Chapter 6 -
Completion Time 2-4 Hours

Complete the Following Tasks:

1 - Please watch this video:
Video - Chapter 6 - Lesson 1
Video - Chapter 6 - Lesson 2
Video - Chapter 6 - Lesson 3
Video - Chapter 6 - Lesson 4

2 - Complete in the Textbook = All of Chapter 6 (pg. 6-1 to 6-25)

3 - Upload the ALL the files from Your Chapter 6 Folder on your computer to the Student Web Server and place them in the Chapter_05 Folder
- the files should be posted/uploaded/copied to your web server via FTP before you email me so that I can review them - Thank You

Need More Practice? Consider this OPTIONAL Assignment:
Complete in the Textbook = Project Builder #1 (pg. 6-28)
Upload the file to the Tours Folder on the Student WebServer

Email Me (mtejada@dvc.edu) when you finished the Chapter 6 homework - Thank You

Email Subject Line should Read:
FL Chapter 6 - Completed - Your Name & Your fl##

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Chapter 8
Completion Time = 2-4 hours

Chapter Overview

To build complex animations, you should have a plan of how to develop a clean Timeline and how to optimize file size. Creating animated graphic symbols and movie clip symbols can help meet both goals. A well-built movie consists of many small pieces of animation put together. You should split the many animations on the stage into smaller, reusable pieces. Creating animated graphic symbols and movie clip symbols also allows you greater flexibility in adding ActionScript to elements on and off the stage.

Making effective use of symbols and the library panel
The Library panel should house all of the building blocks for your movies. In order to build a logical Library panel, you should plan your project. Graphic symbols should include any repeated elements on the stage. A graphic symbol can contain other graphic symbols. Make any repeating or complex animations into animated graphic symbols or movie clip symbols. You can assign ActionScript to button symbols and to movie clip symbols, but not to graphic symbols. Button symbols can contain both graphic and movie clip symbols inside them.

Understanding animated graphic symbols
You can convert an entire multiple-frame, multiple-layer animation into a single animated graphic symbol that you can store in the Library panel. Creating a single animated graphic symbol removes all of the associated keyframes, layers, and tweening of the animation from your Timeline. Animated graphic symbols can also reduce file size. There must be enough frames on the Timeline for the animation to run.

Understanding movie clip symbols
A movie clip symbol is a more robust way to store complex animations in the Library panel. The movie clip symbol retains its own independent Timeline when you insert an instance of the symbol into a movie, while the animated graphic symbol remains tied to the Timeline of the movie in which you place the symbol. Each of the movie clip symbols will move according to its own independent Timeline, and take up one layer and potentially, one keyframe on the Timeline.

Thank You,
Mario :)

Complete the Following Tasks:

1 - Please watch this video:
Video - NOT Ready - but don't wait keep moving forward!

2 - Complete in the Textbook = All of Chapter 8 (pg. 8-1 to 8-25)

3 - Upload the ALL the files from Your Chapter 8 Folder on your computer to the Chapter_08 Folder on your Student Web Server
- the files should be posted/uploaded/copied to your web server via FTP before you email me so that I can review them - Thank You

Need More Practice? Consider this OPTIONAL Assignment:
Complete in the Textbook = Project Builder #1 (pg. 8-28)
Upload the file to the Tours Folder on the Student WebServer

Email Me (mtejada@dvc.edu) when you finished the Chapter 8 homework - Thank You

Email Subject Line should Read:
FL Chapter 8 - Completed - Your Name & Your fl##

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Chapter 9
Completion Time = 2-4 hours

Chapter Overview

To create interactive movies, you can use ActionScript, the built-in scripting language for Adobe Flash.  Use the Actions panel to add ActionScript to frames and objects.  This panel can help you keep your ActionScript in the appropriate format.  Remember that ActionScript is a programming language and like all programming languages, it must follow certain syntactical, spelling, and parameter rules in order to run both correctly and efficiently.  The focus in this chapter will be to learn how to use the Actions panel to create ActionScript code without using Script Assist.

Using the Actions Panel
The Actions panel is used to build the ActionScript code that enhances a movie by adding complex interaction, playback control, and data manipulation.  The Actions panel has three panes:

• Actions Toolbox pane—provides that categories of actions that can be selected to build ActionScript code.
• Script Navigator pane—provides a list of elements (objects, movie clips, frames) that contain scripts.
• Script pane— displays the code and a toolbar for editing the code; also displays the Script Assist dialog box.

There are two ways to work with the Actions panel, with the Script Assist turned on or turned off.  Script Assist is useful if you have limited knowledge of ActionScript.  With Script Assist turned off you build the ActionScript code by selecting actions listed in folder categories in the Toolbox pane. 

Configuring the Actions panel
There are two windows, left and right, in the Actions panel. The left window displays the Actions Toolbox pane and the Script Navigator pane. The right window displays the Script pane where the ActionScript code is displayed and edited. You will need to display the right window at all times. Before writing any code, be sure to check the element (button, frame, movie clip, object) that is displayed in the lower left of the Script pane to verify it is the element to which you want to apply the code.

Writing ActionScript Code
If you are going to write ActionScript, remember the syntax rules. Use exact case for action names.  Use a semicolon (;) to close each ActionScript statement. Use parentheses to enclose functions or parameters. Use quotation marks around text strings.  If you want to group actions together, use brackets ({}) to enclose them.  If you need help, you can display code hints.  Code hints can be displayed in a pop-up window while you work on each new action, showing you the syntax or possible parameters. Be sure to use the Check Syntax feature when you are finished.  This will double-check the code for you and display any errors in a separate window.  The Check Syntax button is located above the Script pane.

Referencing the Timeline in Actions
Clicking a mouse on a button is a user action.  If, for example, the button is navigational in nature, the action might cause your interactive movie to change frames.  This is one of the most common uses of ActionScript.  You might not want your movie to have to navigate the Timeline as only a sequential series of frames.  To jump ahead or back, you can reference a specific frame. A frame number or frame label will allow you to do this. A frame label uses a text name for a keyframe instead of a number. This can help you avoid having to renumber many frames in case you add or delete any as you go along.  However, frame labels take up file space, so try to keep them short. 

Thank You,
Mario :)

Complete the Following Tasks:

1 - Please watch this video:
Video - NOT Ready - but don't wait keep moving forward!

2 - Complete in the Textbook = All of Chapter 9 (pg. 9-1 to 9-33)

3 - Upload the ALL the files from Your Chapter 9 Folder on your computer to the Chapter_09 Folder on your Student Web Server
- the files should be posted/uploaded/copied to your web server via FTP before you email me so that I can review them - Thank You

Need More Practice? Consider this OPTIONAL Assignment:
Complete in the Textbook = Project Builder #1 (pg. 9-36)
Upload the file to the Tours Folder on the Student WebServer

Email Me (mtejada@dvc.edu) when you finished the Chapter 9 homework - Thank You

Email Subject Line should Read:
FL Chapter 9 - Completed - Your Name & Your fl##

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Chapter 10
Completion Time = 2-4 hours

Chapter Overview

In an earlier chapter, you learned how to add sound to a button.  Although this action is useful, it only begins to scratch the surface of sonic expression in Adobe Flash.  You can create a musical background for your movie by setting a short sound clip to play continuously. You can provide a voice-over, synchronizing sound to an animation or movie clip. Remember that sound adds a lot of bulk to your movie file, so you will have to be strategic about how and when to use it.  There are some compression options to help with file size but as the compression increases, the sound quality will degrade.  You will have to become comfortable playing with that balance. Use sound wisely and your movie experience will be greatly enhanced.

Importing Sound Files
Before you can add sound to an object or Timeline, you must import a sound file. Adobe Flash stores the sound file will be stored in the Library panel.

Adding a Sound to the Timeline
Adding an instance of a sound to a frame in the Timeline will allow a sound to be played in the background, unconstrained to any specific action or object. You can drag the sound from the Library panel to the stage or you can use the Property inspector to add the sound to the keyframe. It is better to use the Property inspector to insure that the sound is placed in the keyframe that you intend. Sounds are represented on the Timeline by either a straight or waveform line.
 
The number of frames the line occupies will tell you, approximately, the duration of the sound. Placing different sounds on more than one layer will allow you to play several sounds at once.  You can also add multiple instances of the same sound to different layers.  In terms of structured programming practice, it is better to give sounds their own layers, even though they can be easily added to existing layers with other actions or objects.  By segmenting sounds, future audio editing will be simplified.

Understanding Event Sounds
By default, the sounds you add to your movie will be set as event sounds. Event sounds are free to play any time, regardless of the Timeline. The sound will start in the keyframe to which it is assigned, but can continue playing even after a movie ends.  Depending on how fast the host computer is, the event sounds in your movie may play at different speeds.

One of the great things about event sounds is that you can use them as many times as you like in a movie without increasing the file size. However, if your movie is played over the Web, the sounds and images may not be in sync.  This is because event sounds do not begin until the entire sound file is downloaded. Streaming sound is another type of sound.  To make an analogy, streaming sounds are to animated graphic symbols as event sounds are to movie clip symbols.  This is because streaming sounds are linked directly to the main Timeline.  Regardless of how much longer a streaming sound may be, when the movie stops, it stops too.  Another difference between the two types of sounds is that streaming sounds can start playing as your computer begins to download them.

Repeating Sounds
Situations may arise when you want to create background music for a movie, but you cannot spare the additional file space required. The answer to your quandary is repeating. Make sure to set your repeat number high enough to take the audio clip through the entire duration of your movie (if that is the desired effect). The default repeat setting is 1, indicating that the sound will play one time.

Thank You,
Mario :)

Complete the Following Tasks:

1 - Please watch this video:
Video - NOT Ready - but don't wait keep moving forward!

2 - Complete in the Textbook = All of Chapter 10 (pg. 10-1 to 10-29)

3 - Upload the ALL the files from Your Chapter 10 Folder on your computer to the Chapter_10 Folder on your Student Web Server
- the files should be posted/uploaded/copied to your web server via FTP before you email me so that I can review them - Thank You

Need More Practice? Consider this OPTIONAL Assignment:
Complete in the Textbook = Project Builder #1 (pg. 10-34)
Upload the file to the Tours Folder on the Student WebServer

Email Me (mtejada@dvc.edu) when you finished the Chapter 10 homework - Thank You

Email Subject Line should Read:
FL Chapter 10 - Completed - Your Name & Your fl##

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Chapter 11
Completion Time = 2-4 hours

Chapter Overview

ActionScript can help you encourage user interaction and enhance the user experience.  You can engage the user with in a variety of ways, from replacing the mouse cursor with a custom one to tracking and releasing data based on the way in which each user interacts with your movie.  If working on the Web, you can organize your site into a fast-loading collection of small movies and use to load each movie when needed.  Complex branching can be accomplished with conditionals, while looping can repeat whole sets of actions tied to a value entered or a task performed by a user.  Whatever your aim, chances are there is some way to get it done in ActionScript.

Creating a Link to a Web Site
A fundamental feature of the Web is that Web sites contain links to other sites.  If you want users to be able to jump from a button or movie clip symbol to another Web site, use the getURL action.  This action could also be used to open a file instead of a URL if desired.  You can specify whether you want the new site or file to appear in the same browser window as your site or in a new window.  You can also specify a new window to pop up for the first external link but require each subsequent link should open in the same window.

Be sure to supply the entire URL for the file when you use getURL to lead to another Web site.  If you are creating a link to a file, you can include an absolute path, which specifies the exact location of the file including http://, or a relative path, which indicates location based on the current location of your movie file.

Creating a Mailto: Link
You can use getURL to create a mail link from a button or movie clip symbol.  This is similar to coding in HTML, where the same tag for external links is used for starting an e-mail message.  With both HTML and the getURL action, when a user clicks the e-mail link, a new e-mail message window will open and the address field will have already been filled in with your specified information.  Use the Property inspector if you would rather create an e-mail link from text instead of a button or movie clip symbol.

To create an e-mail link, put mailto: and then the appropriate e-mail address in the URL field of the getURL action.  You have to display your movie in a browser to test an e-mail link because it will not be active in the test window.  Clicking File on the main menu and then clicking Publish Preview will load your movie into a browser.

Posting Information to a Web Site
Along with linking to Web sites, getURL can also send variables to a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script or another application located on a Web server.  Instant feedback can thus be displayed on a user’s site as the application or script performs actions using, storing, or responding to the variables.

When sending variables, two options are available: GET and POST.  Both methods collect all the variables defined at the main timeline level of a movie and send them for processing to the URL specified in the getURL action. 

GET is best for small amounts of information but it is also less secure, as the variables will appear in the Address field of the browser as part of the URL.  POST is the recommended way to send data to a script as it can accommodate more variables and is more secure, collecting the variables and sending them in a file.

Thank You,
Mario :)

Complete the Following Tasks:

1 - Please watch this video:
Video - NOT Ready - but don't wait keep moving forward!

2 - Complete in the Textbook = All of Chapter 11 (pg. 11-1 to 11-33)

3 - Upload the ALL the files from Your Chapter 11 Folder on your computer to the Chapter_11 Folder on your Student Web Server
- the files should be posted/uploaded/copied to your web server via FTP before you email me so that I can review them - Thank You

Need More Practice? Consider this OPTIONAL Assignment:
Complete in the Textbook = Project Builder #1 (pg. 11-36)
Upload the file to the Tours Folder on the Student WebServer

Email Me (mtejada@dvc.edu) when you finished the Chapter 11 homework - Thank You

Email Subject Line should Read:
FL Chapter 11 - Completed - Your Name & Your fl##

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Chapter 12
Completion Time = 2-4 hours

Chapter Overview

Behaviors and Components enable developers to speed up the development process and create effective applications without writing ActionScript code. Behaviors are blocks of prewritten ActionScript code that you can apply by using pop-up menus and dialog boxes without having to write the ActionScript code yourself. Some behaviors are built into Adobe Flash; others are available from third-party companies and independent developers.  Components, another time saving feature, fall into three categories: User interface (UI), Media, and Data. Components are commonly used for creating check boxes, drop-down menus, and forms with boxes for entering user data such as name and address. Components selected for use are placed in the Library panel.  As with Behaviors, some Components are built into Adobe Flash; others are available from third-party companies and individuals.  

Using Behaviors
A Behavior, like any ActionScript, can be linked to an instance of an object, such as a button (which is a movie clip), or placed on a frame. To use Behaviors, first you must select the frame or object instance that the Behavior will be applied to. Then you select the desired Behavior from the Behaviors panel and complete any dialog boxes that appear. After making a choice from the submenu, a dialog box appears allowing you to specify the movie clip and frame to begin playing when the event (click) occurs. The ActionScript, as shown in Figure 3, is automatically assigned to the button. The default event that triggers the script is click, however you can specify a different event such as pressing a key. Behaviors can be edited or deleted using the Behaviors panel, and the ActionScript they create can be edited using the Actions panel.

Using Components
Many of the User Interface Components are used to create forms that can gather data from a user. Some, such as the Loader Component, are used to display content. The Loader Component can load external jpg graphic files and swf movie files. The files do not have to be in the Library panel or on the stage in the original movie. They are loaded when the movie is running.

Depending on the type of Component used, you will need to specify one or more of the following parameters:

• contentPath—This parameter is used to specify the location (server, directory, folder, etc.) for the content that is to be displayed using the Component.

• scaleContent—This parameter can be set to true or false. If it is set to true, the content will automatically resize (reduced or enlarged but not cropped) to the size of the component.
• autoLoad—This parameter can be set to true or false. If it is set to true, the Component will automatically display the specified contents. If it is set to false, the contents will not be displayed until some other action, such as a button click, occurs.

• label—This parameter allows you to type a text label.

To use a Component, you first select the frame and layer where the Component will be placed, then drag the Component from the Component panel to the desired location on the stage. To complete the process, you use the Parameters option within the Property inspector panel to set the Component parameters.

Thank You,
Mario :)

Complete the Following Tasks:

1 - Please watch this video:
Video - NOT Ready - but don't wait keep moving forward!

2 - Complete in the Textbook = All of Chapter 12 (pg. 12-1 to 12-23)

3 - Upload the ALL the files from Your Chapter 12 Folder on your computer to the Chapter_12 Folder on your Student Web Server
- the files should be posted/uploaded/copied to your web server via FTP before you email me so that I can review them - Thank You

Need More Practice? Consider this OPTIONAL Assignment:
Complete in the Textbook = Project Builder #1 (pg. 12-26)
Upload the file to the Tours Folder on the Student WebServer

Email Me (mtejada@dvc.edu) when you finished the Chapter 12 homework - Thank You

Email Subject Line should Read:
FL Chapter 12 - Completed - Your Name & Your fl##

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