ptg
136 Chapter 4
You can organize your Library assets into folders, sort the items, dupli-
cate symbols or change their behavior. You can sort items by name,
type, date, use count, or ActionScript linkage identifier. If you have a
long list of items in your Library, you can search for the ones you want.
The improved Library panel also allows you to set properties on most
multiple Library items at once.
Working with the
Library Panel
Organize Items in the Library
Panel
Click the Window menu, and then
click Library.
Use any of the following options to
organize items in the Library panel:
◆ Search. Click in the Search box,
start to type the name of the
item you want to find. As you
type, the list of Library items
narrows to display the items
that match what you typed.
Click X in the Search box to
display all the items in the
Library panel.
◆ Sort. Click the name header to
sort the Library items from A-Z
or Z-A.
◆ New Folder. Click the New
Folder button, type a name, and
then press Enter (Win) or
Return (Mac).
◆ Use Folders. Select a Library
item from the list and drag it to
the folder where you want to
store it. Click the triangle to
expand/collapse the folder.
◆ Delete Item. Select the items
you want to delete, and then
click the Delete button.
◆ Rename Item. Double-click the
item you want to rename, type
a new name, and then press
Enter (Win) or Return (Mac).
2
1
Preview
controller
Delete button
New Folder button
Create New Symbol button
New Library
Panel
Options menu
Click the column
header to sort
items.
Search box
From the Library of Wow! eBook
ptg
Chapter 4 Working with Groups, Symbols, and Instances 137
Access Library Options
Click the Options menu on the
Library panel.
A menu of options for adding,
deleting, organizing, and
configuring Library items appears,
such as:
◆ New Font. Create a font symbol
to embed a font in a movie.
◆ New Symbol. Create a symbol.
◆ Duplicate. Make a copy of the
selected items.
◆ Edit or Edit With. Edit items in a
library. Select the item first.
◆ Linkage. Define properties to
share library assets for runtime
or author development time.
Change Library Item Properties
Click the Window menu, and then
click Library.
Select the Library items you want
to change.
To se lec t mul tiple ite ms, h old d own
Ctrl (Win) or A (Win), and the
click the items you want to select.
Click the Properties button.
Make the changes you want for
the Library items.
Click OK.
5
4
3
2
1
1
1
Library
options
3
2
4
5
From the Library of Wow! eBook
ptg
138 Chapter 4
Using symbols is an efficient way to add artwork or elements to your
Flash movie. When you create a symbol, it is stored in the Library
where it can be reused as an instance in the Timeline. You can turn
graphics or animations you've made into symbols or create a new one
from scratch. There are three default symbol types you can choose
from: graphic, movie clips, and buttons. How you use the symbol will
determine which of these three types to use. Symbols have their own
discrete Timelines. Think of a symbol as a package containing artwork
that you can open and close. You enter a symbol editing mode to make
changes and when you leave this mode the artwork is protected.
Creating Symbols
Create New Symbols
Click the Insert menu, and then
click New Symbol.
TIMESAVER
Press
A
+F8
(Mac) or Ctrl+F8 (Win) to create a
new symbol.
Type a name for the symbol.
Select a symbol type option.
Click OK.
Flash enters a special Symbol
editing mode.
Create or insert a symbol item, and
then click the Back button.
Convert Existing Artwork
into Symbols
Select the artwork on the Stage
you want to make into a symbol.
Click the Modify menu, and then
click Convert To Symbol.
TIMESAVER
Press F8 to
convert the artwork into a symbol.
Type a name for the symbol.
Select a symbol type option.
Select a registration point.
Click OK.
Symbol appears in the Library.
6
5
4
3
2
1
5
4
3
2
1
Click to set
ActionScript
options
3
1
6
2
Symbol editing mode indicator
3
5
4
5
4
From the Library of Wow! eBook
ptg
Chapter 4 Working with Groups, Symbols, and Instances 139
Convert Animations
into Symbols
In the Timeline, select every frame
in the animation that you want to
make into a symbol.
Click the Edit menu, point to
Timeline, and then click Copy
Frames.
TIMESAVER
Press
Option+
A
+C (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+C
(Win) to copy frames.
Click the Insert menu, and then
click New Symbol.
Type a name for the symbol.
Select a movie clip or graphic
symbol.
Click OK.
Flash enters a special symbol
editing mode.
Select the first frame of the
Timeline.
Click the Edit menu, point to
Timeline, and then click Paste
Frames.
TIMESAVER
Press
Option+
A
+V (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+V
(Win) to paste frames.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
1
7
New symbol’s Timeline
6
5
4
See Also
See “Editing in Symbol Mode” on page
140 for information on editing symbols
in symbol editing mode.
Selecting a Registration Point
In the Convert to Symbol dialog box, there is a registration grid. The
grid represents the symbol’s bounding box. It displays a small black
square to indicate the registration point for the graphic. A registra-
tion point is the axis from which a symbol rotates or aligns to other
objects. You can view the registration point for a symbol by selecting
it, and then opening the Property Inspector or the Info panel.
For Your Information
From the Library of Wow! eBook
ptg
140 Chapter 4
When you need to change or modify a symbol, you must enter a special
symbol editing mode. Entering this mode allows you to view and edit
the symbol's Timeline. Any changes you make are stored in the Library,
and all other instances of the symbol are updated with these changes.
You can choose to enter the symbol mode, entirely replacing the view
of the main Timeline, or view the symbol in context to the main Timeline.
Additionally, you can open the symbol mode in a new window.
Editing in Symbol
Mode
Enter Symbol Editing Mode
Select the symbol you want to
modify.
Click the Edit menu, and then click
Edit Symbols.
Selecting Edit Symbols centers the
symbol based on its registration
point in the symbol editing work
area. The Timeline is not visible.
TIMESAVER
Double-click the
symbol, or press
A
+E (Mac) or
Ctrl+E (Win) to enter symbol
editing mode.
Modify the symbol or its Timeline.
3
2
1
3
Edit Symbols
button
Symbol editing
mode
Did You Know?
You can use the Edit Symbols button to
access any symbol stored in the Library.
When you click the Edit Symbols but-
ton in the Edit bar, a list of symbols
stored in the Library appears from
which you can select.
Entering and Viewing a Symbol’s Editing Mode
There are two additional modes for viewing a symbol's editing mode:
Edit In Place and Edit In New Window. You can access these options
from the Edit menu or from the context-sensitive menus by Control-
clicking (Mac) or right-clicking (Win) the instance on the Stage.
Edit In Place. Preserves the view of the symbol's position in the main
Timeline, dimming everything else in the main Timeline. This feature
is useful when you need to see a symbol's placement relative to
other elements in the main Timeline as you edit it. To quickly Edit in
Place, double-click the instance on the Stage.
Edit In New Window. Opens the symbol's Timeline in a new window.
Additionally, you can select the symbol from the Edit Symbol list
arrow on the right side of the Information bar above the Timeline.
For Your Information
2
From the Library of Wow! eBook
ptg
Chapter 4 Working with Groups, Symbols, and Instances 141
Exit Symbol Editing Mode
When you are finished making
changes to a symbol, you can
return to the main Timeline in
several ways:
◆ Click the Back button or the
Scene name on the Edit bar to
return to the parent scene.
◆ Click the Edit Scene button on
the Edit bar, and then click
another Scene name.
◆ Click the Edit menu, and then
click Edit Document to return to
the main Timeline.
◆ Press A+E (Mac) or Ctrl+E
(Win).
1
Back button and Scene name
Return to main Timeline
Edit Scene button
Edit bar with options
for leaving symbol
editing mode.
From the Library of Wow! eBook
. Chapter 4
Using symbols is an efficient way to add artwork or elements to your
Flash movie. When you create a symbol, it is stored in the Library
where it. symbol.
Type a name for the symbol.
Select a symbol type option.
Click OK.
Flash enters a special Symbol
editing mode.
Create or insert a symbol item,