Chapter 9: Using Flash, Flash Components, And Other Interactive Media Types; Using Flash Content - MACROMEDIA DIRECTOR MX 2004-USING DIRECTOR Use Manual

CHAPTER 9
Using Flash, Flash Components, and Other
Interactive Media Types
To add complex media and new capabilities to your Macromedia Director MX 2004 movie, you
can use Macromedia Flash content (MX or later), Flash components, other Director movies, and
ActiveX controls. Each of these multimedia formats has interactive capabilities that are preserved
by Director.
Flash content in a Director movie provides a vector-based, scalable, interactive animation that is
optimized for use on the web.
Director provides you with a set of Flash built-in components, which are movie clips with defined
parameters. You can use these components to add user interface elements, such as buttons and
check boxes to your movies. You can use these components and set properties and events without
having Flash installed. For more information, see "Using Flash components" on page 207.
Director movies within other Director movies simplify complex productions. A linked movie
appears within another movie as a single cast member, saving you the trouble of managing
extra cast members and Score data. Using discrete movies also helps you manage file size for
easier downloading.
ActiveX controls in Director can manage ActiveX application resources from within a movie.
ActiveX controls provide a variety of features, including web browsing, spreadsheet functions, and
database management. ActiveX controls function as normal sprites in a movie. ActiveX controls
work only in Director for Windows and only in projectors.

Using Flash Content

You can incorporate Flash vector-based animation in your Director movies and projectors simply
by importing Flash content into Director and using it like any other cast member. Effects that
once required multiple versions of a bitmap cast member—such as blending one shape into
another—can now be accomplished with a single, small Flash file.
Director can import Flash 2 files or later. Director supports the new features of Macromedia Flash
MX and Flash MX 2004, including access to Macromedia Flash Communication Server MX.
In Director, you can control nearly every Flash property—including playing, rewinding, and
stepping forward and backward through all Flash content, adjusting quality settings, and turning
sound on or off—using Lingo or JavaScript syntax.
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