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 . 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. 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. 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