MACROMEDIA FLASH MX 2004-GETTING STARTED WITH FLASH Getting Started
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MACROMEDIA FLASH MX 2004-GETTING STARTED WITH FLASH Getting Started

MACROMEDIA FLASH MX 2004-GETTING STARTED WITH FLASH Getting Started

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  • Page 1 Getting Started with Flash...
  • Page 2 Open Sesame!, Roundtrip, Roundtrip HTML, Shockwave, Sitespring, SoundEdit, Titlemaker, UltraDev, Web Design 101, what the web can be, and Xtra are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Macromedia, Inc. and may be registered in the United States or in other jurisdictions including internationally. Other product names, logos, designs, titles, words, or phrases mentioned within this publication may be trademarks, service marks, or trade names of Macromedia, Inc.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: Getting Started ......... . 5 About Flash.
  • Page 4 CHAPTER 4: Building Your First Application ......49 Workflow for building an application ........50 Examine a completed application .

  • Page 5: Chapter 1: Getting Started

    CHAPTER 1 Getting Started Welcome to Macromedia Flash MX 2004 and Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004. Flash provides everything you need to create and deliver rich web content and powerful applications. Whether you’re designing motion graphics or building data-driven applications, Flash has the tools necessary to produce great results and deliver the best user experience across multiple platforms and devices.

  • Page 6: About Flash Player

    Microsoft, Apple, Netscape, AOL, and Opera, to bring rich content and applications immediately to over 516 million people worldwide. Flash Player is distributed freely to anyone who wants to use it. You can get the latest version of Flash Player at the Macromedia Flash Player Download Center at www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer.
  • Page 7 Accessibility support in the authoring environment Accessibility support in the Flash authoring environment provides keyboard shortcuts for navigating and for using interface controls, letting you work with these interface elements without using the mouse. For more information, see “Accessibility in the Flash authoring environment” in Using Flash. Updated templates Flash includes updated templates for creating presentations, e-learning applications, advertisements, mobile device applications, and other commonly used types of Flash...
  • Page 8 Publish profiles You can create profiles to save your publish settings, then export the profiles and use them across projects to publish consistently under different conditions. For more information, see “Creating a publish profile” in Using Flash. Accessibility and components New accessibility features and a new generation of components offer tab ordering, tab focus management, and improved support for third-party screen readers and closed-caption programs.

  • Page 9: Guide To Instructional Media

    Screen-based visual development environment A visual programming environment Flash MX Professional 2004 introduces a forms-based visual programming environment, which is ideal for developing applications. For more information, see “Slide screens and form screens (Flash Professional only)”in Using Flash. Slides-based authoring Slide screens provide functionality designed for sequential presentations.
  • Page 10 About the electronic manuals and lessons The following electronic manuals are available through the Help panel (Help > Help): • Getting Started with Flash (or Getting Started Help) provides a hands-on introduction to Flash. • Using Flash (or Using Flash Help) contains complete information on working in the Flash authoring tool, including all commands, features, and user interface elements.
  • Page 11 To access context-sensitive help from the Actions panel: To select an item for reference, do one of the following: Select an item in the Actions panel toolbox. Select an item in the Actions panel Script pane. Place the cursor before an item in the Actions panel Script pane. To open the Help panel reference page for the selected item, do one of the following: Press F1.
  • Page 12 To change the size of the text displayed in the Help panel using your browser: Quit Flash MX 2004. Open your browser and follow the instructions to change the size of text in your browser to a larger size. When you start Flash MX 2004, the size of the text in the help panel will be changed to the size you selected for your browser.

  • Page 13: Using The Start Page

    If you have trouble downloading help updates using this method, you can also install updated help using the Extension Manager. See the note about installing an MXP file on the Macromedia Flash MX 2004 documentation update status page at www.macromedia.com/support/flash/ts/...
  • Page 14 Chapter 1: Getting Started...

  • Page 15: Chapter 2: Installing Flash

    Configuring a server for Flash Player ..........19 System requirements The following hardware and software are required to run Macromedia Flash MX 2004 and Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004.

  • Page 16: Installing And Activating Flash

    Internet. Note: Installing Macromedia Flash MX 2004 and Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 does not overwrite earlier Flash versions, such as Macromedia Flash MX, that you might have installed. To install Flash: Close any running versions of Flash before installing.

  • Page 17: Configuration Folders Installed With Flash

    Upgrading from Macromedia Flash MX 2004 to Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 If you’ve purchased Macromedia Flash MX 2004, you can upgrade to Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004. To upgrade to Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004: Select Help > Upgrade to Flash MX Professional 2004.
  • Page 18 First Run folder are copied to the Restricted Users folder when you start the application. Typical paths to this folder are as follows: • Windows: \Program Files\Macromedia\Flash MX 2004\language\First Run\ • Macintosh: HD/Applications/Macromedia Flash MX 2004/First Run/ User-level configuration folder This is the configuration folder found in the user profile area.

  • Page 19: Changing Or Removing Flash Player

    To change or reinstall the ActiveX control for Windows (Internet Explorer or AOL): Close your browser. Remove any currently installed versions of the ActiveX control. For instructions, see Technote 14157 on the Macromedia Flash Support Center at www.macromedia.com/support/flash/ts/ documents/remove_player.htm. Run the Install Flash Player 7 AX.exe file in your Players folder to begin installation.
  • Page 20 A browser that receives the correct MIME type can load the appropriate plug-in, control, or helper application to process and properly display the incoming data. If the MIME type is missing or not properly delivered by the server, the browser might display an error message or a blank window with a puzzle piece icon.

  • Page 21: Chapter 3: Getting To Know The Workspace

    CHAPTER 3 Getting to Know the Workspace The Macromedia Flash MX 2004 and Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 workspace consists of a Stage on which you place media content, a main toolbar with menus and commands for controlling application functionality, panels and a Property inspector for organizing and modifying media assets, and a Tools panel with tools for creating and modifying vector graphic content.

  • Page 22: Using The Stage

    The Stage in the Flash authoring environment represents the rectangular space in the Macromedia Flash Player where your Flash document is displayed during playback. You can zoom in and out to change the view of the Stage as you work.

  • Page 23: Using The Timeline

    • To scale the Stage to fit completely in the given window space, select View > Magnification > Fit in Window. • To display the contents of the current frame, select View > Magnification > Show All, or select Show All from the Zoom control at the upper right of the application window. If the scene is empty, the entire Stage is displayed.
  • Page 24 Note: When an animation is played, the actual frame rate is displayed; this may differ from the document frame rate if the computer can’t display the animation quickly enough. Empty keyframe Playhead Timeline header Frame View pop-up menu Frame-by-frame animation Tweened animation Guide layer icon Elapsed Time indicator...
  • Page 25 To resize the Timeline, do one of the following: • If the Timeline is docked to the main application window, drag the bar separating the Timeline from the application window. • If the Timeline is not docked to the main application window, drag the lower right corner (Windows) or the size box in the lower right corner (Macintosh).

  • Page 26: Using Frames And Keyframes

    Changing the display of frames in the Timeline You can change the size of frames in the Timeline, and display sequences of frames with tinted cells. You can also include thumbnail previews of frame content in the Timeline. These thumbnails are useful as an overview of the animation, but they require extra screen space. Frame View button Frame View pop-up menu Short and Normal frame view options...
  • Page 27 The order in which frames and keyframes appear in the Timeline determines the order in which they are displayed in a Flash application. You can arrange keyframes in the Timeline to edit the sequence of events in an animation. Working with frames in the Timeline In the Timeline, you work with frames and keyframes, placing them in the order you want the objects in the frames to appear.

  • Page 28: Using Layers

    To delete or modify a frame or keyframe, do one of the following: • To delete a frame, keyframe, or frame sequence, select the frame, keyframe, or sequence and select Edit > Timeline > Remove Frame, or right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the frame, keyframe, or sequence and select Remove Frame from the context menu.
  • Page 29 In addition, you can use special guide layers to make drawing and editing easier, and mask layers to help you create sophisticated effects. For an interactive introduction to working with layers in Flash, select Help > How Do I > Basic Flash >...
  • Page 30 To view the contents of a layer as outlines, do one of the following: • Click in the Outline column to the right of the layer’s name to display all objects on that layer as outlines. Click in it again to turn off outline display. •...
  • Page 31 • To select two or more layers or folders, do one of the following: To select contiguous layers or folders, Shift-click their names in the Timeline. To select discontiguous layers or folders, Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh) their names in the Timeline. To rename a layer or folder, do one of the following: •...
  • Page 32 To delete a layer or folder: Select the layer or folder. Do one of the following: Click the Delete Layer button in the Timeline. Drag the layer or folder to the Delete Layer button. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the layer or folder name and select Delete Layer from the context menu.

  • Page 33: About The Main Toolbar And Edit Bar

    To designate a layer as a guide layer: • Select the layer and right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) and select Guide from the context menu. Select Guide again to change the layer back to a normal layer. About the main toolbar and edit bar The main toolbar at the top of the workspace displays menus with commands for controlling Flash functionality.

  • Page 34: Using The Grid, Guides, And Rulers

    Customizing the Tools panel You can customize the Tools panel to specify which tools appear in the authoring environment. You use the Customize Tools panel dialog box to add or remove tools from the Tools panel. You can display more than one tool in one location. When more than one tool is displayed in a location, the top tool in the group (the most recently used) is displayed with an arrow in the lower right corner of its icon.
  • Page 35 To turn snapping to grid lines on or off: • Select View > Snapping > Snap to Grid. To set grid preferences: Select View > Grid > Edit Grid. For Color, click the triangle in the color box and select a grid line color from the palette. The default grid line color is gray.

  • Page 36: Using Panels And The Property Inspector

    To lock guides: • Select View > Guides > Lock Guides. Note: You can also use the Lock Guides option in the Guides preferences dialog box. See the following procedure. To set guide preferences: Select View > Guides > Edit Guides and do any of the following: For Color, click the triangle in the color box and select a guide line color from the palette.
  • Page 37 About the Property inspector The Property inspector simplifies document creation by making it easy to access the most commonly used attributes of the current selection, either on the Stage or in the Timeline. You can make changes to the object or document attributes in the Property inspector without accessing the menus or panels that contain these features.
  • Page 38 To close a panel, do one of the following: • Select the desired panel from the Window menu. • Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the panel’s title bar and select Close Panel from the context menu. To use a panel’s options menu: Click the control at the far right in the panel’s title bar to view the options menu.

  • Page 39: Setting Preferences In Flash

    Application Data\Macromedia\Flash MX 2004\language\Configuration\Panel Sets Windows 98: C:\Windows\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash MX 2004\language \Configuration\Panel Sets For Macintosh operating systems: Macintosh OS X: Macintosh HD/Applications/Macromedia Flash MX 2004/First Run/ Panel Sets Setting preferences in Flash Flash lets you set preferences for general application operations, editing operations, and Clipboard operations.
  • Page 40 • For Drawing Settings, see “Specifying drawing settings” in Using Flash. Note: If you are using Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004, you can select Project preferences on the Editing tab, for closing and saving project files. See “Creating and managing projects (Flash Professional only)”...
  • Page 41 To set warning preferences, select one of the following options: • Select Warn on Save for Macromedia Flash MX Compatibility to have Flash warn you when you try to save documents with content specific to the Flash MX 2004 or Flash MX Professional 2004 authoring tool as a Flash MX file.

  • Page 42: Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts

    Flash workflow. By default, Flash uses built-in keyboard shortcuts designed for the Flash application. You can also select a built-in keyboard shortcut set from one of several popular graphics applications, including Macromedia Fireworks, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop.

  • Page 43: Using Context Menus

    Do one of the following: To add a shortcut, click the Add Shortcut (+) button. To remove a shortcut, click the Remove Shortcut (-) button and proceed to step 6. If you are adding a shortcut, enter the new shortcut key combination in the Press Key text box. Note: To enter the key combination, simply press the keys on the keyboard.
  • Page 44 About Flash authoring accessibility on the Macintosh Accessibility for the Flash authoring environment on the Macintosh has the following limitations: • The Panel Focus keyboard shortcut (Command+Alt+Tab) is not supported for the Property inspector. • The Panel Control Focus keyboard shortcut (Tab) is supported only for the Timeline, not for other panels or the Property inspector.
  • Page 45 Selecting controls in a panel or the Property inspector using keyboard shortcuts When a panel or the Property inspector has the current focus, you can use the Tab key to move the focus through the panel controls. You can use the Spacebar to activate the control that has the current focus (that is, pressing Spacebar is equivalent to clicking a control in the panel).
  • Page 46 To move the focus through the controls in a panel: Press the Tab key when the focus is currently applied to the panel options menu. Press the Tab key repeatedly to move the focus through the controls in the panel. Press Enter (Windows only) to activate the currently selected panel control.
  • Page 47 • Objects on layers that are hidden or locked cannot be selected with the Tab key. Note: If you are currently typing text into a text box, you cannot select an object using the keyboard focus. You must first change the focus to the Stage and then select an object. To select the Stage: •...
  • Page 48 To cut, copy, and paste library items using keyboard shortcuts: • To copy or paste a selected library item, press Control+X (Windows) or Command+X (Macintosh) to cut the item, or press Control+C (Windows) or Command+C (Macintosh) to copy the item. •...

  • Page 49: Chapter 4: Building Your First Application

    Macromedia Flash MX 2004 and Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004. A Flash application, broadly defined, can be as simple as content that offers interactivity, or as elaborate as a robust application that interacts with a variety of data sources.

  • Page 50: Workflow For Building An Application

    In Flash, select File > Open. Browse to the completed file using one of the following paths: If you’re using Windows 2000 or XP, browse to boot drive\Documents and Settings\ username\Local Settings\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash MX 2004\language\ Configuration\HelpPanel\Help\GettingStarted\finished_files and double-click myad_finished.swf. Note: If the Application Data folder is hidden, you’ll need to change your Windows Explorer settings to see the folder.
  • Page 51 In Flash, select File > Open. Browse to the authoring document using one of the following paths: If you’re using Windows 2000 or XP, browse to boot drive\Documents and Settings\ username\Local Settings\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash MX 2004\language\ Configuration\HelpPanel\Help\GettingStarted\finished_files and double-click myad_finished.fla. Note: If the Application Data folder is hidden, you’ll need to change your Windows Explorer settings to see the folder.

  • Page 52: Create A New Document

    Panels in Flash assist you in working with and assigning attributes to the document or to objects on the Stage. For more information about panels, including how to dock and move them, see “Using panels and the Property inspector” on page The Property inspector allows you to view and change attributes of a selected object.

  • Page 53: Add Media Content

    If the Property inspector isn’t open, select Window > Properties. The Property inspector lets you view and change the specifications for selected objects. The specifications depend on the type of object selected. If you select a text object, for example, the Property inspector displays settings for viewing and modifying text attributes.
  • Page 54 Double-click the Layer 1 name in the Timeline. Type over the name Layer 1, replacing it with the name Art. Art is now the active layer. Anything you place on the Stage will be in this layer. Select the Rectangle tool from the Tools panel. On the Stage, draw a rectangle, similar to the one below, toward bottom of your screen.
  • Page 55 Select File > Import > Import to Library. Browse to one of the following paths: If you’re using Windows 2000 or XP, browse to boot drive\Documents and Settings\ username\Local Settings\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash MX 2004\language\ Configuration\HelpPanel\Help\GettingStarted\start_files\Assets. Select logo.ai and car.png to import.

  • Page 56: Add Navigation Controls

    Next, drag car.png from the Library panel onto the Stage and place it in the middle of the rectangle you drew, as in the following illustration: Add text The next step is to add text on the Stage. Select the Text tool from the Tools panel and click on the Stage, under the car. A text field appears, with a round control that indicates that the field will expand as you type.
  • Page 57 Select Web > Go to Web Page. The Go to URL dialog box appears. In the URL text box, type any complete URL, such as http://www.macromedia.com. Then click OK. When the user clicks the button, a browser will open for the specified URL.

  • Page 58: Add Motion And Basic Interactivity

    For an online introduction to the Flash MX 2004 behaviors see the Macromedia On Demand article “Flash MX 2004 Family: Using Behaviors” at www.macromedia.com/macromedia/events/ online/ondemand/index.html. Add motion and basic interactivity The ad is almost complete. The next step before testing and publishing it is to add the motion that makes the car fade away.

  • Page 59: Test The Application

    In the Timeline, right-click Frame 1 in the Art layer, which has the filled black keyframe. From the context menu, select Copy Frames. Right-click Frame 30 in the Art layer. From the context menu, select Paste frames. Frames with content in the Art layer now extend to Frame 30. Test the application At any point during authoring, you can test how your application plays as a SWF file.

  • Page 60: The Next Steps

    Click the HTML tab. By default, the publishing process creates an HTML document that inserts your SWF file in a browser window. Settings on the HTML tab of the Publish Settings dialog box determine how the application appears in the browser. If Detect Flash Version is selected, deselect that option so that Flash will not create files to detect your user’s Flash Player version.

  • Page 61: Resources

    Resources Macromedia has excellent resources to help you discover more about Flash, get support, and send feedback to the company. Registration Register to receive up-to-the-minute notices about upgrades and new products, technical support, and more. You can register online by selecting Help > Online Registration. You can also print the registration form from the Help menu.
  • Page 62 To view the authoring version (FLA file) for a given sample, open the file from within Flash. You’ll find the sample files in the Samples folder, which is in your Flash application directory. The Samples page (Help > Samples) also includes a link the Macromedia website, where you’ll find additional samples.

  • Page 63: Index

    INDEX accessibility, in the Flash authoring environment 43 Default Layout command, for panels 39 Actions panel 37 deleting activating Flash 16 frames or keyframes 28 applications layers and layer folders 32 publishing and viewing 59 document, creating new 52 sample 62 document-editing mode 35 testing 59 viewing published in a browser 60...
  • Page 64 displaying 25 instructional media 9 displaying contents 23 interactivity, adding basic 58 dragging in Timeline 28 editing in Timeline 27 inserting 27 keyboard shortcuts removing 28 adding and removing 42 showing thumbnails 26 customizing 42 thumbnail display 26 deleting 43 using 26 for dialog box controls 46 FreeHand Text on Clipboard preference 41...
  • Page 65 31 Paste Frames command 28 PICT Settings for Clipboard preference (Macintosh only) 41 playhead, moving 25 Macromedia Flash Development Center 61 preferences Macromedia Flash support 61 Bitmaps on Clipboard (Windows only) 41 main toolbar 33...
  • Page 66 converting keyframes into frames 28 copying and pasting frames 28 registration 61 deleting frames or keyframes 28 release notes 61 docking to the application window 24 Remove Frame command 28 dragging 24 renaming layers and layer folders 31 dragging frames 28 resources 61, 62 editing frames 27 rulers...
  • Page 67 Undo Levels preference 39 upgrading from Macromedia Flash MX 2004 17 vector art, adding 53 viewing the application 59 warning preferences 41 work area, showing and hiding 23 Zoom tool 22 zooming 22 Index...
  • Page 68 Index...

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