Flash Exercise 2
FOCUS Buttons and Timeline control
PURPOSE Show your competence in button design and scripting, frame labels and use of ActionScript 3, including the button listeners, functions, gotoAndPlay(); and stop();
VALUE 5 points (see Grading):
- 2 points for meeting all the requirements (below)
- 1 point for acceptable appearance (that is, no one is likely to say, "That looks bad!")
- 1 point for professional appearance (most people would say, "Wow, that's good!" even if they did not know it was student work)
- 1 point for originality
DETAILS Create a new, original SWF that contains three different simple animations on the same Timeline. Include three buttons, each scripted to go to and play a different animation. Embed the SWF object on an HTML page, and upload both files to your Web site. Also upload the FLA to to your Web site.
Requirements
- At least three Graphic symbols must appear in the Library.
- At least one Button symbol must appear in the Library.
- Use only button(s) you personally built from scratch.
- In each of the three animations, use a different Graphic symbol.
- Use frame labels, NOT frame numbers. NOTE that the book puts frame labels on the tween layer. THIS IS WRONG. Please view this example for a model of a proper Flash Timeline.
- All three buttons must be visible at all times.
- Script your buttons using only ActionScript 3. All three buttons must function properly.
- Do not import or paste any images into Flash from outside sources. Use the drawing tools in Flash to create the symbols and buttons.
- Use Flash CS4 Professional and NO OTHER SOFTWARE to complete this assignment.
- Follow all the instructions below.
- Upload ALL THREE files (SWF, FLA, HTML) to your Web site and send me two properly formatted URLs -- (1) the HTML page, and (2) the FLA -- via one e-mail, by the deadline. (When your URL is formatted correctly, I can right-click to download your FLA.)
Example
[You will need to install the Flash Player
or enable JavaScript in your browser
to see the missing content.]
Click all the buttons. Click them fast. Click one button five times in a row, very fast. Click them in different order. Notice that no matter how you click them, the functionality is bulletproof. You cannot "break" the buttons. That is good.
Notice also that the three animations are totally different from one another. That is also good.
Notice that the example has a common theme among the three animations. Yours should too. Show off your creativity!
Instructions
- Create an entirely new FLA for this assignment.
- Create three new Graphic symbols in the FLA.
- Create at least one new Button symbol in Flash. (Do NOT use any buttons from the Common Libraries or from other people.)
- Create three entirely different animation sequences -- each one with its own frame label -- and its own stop(); action (see this tutorial). PUT EACH ONE ON ITS OWN LAYER. One animation -- one layer.
- Place three buttons on the Stage. Script each button to start a different one of your three animations.
- Read these instructions if you have forgotten how to embed your SWF in an HTML page.
- Copy the SWF, the HTML file and the FLA into one folder.
- Upload the folder, containing all three files, to your Web site. NOTE: If you are using Plaza, you may run out of space. You can deal with this by deleting older work from Plaza.
- Send the two URLs to me (see Requirements, above).