on Frame 1 of the main Timeline of SkinsInitExample.fla:

17. 18.

19. Click

20.Apply

Remember to include the Defaults and FocusRect symbols when dragging assets from your custom theme to the target document. In this example you used a new theme to customize the text color of disabled components. This particular customization, changing a single default style property value, would have been accomplished more easily through styling as explained in Using styles to customize component color and text on page 82. Using a new theme to customize defaults is appropriate when customizing many style properties or when already creating a new theme to customize component graphics.
Applying a new theme to a document
To apply a new theme to a document, open a theme FLA file as an external library, and drag the theme folder from the external library to the document library. The following steps explain the process in detail, assuming you already have a new theme (for more information, see Creating a new theme on page 111).
To apply a theme to a document:
Select File > Open and open the document that uses version 2 components in Flash, or select File > New and create a new document that uses version 2 components. Select File > Import > Open External Library, and select the FLA file of the theme you want to apply to your document.
In the themes Library panel, select Flash UI Components 2/Themes/MMDefault and drag the Assets folders for any components you want to use to your documents library. For example, drag the RadioButton Assets folder to your library.
If youre unsure which components are in the document, drag the entire theme movie clip (for example, for the SampleTheme.fla, the main theme movie clip is Flash UI Components 2 > SampleTheme) to the Stage. The skins are automatically assigned to components in the document.

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If you dragged individual component Assets folders to the ThemeApply.fla library, make sure the Assets symbol for each component is set to Export in First Frame. For example, the Assets folder for the RadioButton component is called RadioButton Assets; it has a symbol called RadioButtonAssets, which contains all of the individual asset symbols. If you set Export in First Frame on the RadioButtonAssets symbol, all individual asset symbols will also export in the first frame.
Select Control > Test Movie to see the new theme applied.

Changing export settings

When you apply the Sample or Halo theme to your document, many of the skin assets are set to export in the first frame in order to make them immediately available to the components during playback. However, if you change the publishing export setting (File > Publish Settings > Flash tab > ActionScript Version Settings button > Export Frame for Classes) of your FLA file to a frame after the first frame, you must also change the export settings for the assets in the Sample and Halo themes. To do this, you must open the following component assets in your documents library and deselect the Export in First Frame check box (right-click > Linkage > Export in First Frame): Sample theme

function draw():Void { super.draw(); dial.needle._rotation = value; }
Defining the size() method
When a component is resized at runtime using the componentInstance.setSize() method, the size() function is invoked and passed width and height properties. You can use the size() method in the components class file to lay out the contents of the component. At a minimum, the size() method should call the superclasss size() method (super.size()). In the following example from the Dial component (see Building your first component on page 127), the size() method uses the width and height parameters to resize the dial movie clip:
function size():Void { super.size(); dial._width = width; dial._height = height; invalidate(); }
Call the invalidate() method inside the size() method to tag the component for redraw instead of calling the draw() method directly. For more information, see the next section.

About invalidation

Macromedia recommends that a component not update itself immediately in most cases, but that it instead should save a copy of the new property value, set a flag indicating what is changed, and call the invalidate() method. (This method indicates that just the visuals for the object have changed, but size and position of subobjects have not changed. This method calls the draw() method.) You must call an invalidation method at least once during the instantiation of your component. The most common place for you to do this is in the createChildren() or layoutChildren() methods.

Dispatching events

If you want your component to broadcast events other than the events it may inherit from a parent class, you must call the dispatchEvent() method in the components class file. The dispatchEvent() method is defined in the mx.events.EventDispatcher class and is inherited by all components that extend UIObject. (See EventDispatcher class in Components Language Reference.) You should also add an Event metadata tag at the top of the class file for each new event. For more information, see About the Event tag on page 153.
For information about handling component events in a Flash application, see Chapter 4, Handling Component Events, on page 63.

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Using the dispatchEvent() method
In the body of your components ActionScript class file, you broadcast events using the dispatchEvent() method. The dispatchEvent() method has the following syntax:

dispatchEvent(eventObj)

The eventObj parameter is an ActionScript object that describes the event (see the example later in this section). You must declare the dispatchEvent() method in your code before you call it, as follows:

Registering a new style name
If you have created a new style name and it is a color style, add the new name to the colorStyles object in the StyleManager.as file (First Run\Classes\mx\styles\StyleManager.as). This example adds the shapeColor style:
// initialize set of inheriting color styles static var colorStyles:Object = { barColor: true, trackColor: true, borderColor: true, buttonColor: true, color: true, dateHeaderColor: true, dateRollOverColor: true, disabledColor: true, fillColor: true, highlightColor: true, scrollTrackColor: true, selectedDateColor: true, shadowColor: true, strokeColor: true, symbolBackgroundColor: true, symbolBackgroundDisabledColor: true, symbolBackgroundPressedColor: true, symbolColor: true, symbolDisabledColor: true, themeColor:true, todayIndicatorColor: true, shadowCapColor:true, borderCapColor:true, focusColor:true, shapeColor:true };
Register the new style name to the circle and square skins on Frame 1 of each skin movie clip, as follows:
mx.skins.ColoredSkinElement.setColorStyle(this, "shapeColor");
The color can be changed with the new style name by setting the style on the instance, as shown here:
shape.setStyle("shapeColor",0x00ff00);
Incorporating existing components within your component
In this section, you will build a simple LogIn component that incorporates Label, TextInput and Button components. This tutorial demonstrates how existing components are incorporated in new components by adding their uncompiled Flash (FLA) library symbols. The completed component files, LogIn.fla, LogIn.as and LogIn.swf are located in the examples folder on your hard disk:
In Windows: the C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Flash 8\Samples and Tutorials\Samples\Components\Login folder. On the Macintosh: HD/Applications/Macromedia Flash 8/Samples and Tutorials/ Samples/Components/Login folder.
The LogIn component provides an interface for entering a name and password. The API for LogIn has two properties, name and password for setting and getting the string values in the name and password TextInput fields. The LogIn component also dispatches a click event when the user clicks a button labeled LogIn.

invalidate(); } /* Event Handler: Called by the LogIn button when it receives a mouse click. Since we want this event to be accessible outside of the scope of this component, The click event is dispatched using dispatchEvent. */ public function click(evt){ // Update the member variables with the input field contents. __name = name_ti.text; __password = password_ti.text; // Dispatch a click event when the button fires one. dispatchEvent({type:"click"}); } /* This is the getter/setter for the name property. The [Inspectable] metadata makes the property appear in the Property inspector and allows a default value to be set. By using a getter/setter you can call invalidate and force the component to redraw when the value is changed. */ [Bindable] [ChangeEvent("change")] [Inspectable(defaultValue="")] function set name(val:String){ __name = val; invalidate(); } function get name():String{ return(__name); } [Bindable] [ChangeEvent("change")] [Inspectable(defaultValue="")] function set password(val:String){ __password=val; invalidate(); } function get password():String{ return(__password); } }
Testing and exporting the LogIn component
Youve created the Flash file that contains the graphical elements, the base classes and the class file that contains all the functionality of the LogIn component. Now its time to test the component. Ideally, you would test the component as you work, especially while youre writing the class file. The fastest way to test as you work is to convert the component to a compiled clip and use it in the components FLA file. When youre completely finished creating a component, export it as a SWC file. For more information, see Exporting and distributing a component on page 182.
To test the LogIn component:
In the LogIn.fla file, select the LogIn movie clip in the library and select Convert to Compiled Clip from the Library context menu (Windows: Right-click, Mac: control-click). A compiled clip is added to the library with the name LogIn SWF. You are compiling the movie clip to test it, only. Otherwise, you would follow the instructions later in this section to export the LogIn movie clip.

Drag LogIn SWF to the Stage in frame 1 of the main Timeline (make sure youre in the main Timeline, Scene 1, not the movie clip timeline). You can set the name and password property in the Parameters tab or the Component Inspector. This is useful if you want default text such as Enter your name here to appear before the user has entered anything. When you set its name and/or password property, the default text in the name and password InputText sub-components will change accordingly at runtime. To test the value property at runtime, name the LogIn instance on the Stage myLogin and add the following code to Frame 1 in the main Timeline:
// Creates a text field in which to view the login values. createTextField("myLoginValues",10,10,10,340,40) myLoginValues.border = true; // Event handler for the login component instances dispatched click event. function click(evt){ /* Here is where authentication would occur.
For example the name and password would be passed to a web service which authenticates the name and password and returns a session ID and/or permission roles attributed to the user. */ myLoginValues.text = "Processing.\r"; myLoginValues.text += "Name: " + myLogin.name + " Password: " + myLogin.password; } myLogin.addEventListener("click",this); 3.
Since you are testing this component within your original document, you may see a warning message about having the same linkage identifier for two symbols. The component will still work. In practice, you will use the new component within another document in which case the linkaged identifier should be unique.
To export the LogIn component:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

In the LogIn.fla file, select the LogIn movie clip in the library and select Component Definition from the Library context menu (Windows: Right-click, Mac: control-click). Check the Display in Components panel. Click OK. In the LogIn.fla file, select the LogIn movie clip in the library, again, and select Export SWC File from the Library context menu (Windows: Right-click, Mac: control-click). Select a location to save the SWC file. If you save it to the Components folder in the user-level configuration folder, you can reload the Components panel without restarting Flash and the component appears in the Components panel.

The completed LogIn component
Exporting and distributing a component
Flash exports components as component packages (SWC files). Components may be distributed as SWC files or as FLA files. (See the article on Macromedia DevNet at www.macromedia.com/support/flash/applications/creating_comps/creating_comps12.html for information about distributing a component as a FLA.) The best way to distribute a component is to export is as a SWC file, because SWC files contain all the ActionScript, SWF files, and other optional files needed to use the component. SWC files are also useful if you are working at the same time on a component and the application that uses the component. SWC files can be used to distribute components for use in Macromedia Flash 8, Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004, and Macromedia Director MX 2004. Whether youre developing a component for someone elses use, or for your own, its important to test the SWC file as an ongoing part of component development. For example, problems can arise in a components SWC file that dont appear in the FLA file. This section describes a SWC file and explains how to import and export SWC files in Flash.

Understanding SWC files

A SWC file is a zip-like file (packaged and expanded by means of the PKZIP archive format) generated by the Flash authoring tool. The following table describes the contents of a SWC file:

catalog.xml

(Required) Lists the contents of the component package and its individual components, and serves as a directory to the other files in the SWC file.
ActionScript If you create the component with Flash Professional 8, the source code is one (AS) files or more ActionScript files that contain a class declaration for the component. The compiler uses the source code for type checking when a component is extended. The AS file is not compiled by the authoring tool because the compiled bytecode is already in the implementing SWF file. The source code may contain intrinsic class definitions that contain no function bodies and are provided purely for type checking. SWF files (Required) SWF files that implement the components. One or more components can be defined in a single SWF file. If the component is created with Flash 8, only one component is exported per SWF file.

Live Preview (Optional) If specified, these SWF files are used for live preview in the SWF files authoring tool. If omitted, the SWF files that implement the component are used for live preview instead. The Live Preview SWF file can be omitted in nearly all cases; it should be included only if the components appearance depends on dynamic data (for example, a text field that shows the result of a web service call). SWD file (Optional) A SWD file corresponding to the implementing SWF file that allows you to debug the SWF file. The filename is always the same as that of the SWF file, but with the extension.swd. (Optional) A PNG file containing the 18 x 18, 8-bit-per-pixel icon that you use to display a component icon in the authoring tool user interfaces. If no icon is supplied, a default icon is displayed. (See Adding an icon on page 185.) (Optional) A SWF file that you use as a custom Property inspector in the authoring tool. If you omit this file, the default Property inspector is displayed to the user.

PNG file

Property inspector SWF file
You can optionally include other files in the SWC file, after you generate it from the Flash environment. For example, you might want to include a Read Me file, or the FLA file if you want users to have access to the components source code. To add additional files, use the Macromedia Extension Manager (see www.macromedia.com/exchange/em_download/). SWC files are expanded into a single directory, therefore each component must have a unique file name to prevent conflicts.

Exporting SWC files

Flash provides the ability to export SWC files by exporting a movie clip as a SWC file. When exporting a SWC file, Flash reports compile-time errors as if you were testing a Flash application. There are two reasons to export a SWC file:
To distribute a finished component To test during development
Exporting a SWC for a completed component
You can export components as SWC files that contain all the ActionScript, SWF files, and other optional files needed to use the component.
To export a SWC file for a completed component:
Select the component movie clip in the Flash library. Right-click (Windows) or control-click (Mac) to open the Library context menu. Select Export SWC File from the Library context menu. Save the SWC file.
Testing a SWC during development
At different stages of development, its a good idea to export the component as a SWC and test it in an application. If you export the SWC to the Components folder in your userlevel Configuration folder, you can reload the Components panel without quitting and restarting Flash.
To test a SWC during development:
Select the component movie clip in the Flash library. Right-click (Windows) or control-click (Mac) to open the Library context menu. Select Export SWC File from the Library context menu. Browse to the Components folder in your user-level configuration folder. Configuration/Components

Macromedia Flash MX ActionScript Course Outline
Macromedia Flash MX ActionScript introduces Macromedia Flash users to programming with ActionScript, including using ActionScript to animate, process data, create dynamic content, and manipulate components. It is a task-based course, with students learning by doing. The course emphasizes the object-oriented capabilities of Macromedia Flash MX, and teaches students how to use ActionScript objects, methods, events, properties, and functions, with an eye toward ActionScript best practices. This course replaces Developing Applications with ActionScript. Topics

ActionScript best practices Creating movie clips with ActionScript Using button movie clips Referencing object events from the Timeline Using forms Working with variables Using conditional logic Animating with ActionScript Drawing with ActionScript Understanding and using ActionScript objects Understanding object methods, properties and events Using the Color object Creating text fields with ActionScript Using the TextField and TextFormat objects Reusing code Working with functions Writing functions Creating dynamic content Using the LoadVars object Using components with ActionScript
Course Objectives Reference objects using ActionScript. Use instance properties. Use debugging features in ActionScript. Create movie clips using ActionScript. Draw using ActionScript. Load Macromedia Flash movies and JPEGs into a movie clip. Create animations using ActionScript. Work with variables. Create a form and use conditional logic to validate it. Pass variables out of a Macromedia Flash movie. Work with built-in functions. Use built-in objects. Use methods to manipulate objects. Reference variables across movies. Create reusable ActionScript with custom functions. Create an external data source for Macromedia Flash movies.
Display dynamic content in Macromedia Flash. Use Macromedia Flash MX components.

Course Prerequisites

Attending the Fast Track to Macromedia Flash course OR Three to six months' experience developing with Macromedia Flash.
Introduction Course Objectives Course Prerequisites Course Format Internet Applications: The Big Picture
Unit 1: Introducing ActionScript ActionScript Overview Walkthrough 1-1: Using Simple ActionScript to Control a Movie Clip Walkthrough 1-2: Adding Comments and Performing Simple Debugging ActionScript Concepts ActionScript Reference Walkthrough 1-3: Exploring ActionScript Concepts through the ActionScript Reference Lab 1: Exploring the Course Application
Unit 2: Learning Macromedia Flash MX ActionScript Fundamentals Working with Symbols and Instances Walkthrough 2-1: Understanding Symbols and Instances Adding Actions to Timeline Frames Walkthrough 2-2: Moving Code to the Main Timeline Inheriting Movie Clip Properties Walkthrough 2-3: Inheriting Movie Clip Properties Referencing Movie Clip Timelines Walkthrough 2-4: Using Paths with Nested Movie Clips Implementing Button Movie Clips Walkthrough 2-5: Applying an Event to a Movie Clip ActionScript Best Practices Lab 2: Adding a Decrease Size Button
Unit 3: Creating Forms in Macromedia Flash Forms Overview Creating Form Fields Walkthrough 3-1: Creating Input Text Fields on a Form Using Form Data Within Macromedia Flash Walkthrough 3-2: Displaying Form Variables in Dynamic Text Boxes Validating Forms Walkthrough 3-3: Using Conditional Logic to Validate a Form Passing Variables Out of Macromedia Flash Walkthrough 3-4: Passing Variables Out of Macromedia Flash Lab 3: Building a Form and Sending the Input Out of Macromedia Flash
Unit 4: Creating Movie Clips with ActionScript

Creating Empty Movie Clips Walkthrough 4-1: Creating a Movie Clip with ActionScript Using the loadMovie Method to Load SWF and JPEG Files Walkthrough 4-2: Dynamically Loading JPEG Files into Movie Clips Drawing with ActionScript Walkthrough 4-3: Using the Drawing Methods to Build Movie Clips Walkthrough 4-4: Using the With Statement Creating Duplicate Movie Clips Walkthrough 4-5: Duplicating a Movie Clip Generating Multiple Copies of a Movie Clip Walkthrough 4-6: Creating Many Copies of a Movie Clip with Unique Instance Names Lab 4: Creating Movie Clips Dynamically

Unit 5: Animating with ActionScript Why Use ActionScript to Animate? Changing Movie Clip Properties Over Time Walkthrough 5-1: Using onEnterFrame Changing an Animation Interactively Walkthrough 5-2: Using onEnterFrame with hitTest Stopping Animation When a Condition Is Met Walkthrough 5-3: Using onEnterFrame for Animation Stopping onEnterFrame When Animation Stops Walkthrough 5-4: Deleting the onEnterFrame After Animation Is Complete Stopping Animation After a Specific Time Period Walkthrough 5-5: Unloading a Movie Clip After a Specific Time Period Lab 5: Animating Movie Clips Using ActionScript
Unit 6: Creating Objects Understanding Objects Walkthrough 6-1: Creating Objects That Inherit Events Creating Objects Visually Creating Objects Using Built-in Movie Clip Methods Walkthrough 6-2: Creating a TextField Object Creating Objects Using the new Keyword for Built-in Objects Walkthrough 6-3: Creating a TextFormat Object and Using It to Format a TextField Object Walkthrough 6-4: Creating and Using the Color Object Creating Custom Objects Walkthrough 6-5: Creating a Custom Object to Use with the Color Object Set Transform Method Lab 6: Instantiating and Applying Methods to Objects
Unit 7: Reusing Code Reusing Code Functions Overview Walkthrough 7-1: Creating and Using a Simple User-Defined Function Defining Variables Local to Functions Walkthrough 7-2: Using the var Statement
Identifying When to Use Functions Walkthrough 7-3: Converting Repeated Blocks of Code to a User-Defined Function Using Dynamic Evaluation Walkthrough 7-4: Using Dynamic Evaluation Referencing an External ActionScript File Walkthrough 7-5: Including External ActionScript Files in Your Code Lab 7: Using Functions with Objects Unit 8: Creating Dynamic Content Using Text Files Understanding Dynamic Content Where Does the Data Come From? Walkthrough 8-1: Formatting a Text File for Use by Macromedia Flash Getting Data into Macromedia Flash Walkthrough 8-2: Using Data from a Text File in Macromedia Flash Walkthrough 8-3: Using Data from a Text File in Different SWFs Waiting Until the Data Has Loaded Walkthrough 8-4: Using the the onLoad Event Lab 8: Building Dynamic Page Content from a Text File Unit 9: Using ActionScript with Components Components Overview Walkthrough 9-1: Adding a Scroll Bar to a Text Field Manipulating Component Properties and Methods Walkthrough 9-2: Using Scroll Bar Properties and Methods Walkthrough 9-3: Creating a Dynamic Drop Down List Using Components with Change Handlers Walkthrough 9-4: Creating a Component with a Change Handler Function What Else Can You Do with Components?