Basic Actionscripting Flash 4

One of the most interesting additions to Flash 4 is the creation of Actionscript because it allows the web designer to create true interactivity in his own Flash applications. The example below will introduce you to the marvel that is Actionscript. We will take a look at variable assignment as well as decision structures and looping.

Tip of the Day Generator Flash 4

In this tutorial I will be taking you through the contruction of a 'Tip of the Day Generator'. This has a number of applications in the real world apart from being a quirky way of adding some fun to your site. Consider a news publisher, a key fact generator on a corporate site or even a random link maker. These of course would involve a little more work but it's not out of your reach.

If Action Flash 4

The If statement if very important as it has the ability to decide on courses of action. At is simplest it will perform an action if something is true. For example. If the sun is on then make the sky blue (See basic example). Alternatively you can make it the if statement perform an action if the sun is not on (See intermediate example). In the last example (Advanced), you will see the Else If statement used. This allow for a second (third, forth etc.) condition to be tested and the appropriate

Set Property Flash 4

The Set Property action opens the door to interactivity. It will allow you or the user of your flash movie the ability to make changes, in real time, to a range of properties of an object in the movie.

Reading Text Files in Flash Flash 4

In this tutorial we're going to learn how to get Flash to read information out of text files. If you frequent the board (what? you DON'T? ;) ) you might have seen my signature, which reads a text file containing a short blurb on my current projects. Using this technique is also helpful when distributing SWF files to clients. All they have to do is edit the text file, thus not requiring Flash, Flash knowledge, or HTML.

Understanding Expressions

An expression can be a variable, text, numbers and operator or any combination of the above. The important thing to remember that an expression always evaluates to a value. This can be either a string, number or boolean value.

Programming for Designers

Welcome to Programming for Designers Series. If you're here it means you have no programming background and you would like to start actionscripting. In this tutorial we will be going through and introducing you to the basic pillars of geekdom - Variables, Expressions, Numeric Operators, String Operators, Logical Operators, and of course Functions. (there are more, as any geek will tell you but we'll keep it simple so your not dragged down into the gutters of low level programming :

Understanding Operators

Operators determine how the information in a variable(s) should be evaluated in an expression. There are several different types of operators - arithmetic, comparison and logical. Each has their own purpose. Arithetic operators are used to perform basic mathematical operations such as adding and subtracting. Comparison operators are used for relational and equality analysis in an expression. Finally the logical operators allows us to perform complex logical expressions.

Figuring Out Functions

In this tutorial we will be building on what we've learnt in the previous tutorials of the Programming for Designers Series and adding the final piece to the actionscripting puzzle, functions. This is going to be an intro for all the flash 4 newbies out there so there will only be a brief list of Flash 4s functions is available.

Thinking Like The Enemy

"To defeat the enemy you must think like the enemy" Learning to program is really all about perspective. Approaching actionscript from a designers perspective isn't much help because we see the world as subjects, form and content (and layers :). To successfully program, you need the cold, hard problem solving perspective of a programmer. You need to identify the problem (task) then set about creating a step-by-step solution. That's all Actionscript is. A step-by-step list of instructions, the

The Expression Editor Flash 4

The expression editor is a simple tool which will allow you to produce complex expressions and/or functions that contain the correct syntax. To open the editor, click on the button to the right of the expression field. Selecting either of the options above the line will define the information in the field. A "String Literal" or "Numeric Literal" will define the information in the field as being a string or a number. Selecting the expression option will define the information in the field as b

Get URL Action

Get URL can perform two roles. One, tell the browser window to load the URL indicated in the command or, two send variables from the current movie to an URL (eg. CGI). The first role will be the main use. It creates a "hyperlink" for flash movies and can be used on projectors as well and it will accept both relative and absolute paths.

Play Action

Tells the a movie to play from its current position. Usually this is the first frame when you use the Stop or Go to and Stop actions, the movie will begin playing from that position.

Tell Target Action

The Tell Target action is used to 'tell' other timelines (the target) to perform the actions nested inside the Tell Target. This is a very important action to get to know.

Goto Action

Tells the movie's playhead what frame or frame label to jump to and play or stop at. You can also indicate what scene you wish this to occur in or add interactivity with the use of an expression.

Toggle Quality Action

This affects the entire movie and gives the designer control over the ongoing stuggle between quality and speed. It toggles the antialiasing and directly affects the quality and speed of a movie. When off, the visual quality is lower but playback on older machines will be better. When on you will have great visual quality but users with older machines may suffer (they may also not come back to you site!).

Introduction to Variables Flash 5

In this tutorial we will be discussing variables, the others will be dealt with later. We will be looking at what they are, how to name them, define its scope, how to assign a value to it and we'll finish off by talking about text field variables and how to apply them. So let's get started.

Stop Action

Tells a movie to stop playing at its current position. The movie will then wait until given a Play or Goto and Play command.

Creating 360° Panoramic Images in Flash Flash 4

Panoramic movies are just another example of the power of flash. In this tutorial we'll be looking at how to create the above example so you too can apply this to your designs. To get started you'll need take some photos using a tripod by spinning it around. I wouldn't recommend relying just on your hands, it will never be right. Once you join them all up in Photoshop or a 360° photo stitching program like Ulead Cool 360 you will have one photo which gives you a 360° view. The one i've used here

Resizing a Flash Window

If you want to resize a Flash 'Window' or mc by dragging (like a 'Windows' window) this works. I'm sure if can be refined but here's the basic idea.