SYMBOLS

Symbols are saved objects that can behave as graphics, animations, or buttons. You can import images from other software to use as symbols in Flash, or you can use Flash’s drawing techniques and tools.
Drawing something on the stage doesn’t make it a symbol. Create a symbol by choosing Insert > new symbol (command F8), or Modify > convert to symbol (F8).

To convert an object on your stage, select it before choosing convert to symbol.

Selecting “create new symbol” or “convert to symbol” opens a dialog box where you can name your symbol, and set its behavior. When creating a new symbol, you switch to edit symbol mode automatically. The symbol editing window has the same features (stage, layers and timeline) as the main movie. The only difference is that anything you draw here will become a permanent and reusable piece of your project. You can exit from this place by clicking on “scene 1” at the top (or bottom) left of the timeline, or command E.

All Flash documents have a library. This stores any symbols you create, whether they are graphics, animations, or buttons. You can even use symbols from another movie by opening that file and then opening its library. Simply drag the symbols you want to use onto your new stage. Access the library from the Windows menu (command L).

You’ll read a lot about instances and symbols in the same sentence and perhaps be as confused as I was when I first started messing around with Flash. Simply, a symbol is an actor in a movie. An instance is when that actor shows up and reads a line or two. Instances of the same symbol can do different things–just as an actor would move around and have different lines in each scene s/he was in. In other words, you hire one actor (a symbol) and s/he appears in several scenes (instances).

You can duplicate symbols and edit the copies.
You can modify an instance of a symbol in several ways. You can change colors, transparency, size, position, rotation, and movement.

Some of these changes occur on the stage. Click the on-stage symbol to adjust color effects of the symbol in the properties palette. Choose between brightness (light and dark), tint (hue), alpha (color opacity) and advanced.

Use the properties palette to name the instance (important if you’re going to add actionscript), add sound, add actions, and define tweening behaviors.

Change other aspects of the instance by using the free transform tool, the transform panel, or transform options under the Modify menu.

To edit a symbol (i.e. change it drastically and permanently), double click on it to move to “edit symbol” mode. Changes you make here will alter the original symbol and all its instances. Return to the stage using command E, or clicking on “scene #” at the top or bottom of the timeline

You can’t tween two separate symbols.

You can’t tween a symbol and an object.

You can create a shape tween with 2 separate objects.

You can motion tween two symbols, which includes modifications to the symbol instances.

BUTTON SYMBOLS

Buttons have four parts to them. The first is its “up” state. The second is its “over” state (when the mouse moves over it). The third is its “down” state (when you click on it). The fourth part indicates the area that is click-able—its “hit” state.

Create a button symbol by choosing Insert > new symbol (command F8) and making sure you check “button” for type.

The edit symbol area pops up, and you’ll notice in the timeline there are four frames reflecting each button state.

Create the graphic you want to use in the up state frame. When you’re pleased with it, click the “over” frame and insert a keyframe (F6). The “up” graphic will appear in the “over” frame. Make any changes to it you’d like.

Click in the “down” frame and insert a keyframe (F6). Again, make any changes you want.

Finally, insert a keyframe in the “hit” frame. You can leave the graphic that’s placed there, but the real purpose of this frame is to create a box or circle that will become the “live” area of the button—where someone’s cursor needs to be in order to trigger the button action.

Exit edit symbol mode using command E, or click on “scene 1” in the timeline.

Your new button is in now your library (command L), ready to be used. Drag it from the library to your stage (perhaps on its own layer, to keep things organized).

Buttons don’t do anything until you assign some actionscript to them. Select your button instance and open the actionscript panel. Here are some of the most common actionscripts for buttons (type these into the right portion of the actionscript panel):

on(release){
play();
}

starts the movie

on(release){
stop();
}

stops the movie

on(release){
getURL(www.tatoland.com);
}

takes the viewer to a different web page

on(release){
gotoAndPlay("scene 2",1);
}

plays the specified scene, starting at the specified frame

You can add sound and animations to buttons.

To add sound, it’s a good idea to add another layer in the button’s editing mode. Create a keyframe in the button state where you want the sound to occur. Import your sound to your library, and then drag it to the stage while that frame is selected.

You’ll want to make sure it’s a short sound, and not too loud so it doesn’t annoy people. I’d also caution against using sounds on all your buttons, since that can also be annoying after a while.

add sound and/or an animated symbol to a keyframe

Adding an animation to a button state is a bit more complex: first you need to create a movie clip symbol of the animated state.

Once you’ve done that, insert the movie clip into the button state keyframe where you want it to play (often you’ll see these on the over state).