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Flash Reference Guide

Aug 22, 2003

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As a designer, you’ll spend a lot of time using Adobe’s Flash Authoring tool. The current release is Flash 8. Overall, for designers, there have not been too many changes to the Authoring tool since Flash MX, the sixth version of Flash.

In this section, I’ll give you a quick tour of Flash 8 with a look at where all the tools are located and explain how to get started using the tool, save files, and test and publish a movie.

Starting Flash

Before you can do anything with Flash you need to be able to load and create a new file in the Flash Authoring tool. Whether you’re running a Mac or a PC, you’ll want to find the Flash 8 icon that launches the tool. The icon looks like this:

When you select the correct icon, the Flash 8 Authoring tool opens. It should look something like this:

Figure 1

The area is the central launch tool. The launch tool allows you to see which files you’ve been working with recently, new file types you can create, templates you can work with, and new information about Flash. This is how it looks closer up:

Figure 2

You can create a new file by selecting a document definition under the Create New category. Select Flash Document to create a new, blank Flash document.

Creating and Saving a File

A second way to create a new, blank document is to select File > New. This opens the New Document window.

Figure 3

The New Document window splits the General document types and Templates into two tabs.

The General document category lists the general document types you can use in your projects. The first document type is Flash Document, which creates a blank document. This is the document type that you’ll use for most of your applications. Other visual document types include Flash Slide Presentation and Flash Form Application. These two document types were created to help traditional enterprise developers migrate to Flash from programs such as Visual Studio.

In addition to the visual files there are three text-only files: ActionScript File, ActionScript Communication File, and Flash JavaScript File. These three files create text-only documents used for programming script for Flash Movies, Flash Media Server, and the Flash Authoring tool. The final document is a Flash Project file, which helps keep related content for a Flash movie together in one spot.

Selecting the Template tab displays many of Flash’s default templates, which can serve as a starting point for your movies.

Select a Flash Document from the General tab and select the OK button. This creates a default Flash Document in your file. A blank file will look something like this:

Figure 4

You’ll want to save your file to your hard drive by choosing File > Save. The first time you save a document you’ll have to give your file a name. Subsequent File > Save requests will not require you to name the file. As you save your file, you’ll notice that the file extension to a Flash file is FLA.

Where Are The Tools?

Flash leverages a consistent interface common to Dreamweaver and Fireworks. The three products have been united for several years and this is shown clearly with the interface.

Flash has four key areas: the Tools panel, Timeline, right-hand side column, and Properties Inspector.

Figure 5

The Tools panel holds common tools such as the Drawing, Shape, and Pen tools. If you’re familiar with Photoshop, Illustrator, or any graphics tool, then you will find familiar tools in the Tools panel.

The Timeline panel controls where and when animation sequences occur over time. This is similar to the Timeline panel in Dreamweaver and Director. If you’ve used video-editing tools, such as Movie Maker XP or Final Cut Pro, then you’ll be familiar with how the Timeline works.

The panel on the right-hand side of the screen expands and contracts, allowing for additional panels that are not currently shown to be added.

The Properties Inspector controls specific features for an object.

The Flash interface has several additional features that can be selected through the Window menu. I’ll cover these panels in later sections of the guide.

Testing a Movie

I’ve shown you how to create a Flash document and told you where all the tools are; now, I’ll show you how to create and test content.

The white area in the center of the Flash Authoring tool is the Stage, which is where you create your work. To get started, from the Tools panel, select the Text tool (HINT: it is the letter A) and click the Stage. Type the following: Flash Rocks!

Figure 6

You’ve created your first bit of Flash content. You’ll see that the Properties Inspector has changed to reflect the parameters that you can apply to your text. For instance, you can change the font, color, size, and orientation.

If you want to see how your new Flash file would look in a Web page, you’ll need to test the file. To do this, select File > Publish Preview. This previews your movie within the Flash Authoring tools.

Figure 7

Testing within Flash is a great way to ensure that what you’re building works. I strongly recommend it.

Publishing a Movie

Earlier, you saved your Flash file to your computer as an FLA file. When you publish your Flash file for distribution over the Internet, however, you’ll need to save it in a different file format. Flash helps you here.

To quickly export your file to Web, select F12. This is a command that publishes your Flash file. When you press F12, the default settings for a Flash movie create two files in addition to your FLA file: HTML and SWF.

The HTML file, which will, by default, have the same name as your Flash file—but with the .html extension—is a container that links the SWF file to the Web page. All of the HTML code and settings are written for you.

The SWF file is a compiled FLA file, or what is often referred to as a Flash movie. The SWF is the heart and soul of your work. As with the HTML file, the SWF file is, by default, given the same name as your main FLA file.

To publish your files to the Web, you’ll need to move both the SWF and HTML file to your Web server. The FLA file does not need to be moved to your production Web server. Keep both the SWF and HTML files in the same folder. Now you can point your Web browser to the HTML file and view the HTML with the embedded SWF file. This is your first Flash movie on the Internet. Congratulations!

Summary

What I’ve covered here is an introduction to the Flash Authoring tool. The following sections of the guide will cover specific elements of the Flash Authoring tool in greater detail and explain how you can use it to produce world-class solutions.

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