Exercise : Animated Navigation Structure in Flash
1. Develop Answers to
“What did you learn in ITI program?”
“What do you have to offer?”
“What are your passions?”
 Develop Major Themes
2. Choose Active Words to Represent Major Themes
and Categories
3. Decide on Overall Navigation Layout
4. Create Animated Navigation Buttons
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Up_Button – whose “Down” state matches states of Down_Button
5. Add Interactivity using ActionScript
6. Create “Scene” for Each Category / Theme
1. “Learned in ITI program?” and “To Offer?”
• Review Classes Taken
• Key Concepts
• Key Learning Experiences
• What could be of interest to an
Employer?
• How can you showcase
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Your understanding
Ability to communicate effectively
Your passions
Your portfolio
2. Choose Words for Major Themes
Active, Short Words
Provide “Sense of Direction”
3. Decide on Overall Navigation Layout
Vertical versus Horizontal
Allocate Space for Animated Buttons
4. Create Animated Navigation Buttons
Decide how to Visualize Different States
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“UP”, “OVER”, “DOWN”
Size / Color / Style of “Text”
Color / Size of “Background”
Find and Import Image(s) suitable for Primary Categories
Flash Projects by ITI Students
• Link to Previous Projects
Flash Concepts and Demos - Overview
Build Flash Website with Animated Navigation Structure
Unit 4
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Decide on Overall Navigation Layout, Import Images & Organize Assets
Create Animations for Navigation Buttons
Create "UP" Buttons
Create "Down" Buttons
Make Button Instance Interactive
Create Scenes and Swap in “Down” Button
Flash Demonstration – Unit 4
Decide on Overall Navigation Layout, Import Images
& Organize Assets
Create Animations for Navigation Buttons
Create "UP" Buttons
Create "Down" Buttons
Make Button Instance Interactive
Create Scenes and Swap in “Down” Button
Step 0 – Download files, Launch Flash, Create Document
Download Files
http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~aspoerri/Teaching/InfoVis_ITI/videodemosFlash.html
Launch Flash
Create Flash Document and Set its Properties
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File > New
Modify > Document
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Frame Rate = 15
or
use Property Inspector
Dimensions =
640 x 480
800 x 600
Using Grid, Rulers and Guides
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Rulers
View > Rulers
Guides
– View > Guides > Show Guides
Background color = White
Step 1 – Overall Navigation Layout and Organize Assets
Decide on Overall Navigation Layout
1) Create layers for "background", "navigation", "stage" ...
2) Create Guides for Navigation Text and Images
Import Images for Navigation
1) Resize to fit allocated space (or "create to spec" in image
editing program).
2) Convert images into Graphic Symbols.
Organize Assets
1) Open "Library" window.
2) Click on "Folder" icon to create folders for "Images", "Buttons"
...
Step 2 – Create Animations for Navigation Buttons
1) Create "Movie" symbol using "Insert > New Symbol".
2) Drag "Graphic Symbol“ onto Stage of Animation
(creates
instance)
3) Add keyframes.
4) For each keyframe, apply effects
(select instance on stage to apply Alpha effect).
5) Animate by applying "tweening"
6) Select last keyframe, open "Actions" window (can use
Right-Click) and type "stop ();"
(so that the animation does loop).
Make sure "Frame" is selected by checking "Actions for ..."
the heading in top left corner.
Step 3 – Create "UP" Buttons
1) Insert "Button" symbol.
2) Create layers and guides for text and animation.
3) "UP" state - create text (and possibly background shape)
4) "OVER" state - insert keyframe, modify text, add
animation.
5) "DOWN state - insert (empty) keyframe, modify text
and add static graphic by selecting animation and using
"Swap" in the Property Inspector; want graphic to line up
with end state of animation.
6) "HIT" state - define "hotspot" for button (in addition to
shapes in other states).
Step 4 – Create "Down" Buttons
Use "Duplicate Symbol" to Create Buttons
1) Select "Button" symbol, Right-Click, select "Duplicate" and
name it.
2) Replace text in the keyframes for the different states.
3) Use "Swap" to replace animation and position appropriately.
Create "Down" Buttons
1) Use "Duplicate Symbol" to create "Down" button and name it.
2) Update states: "down" and "up" become identical (use "Copy
Frames" and extra layer for swapping if needed).
3) "Over" should also contain static image as in "Up" state and the
same text color as in "Up" state.
Step 5 – Make Button Instance Interactive – ActionScript 3.0
Open "Scene" Window
1) "Scene 1" - name it "Bilbao".
Make Button Instance Interactive
1) Select instance of button in "Scene 1" and name it
2) Open “Actions” Window via “Window > Actions”
3) Open “Code Snippets” Window via “Window > Code Snippets”
Select Timeline Navigations in left panel and
Double-click on “Click to Go to Scene and Play”
and code will be added to frame in which selected and named
instance is located
Customize Code: specify Scene
e.g. “Bilbao”
use gotoAndStop
function fl_ClickToGoToScene(event:MouseEvent):void{
MovieClip(this.root).gotoAndStop(1, "Bilbao");}
this code is added to “Actions” layer
(which will be created if it not yet exists)
Step 5 – Make Button Instance Interactive – ActionScript 2.0
Open "Scene" Window
1) "Scene 1" - name it "Bilbao".
Make Button Instance Interactive
1) Select instance of button in "Scene 1" and name it
2) Open "Action" window.
3) Press "+" and then select action to be triggered:
Global Functions > Timeline Control
6) Select "gotoAndStop" and for scene select "Bilbao".
ActionScript 2.0 associated with button is:
on (release) {
gotoAndStop ("Bilbao", 1);
}
Step 6 – Make Button Instance Interactive
(cont.) –
ActionScript 3.0
Select Button Instance
1) Select instance of button (and name it).
2) Open “Actions” Window via “Window > Actions”
3) Open “Code Snippets” Window via “Window > Code Snippets”
Select Timeline Navigations in left panel and
Double-click on “Click to Go to Scene and Play”
and code will be added to frame in which selected and named
instance is located
Customize Code: specify Scene
e.g. "Gehry", "Meret" or "Dance“
change to gotoAndStop
Code will be added in “Actions” layer
Step 6 – Make Button Instance Interactive
(cont.) –
ActionScript 2.0
Select ActionScript for "Bilbao" Button
1) Select instance of "Bilbao" button and open Actions Window
2) Select ActionScript and copy it
Select Button Instance
1) Select instance of button (and name it).
2) Open "Action" window
3) Paste ActionScript.
4) Modify "gotoAndStop ("Bilbao", 1) so that another scene (to be
created) is referenced, such as "Gehry", "Meret" or "Dance".
ActionScript 2.0 associated with button is:
on (release) {
gotoAndStop ("SceneName", 1);
}
Step 7 – Create Scenes and Swap in “Down” Button
Create "actions" Layer
1) Insert layer called "actions"
(if it has not already been created)
2) Select first keyframe and open "Actions" window.
3) Type "stop ();"
(on the 1st line)
Open "Scene" Window to Duplicate Scenes
1) Open "Scene" window.
2) Click the "Duplicate Scene" icon in the bottom right.
3) Name the duplicate consistent with scenes referenced in the ActionScripts
associated with the different buttons.
For ActionScript 3.0: make sure only addEventListeners are included
Bilbao.addEventListener( code ); Gehry.addEventListener( code );
Meret.addEventListener( code ); Dance.addEventListener ( code );
Remove other function code scenes other than the 1st scene
Insert "Down" Button for Each Scene
1) Select button related to selected scene.
2) Use "Swap" in Property Inspector and select "Down" button.
Recap – How to create Animated & Interactive Button
4. Button UP = BUTTON Symbol
OVER State
3. Animation = MOVIE Symbol
2. Bitmap Symbol = GRAPHIC Symbol
1.Import Bitmap
To Change Alpha  Select Instance of Symbol
Animation Stops  Add “stop ()” to last keyframe
Navigation
• Select instance of Button and attach ActionScript
Save Time  Use “Duplicate” and Modify