Creating
Buttons
Buttons are actually four-frame
interactive movie clips. When you select the
button behavior for a symbol, Flash creates
a Timeline with four frames. The first three
frames display the button's three possible
states; the fourth frame defines the active
area of the button. The Timeline doesn't actually
play; it simply reacts to pointer movement
and actions by jumping to the appropriate
frame.
To make a button interactive in a movie, you place
an instance of the button symbol on the Stage and assign
actions to the instance. The actions must be assigned
to the instance of the button in the movie, not to frames
in the button's timeline.
Each
frame in the Timeline of a button symbol
has a specific function:
The first frame is the Up state, representing the
button whenever the pointer is not over the button.
The second frame is the Over state, representing the
button's appearance when the pointer is over it.
The third frame is the Down state, representing the
button's appearance as it is clicked.
The fourth frame is the Hit state, defining the area
that will respond to the mouse click. This area is invisible
in the movie.
To create a button:
- Choose INSERT / NEW SYMBOL, or press
Control+F8 (Windows).
To create the button, you convert the
button frames to keyframes.
- In the Symbol Properties dialog box,
enter a name for the new button symbol,
and for Behavior choose Button.
Flash switches to symbol-editing mode.
The Timeline header changes to display
four consecutive frames labeled Up, Over,
Down, and Hit. The first frame, Up, is
a blank keyframe.
- To create the Up state button image,
use the drawing tools, import a graphic,
or place an instance of another symbol
on the Stage.
You can use a graphic or movie clip symbol
in a button, but you cannot use another
button in a button. Use a movie clip symbol
if you want the button to be animated.
- Click the second frame, labeled Over,
and choose INSERT / KEYFRAME.
Flash inserts a keyframe that duplicates
the contents of the Up frame.
- Change the button image for the Over
state.
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 for the Down
frame and the Hit frame.
The Hit frame is not visible on the
Stage, but it defines the area of the
button that responds when clicked.
Make sure that the graphic for the
Hit frame is a solid area large enough
to encompass all the graphic elements
of the Up, Down, and Over frames. It
can also be larger than the visible
button. If you do not specify a Hit
frame, the image for the Up state is
used as the Hit frame.
You can create a disjoint rollover
by placing the Hit frame in a different
location than the other button frames.
- To assign a sound to a state of the
button, select that state's frame in the
Timeline, choose MODIFY / FRAME to display
the Frame panel, and then click the Sound
tab in the Frame panel. See Adding sounds
to buttons.
9 When you've finished, choose EDIT /
EDIT MOVIE. Drag the button symbol out
of the Library window to create an instance
of it in the movie.
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