Getting to Know Flash Pro

Button symbols are the original user interface (UI) elements in Flash. In addition to the button symbol, Flash Pro also has a Button component, which has different characteristics than a button symbol. In the Actions toolbox in the Actions panel are two sets of terms. The traditional button symbols related to ActionScript are found in the Actions toolbox (Built-in Classes, Movie, Button). Button components are found in Components, Button.

A button symbol has a unique Timeline that's divided into four frames—Up, Over, Down, and Hit—and each state can have a different image in the button or associated actions. Figure 1.14 shows a button in the edit mode with two layers and keyframes placed in each frame of both layers.

Figure 1.14   Button Timeline.

The Hit frame is invisible when on the Stage, but it determines the amount of area around the button that constitutes a "hit" or an extended or reduced portion of the button that reacts to mouse movement and clicks. Chapter 7, "Tools for Use with Text and Text Components," examines uses of the button symbol in navigation.

Graphic symbols are for multiple static images or for animations used repeatedly on the main Timeline. They are the least dynamic of the symbols. Ironically, they have their own Timelines in the symbol editor, but unless enough frames exist on the main Timeline, a movie clip, or the movie itself, any animation in the symbol will not operate. That's because this type of symbol is tied to the main Timeline. Figure 1.15 shows three instances of a graphic symbol on the Stage.

The only symbol not found as a selection in the Convert to Symbol dialog box is the font symbol. A font symbol is created when you have a font you want to export and use in different Flash documents. This is not quite the same as the information about a font that's installed in a SWF file that carries the font information with it so that a computer without a particular font in its system can display the font. Rather, the font information in a font symbol is placed into a library that can be copied into another FLA. For example, if you have a font on your desktop system but not on your laptop system, you can place a copy of the file with the font symbol on the laptop and then import it into the FLA files being developed on the laptop.

Figure 1.15   Graphic symbols.