Flash 4 Magic (WITH CD-ROM)

David J. Emberton; J. Scott Hamlin; Larry D. Larsen

ISBN 10: 0735709491 ISBN 13: 9780735709492

Publisher: New Riders Pub, 2000

Synopsis

21 Flash 4 projects. Professional. Inspirational. Fully customizable. And brought to you by a team of 7 developers and designers who are among today's best Flash designers. Flash 4 Magic offers games (do the names Dodge and Concentration mean anything to you?) and utilities (such as a clock that uses external JavaScript and a poll application that uses external PHP scripting). And more. Just follow the steps. Take a look at the graphics. Check out the CD that includes all the project code. Each New Riders Magic book has been created with you, the computer graphics professional, in mind. Complete effects, adaptable solutions, time-saving techniques, and practical applications. Because computer technology books-like the souls who use them-aren't all alike. So whether you design chops, looking for a new way of doing an effect, or simply seeking creative advice, crack open a Magic book and get started...

About this title

About the Author

David Emberton flashzone, shockfusion

David Emberton is a Web developer, writer, and columnist. He's also the editor of FlashZone and the producer of FlashChallenge and ShockFusion.

J. Scott Hamlin navworks.i-us/, toylab, eyeland

J. Scott Hamlin is the director of Eyeland Studio, a Web entertainment company and content provider for clients such as Sun Microsystems, Nabisco, and MTV Europe.

Chrissy Rey flashlite

Chrissy Rey is an instructor and developer at Fig Leaf Software in Washington, DC. She teaches Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Generator. Chrissy is also a freelance writer, editor, and developer.

Scott Balay infinitefish, navworks.i-us/

Scott Balay is co-founder of NavWorks and spends most of his time creating new interfaces for that, as well as other client work.

Branden Hall flashlite

Branden is a multimedia developer/instructor for Fig Leaf Software, developing, and teaching various Macromedia products, including Flash and Generator 2.

Branden is also pursuing a Bachelors degree in Computer Science at the University of Maryland.

Larry Larsen greenjem

Larry Larsen is a designer/producer for The Poynter Institute. Larry produced the majority of the Flash interfaces from the FlashPacks from NavWorks (navworks.i-us/) and he teaches and consults on advanced Flash applications.

Daniel Mcskelly wteam.co.uk

Longtime contributor and assistant editor at flashzone, Daniel Mcskelly works chiefly as a Web designer for The Webteam (wteam.co.uk) and spends his free time moaning to David Emberton about getting more sleep.

Reviews

This is the best Flash book on the market. It offers step-by-step instructions on 21 interactive Flash projects: lava lamps, jukeboxes, e-commerce (product catalogs, shopping carts), guestbooks, games, games, and more games. The CD-ROM includes demos of Flash 4, source code, and other third-party software. However, this is not for beginners; readers should be familiar with the software. Intermediate and advanced web designers will be inspired by the authors' considerations of Flash's aesthetic and technical potential.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From PROJECT 7

Project 7: JUKEBOX LAYERS - Control Actions, Flashing Lights, Track Buttons, Window, Arch, Animation, Background

"There are 3 billion women who don't look like supermodels and ONLY 8 WHO DO." -Anonymous

BUILDING A WORKING JUKEBOX WITH FLASH

The idea of the classic jukebox is simple: click a button, hear a tune. In this project, you build a Flash jukebox that plays a selection of 12 tunes and incorporates some visual and animation effects. This jukebox uses Load Movie to streamline downloading, so it's perfect for use on the Web as well as on your desktop.

GETTING STARTED

Step 1 Begin with a new Flash Movie, using these settings:

Frame rate: 24 fps Stage dimensions: 370 x 380 Background color: White

Figure Set up the new movie.

Step 2 Set up seven layers, naming them (from top to bottom) Control Actions, Flashing Lights, Track Buttons, Window, Arch, Animation, and Background.

Step 3 From the Flash 4 Magic CD, load JukeBox.fla as a Library.

LAYING OUT THE ARTWORK

The JukeBox movie uses seven layers, not only for easier construction and editing, but also because you use alpha transparency and layering to create your JukeBox animation effect. To begin, lay out each of the necessary pieces in the corresponding layers, using either the Vector Graphics or Movie Clips folders of the JukeBox.fla Library.

Step 1 Select the Background layer, drag an instance of the Background graphic symbol from the Vector Graphics folder of the JukeBox.fla Library onto the Stage, center the Background symbol horizontally and vertically, and align it to the page.

Figure Instance the Background symbol and Animation Movie Clip.

Step 2 Select the Animation layer and drag an instance of the Animation Movie Clip symbol from the Movie Clips folder of the JukeBox.fla Library off to the left of the Stage.

Animation is a Movie Clip symbol that forms the basis of a random, multicolored visual effect that can be seen through a "glass" window at the top of the jukebox. You'll use it later to build the random effect.

Step 3 Select the Arch layer, drag an instance of the Arch graphic symbol from the Vector Graphics folder of the JukeBox.fla Library onto the Stage, and center it over the Background graphic.

The arch forms the primary artwork for the interface.

Figure Instance the Arch and Window graphic symbols on their respective layers.

Step 4 Select the Window layer, drag an instance of the opaque Window graphic symbol from the Vector Graphics folder of the JukeBox.fla Library onto the Stage, and position it.

Figure Set up the Window graphic symbol.

Step 5 Double-click the Window symbol and click the Color Effect tab. From the Color Effect list, select Alpha. Then, in the Alpha setting field, type 30.

Using the Alpha transparency makes the symbol semitransparent, allowing the random animation to show through from underneath.

Step 6 Select the Track Buttons layer, drag an instance of the Track Buttons graphic symbol from the Vector Graphics folder of the JukeBox.fla Library onto the Stage, and position it in the lower half of the interface.

The track buttons determine which track or tune plays. For ease of setup, we've arranged the buttons in a grid for you. All you need to do is assign the relevant ActionScript commands in the section "Wired for Sound."

As an added touch, we've included a vertical row of lights that blink in sequence while a musical track downloads across the Internet. When the track is loaded, the lights switch off.

Figure Set up the Track Buttons and Flashing Lights layers.

Step 7 Select the Flashing Lights layer, drag an instance of the Flashing Lights symbol from the Movie Clips folder of the JukeBox.fla Library onto the Stage, and name the instance flashinglights.

You assign the Instance Name because Flashing Lights is a Movie Clip symbol controlled by Tell Target statements that switch the lights on or off.

Figure Set up the Flashing Lights graphic symbol.

Step 8 Select the Control Actions layer, double-click the blank keyframe at frame 1, and, on the Actions tab, assign a Stop action.

The Stop action is necessary because there will eventually be more than one frame in the main scene, and you need to prevent the movie's main Timeline from looping.

Script Stop

WIRED FOR SOUND

The JukeBox is designed to load additional .swf files, containing MP3 audio tracks, as they are required. First, you'll wire up the buttons and loading routine, and then you'll create one of the track movies.

Step 1 Select the first frame of each layer and press F5 to insert a new frame into each layer in Scene 1.

Figure Insert the new frames and label frame 2 of the Control Actions layer.

Step 2 Insert a blank keyframe on frame 2 of the Control Actions layer and label the new keyframe LoadCurrent.

You'll set up Flash to call this frame each time a visitor clicks a track button.

Script Load Movie (CurrentTrackURL, 1) Begin Tell Target ("/flashinglights") Go to and Play ("On") End Tell Target

Step 3 Make certain that LoadCurrent is selected, open the Frames Properties dialog box, and, on the Actions tab, assign the ActionScript.

Each time a user clicks a track button, it sets a variable named CurrentTrackURL to contain the URL of the desired track file. After providing the current track URL, the button calls the LoadCurrent frame.

LoadCurrent evaluates CurrentTrackURL and then loads the corresponding .swf file into Level 1 of the Flash player. The LoadCurrent script also activates the Flashing Lights animation, indicating that a file download has begun.

Step 4 Select the Track Buttons layer and open the symbol-editing mode of the Track Buttons instance.

Edition details

• Publisher: New Riders Pub
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0735709491
• ISBN 13: 9780735709492
• Binding: Textbook Binding
• Number of pages: 325