Chapter 12
Working with Components
© 2011 Delmar, Cengage Learning
Chapter 12 Lessons
1. Use Components in a Flash Movie
2. Work with Components and ActionScript
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Work with Components
• Introduction
– There are three categories of components:
1. User Interface (UI)—Components (such as buttons
and menus) that are used to create the visual interface
for a Flash application
2. Video—Components used to insert an flv video file into
a Flash document and allow the user to control the
playback video
3. Flex—Contains the FlexComponentBase class that is
used to develop and deploy cross-platform
applications
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Working with Components
• Introduction
– You can use components for creating check
boxes, drop-down menus, and forms with
boxes for entering user data
– You can add functionality to a movie by
dragging and dropping components from the
Components panel to the Stage
– You are not required to enter ActionScript code
when using components
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Working with Components
• Introduction
– However, you can use ActionScript to
enhance the functionality of a component
– In addition to the components provided in
Flash, you can obtain other components from
third-party companies and individuals
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Working with Components
Tools You’ll Use
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Use Components in a Flash Movie
Each component
name and icon
provides a clue to its
type, such as Button,
CheckBox, and
ScrollPane.
Components panel showing the User Interface Components
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Use Components in a Flash Movie
• Many of the User Interface Components
are used as part of forms that can gather
data from a user.
• The UILoader Component can load
external .jpg graphic files and .swf movie
files.
• You can load these files from a folder,
using a relative or an absolute path.
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Use Components in a Flash Movie
• When you load the files from a folder, it
will reduce the size of the movie and allow
you to easily update website content by
simply changing the .jpg or .swf files on
the external site.
• You can load files using ActionScript or by
using the UILoader.
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Use Components in a Flash Movie
• Depending on the type of component
used, you will need to specify one or more
of the following parameters:
– source—This parameter is used to specify the location
for the content that is to be displayed using the
component
– scaleContent—This parameter can be turned on and
off. If it is on the content will automatically resize to the
size of the component. If it is off, the UILoader will be
scaled to the smaller size associated with the object
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Use Components in a Flash Movie
• Parameters Continued…
– autoLoad—This parameter can be turned on and off. If
it is turned on, the Component will automatically
display the specified contents. If it is turned off, the
contents will not be displayed until some other action
you specify, such as a button click, occurs
– label—This parameter allows you to type a text label
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Use Components in a Flash Movie
The completed Component Parameters
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Use Components in a Flash Movie
• To use a Component:
1. Select the frame and layer where the
component will be placed
2. Drag the component from the Components
panel to the desired location on the Stage
3. Use the Properties panel to set the
component parameters
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Work with Components and ActionScript
• You can use ActionScript to enhance the
user experience.
– Example: Add feedback that lets the
user know the progress of an image that
is being loaded
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Work with Components and ActionScript
A message that displays as an image is loaded
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Work with Components and ActionScript
• The process for using ActionScript for
loading an image into a component
– Checking the loading progress
– Displaying a message about the loading
progress
– Checking for when the loading is complete
– Playing an animation after the image loads
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Work with Components and ActionScript
When the image
has loaded the
message is
removed and an
animation plays.
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning
Work with Components and ActionScript
• You can add additional code to set
parameters for the UILoader using the
ActionScript code rather than the
Properties panel.
• This works well for images that have a
large file size.
© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning