import graphic content created in other programs and use Flash to animate it. -
how the site will .... This file is actually viewed by users of a web page or. Flash ...
Lesson 1 Introduction in Flash CS3 Flash is a multimedia software that is used to design user interfaces and applications. Flash packs a lot of functionality into one easy-to-use program. In Flash you can: - create animated movies from scratch - import graphic content created in other programs and use Flash to animate it. - how the site will function and appear regardless of the browser used.
Flash Versions There are two versions of the Flash CS3. One is a version of the Flash development environment, and the other is a version used by the client. Version
Features
Flash CS3 Professional
Following are the features of Flash CS3 Professional:
Flash Player 9
Bitmap and vector images can be used. Formatted text and hyperlinks can be used. Animation and interactivity can be included. Simple to complex navigation schemes can be used. Sound and video can be incorporated. Connectivity to different databases is possible. Libraries of prebuilt components can be shared across Flash documents. ActionScript can increase effectiveness with programming logic. Sophisticated components make it easy to build applications for a variety of devices.
Following are the features of Flash Player 9:
Required by users to view Adobe Flash CS3 content. Users without Flash Player can be prompted to install it automatically. Can be downloaded from www.adobe.com.
Interface Elements To design and deliver Flash documents, you work within the Adobe Flash authoring environment. The Quick Start page provides easy access to your most frequently used actions. The stage contains the visible elements, such as text, components, and images of the document. The Timeline represents different phases, or frames, of an animation. The Tools panel provides the tools used to create and manipulate objects on the stage. The Edit bar tells you what you are currently working on and gives you the ability to change the magnification level of the stage. The panels provide access to a wide variety of authoring tools.
Figure 1: The interface elements in Flash CS3.
Expanded Stage Work Area All software from the Adobe CS3 family have similar user interfaces, similar tools, familiar icons, and customizable workspaces that enable you to move smoothly between Flash and other Adobe design software. The gray area around the stage can be used as the expanded stage to store graphics for future use.
Panels Panels are Flash screen elements that give you easy access to the most commonly used features in Flash. Panels help you view, organize, and change elements in your Flash document. Panels can have different appearances or states and are categorized into different types based on function.
Panel States Panels have three states:
Open—Visible in the interface with a content window. Collapsed—Visible in the interface as only a title bar with the content window hidden. Not visible in the interface.
Panel Types Panels are divided into three different types. Panel Type
Included Panels
Design
Align Color Swatches Info Scene Transform
Development
Actions Behaviors
Other
Components Component Inspector Debugger Output Web Services
Accessibility History Movie Explorer Strings Common Libraries
The Tools Panel The Tools panel is divided into four sections. You can use the tools in the Tools panel to draw, paint, select, and modify artwork, as well as change the view of the stage.
Figure 2: The Tools panel displaying the four sections. Area On Tools Panel
Description
Tools
Contains drawing, painting, and selection tools.
View
Contains zooming and panning tools.
Colors
Contains tools for setting stroke and fill colors.
Options
Displays options for the selected tool that affect the tool's painting or editing operations.
How to Explore the Adobe Flash CS3 Environment 1. Procedure Reference Open a New Flash Document To open a new Flash document: 1. 2.
Choose Start→All Programs→Adobe Flash CS3. The Quick Start page is displayed. Open a new file. Choose File→New.
3. 4.
Or, on the Quick Start page, in the Create New section, click Flash File (ActionScript 3.0). In the New Document dialog box, in the Type section, select Flash File (ActionScript 3.0) and click OK. If necessary, in the Tools panel, place the mouse pointer over the icons and view the screen tips to identify each icon.
2. Procedure Reference Dock and Undock the Panel To dock and undock the panel: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Choose Window→[panel] to open the panel. In the panel, click the title bar and drag it to another panel to dock the panel with the already existing panel. This creates a group of docked panels. In the panel group, click the tab of the docked panel and drag it out of the panel group to undock the panel. If necessary, close the panel.
Collapse and Expand the Panel In a panel, click the title bar to collapse and expand it. You can also click the Minimize button to collapse and expand the panel. The panels are collapsed to icons by clicking the Collapse to Icons option indicated by two right pointing arrows on the top-right corner of the application. Activity 1-Exploring the Adobe Flash CS3 Environment What You Do 1. Open a new Flash document and identify the Flash tools.
How You Do It a. Choose Start→All Programs→Adobe Design Premium→Adobe Flash CS3 Professional. b. Observe that the Quick Start page is displayed. c. Choose File→New. d. In the New Document dialog box, in the Type section, verify that Flash File (ActionScript 3.0) is selected and click OK. e. In the Tools panel, place the mouse pointer over the icon of the first tool, and view the screen tip. f. Similarly, in the Tools panel, place the mouse pointer over the other icons and view the screen tips to identify each icon.
2. Collapse and expand the Color panel.
a. In the Color panel, click the title bar to collapse the Color panel.
b. Click the title bar again to expand the Color panel. 3. Dock and undock the Project panel.
a. Choose Window→Project to display the Project panel. b. In the Project panel, click the title bar and drag it
to the Color panel to dock the Project panel.
Place the mouse pointer on the title bar of the Project panel and drag it to the Color panel in the top-right corner of the window. c. In the Project panel, click the Project tab and drag it to anywhere in the interface to undock the Project panel. d. In the top-right corner of the Project panel, click the Close button. e. Choose File→Close. Produce a Flash Application File You explored the user interface elements in the Adobe Flash CS3 environment. Now, you can view the output of a file created using Flash. In this topic, you will produce a Flash application file. Once you finish working on your Flash document, you will want to view the output of the file. You need to produce a Flash application file so that everyone can view it. You would like to view the output of a file created using Flash. In this topic, you will produce a Flash application file. Flash File Formats There are two main file types used in Flash. File Type
Description FLA is the file type you create in the authoring environment. You can think of it as your source file. The term document is associated with this file type.
When you publish your document, a SWF file is created. The creation process is similar to a compilation process in other languages. This file is actually viewed by users of a web page or Flash application. The term application is associated with this file type. When you publish a Flash document, an HTML file is also created along with the SWF. Movie A movie is an animation in the Flash file format that uses the .swf extension. Flash files may contain graphic, sound, text, or video and are distributed as SWF files. Process of Producing Flash Applications
To produce a Flash application file, a source FLA document is created and published as a SWF for testing and final viewing. The SWF is moved to a server as either a stand-alone application or gets embedded in a web page. When the user requests the application via a web browser with Flash Player 9 installed, the request is processed by the server, and the results are returned to the browser. How to Produce a Flash Application File 3. Procedure Reference Produce a Flash Application File To produce a Flash application file: 1. 2.
3. 4. 5.
6. 7.
If necessary, launch Adobe Flash CS3. Open an FLA file. a. Choose File→Open or in the Quick Start page, click Open. b. In the Open dialog box, navigate to the location where the desired FLA file is stored. c. Select the file, and click Open to open the file. Choose File→Publish to publish the file. Minimize the Adobe Flash CS3 Professional window. View the published file. a. Navigate to the location where the original FLA file is stored. A SWF file is generated with the same name as that of the FLA file. b. Double-click the SWF file to launch and test the application. c. Close the Adobe Flash Player 9 window. Restore the Adobe Flash CS3 Professional window. Close the FLA file.
Activity 2- Producing a Flash Application Data Files
Download from my website the file: Weightcalculator.fla
What You Do 1. Publish the Weightcalculator.fla file.
How You Do It a. Choose File→Open. b. In the Open dialog box, navigate to the folder where the file Weightcalculator.fla is saved. c. Select the Weightcalculator.fla file and click Open. d. Choose File→Publish to publish the FLA file.
2. View the published file.
a. Navigate to your folder. d. Double-click Weightcalculator.swf to launch and view the published file. e. Close the Adobe Flash Player 9 window. f. Close the Exploring Adobe Flash CS3 window. g. Restore the Adobe Flash CS3 Professional [Weightcalculator.fla] window. h. Close the Weightcalculator.fla file.
