Chapter 3: Getting To Know The Workspace; Understanding The Director Metaphor - MACROMEDIA DIRECTOR MX 2004-GETTING STARTED WITH DIRECTOR Getting Started

CHAPTER 3
Getting to Know the Workspace
The Macromedia Director MX 2004 workspace is designed to make the most efficient use of the
space on your screen. Windows, also called panels, can be organized into tabbed panel groups,
and panel groups can be docked together. To make the most of the features in Director, you
should take a few minutes to understand how to navigate and customize your workspace.
As you get to know the workspace, you will also learn about the features that Director has to offer.
For example, learning about the Script window and the Message window can help those who are
new to scripting in Director. If you have not scripted in Director before and would like to start,
make sure to read about the Script window and the Message window.
Before you begin working in Director for the first time, you should also understand the movie
metaphor upon which Director is based. By understanding this metaphor, you can more easily
recognize components of your workspace, like the Stage and Cast window.

Understanding the Director metaphor

The Director user interface is designed around a movie metaphor. Each project you create can be
thought of as a movie, with a cast of characters, a score, a stage where the action takes place, and a
director (you, the author). Each media element that appears in your movie (sound, video, images,
text, buttons, and so on) can be thought of as a member of the movie's cast. In Director, the Cast
window is where you view the list of media elements that appear in your movie.
As with a real movie, each Director movie has a score. However, the score of a Director movie
contains more than just music. The Score window in Director contains information about when
and where each of the cast members appears on the Stage. The Score describes the action that
happens in the movie.
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