ADOBE® FLEX® 3: PROGRAMMING ACTIONSCRIPT™ 3.0

ADOBE FLEX 3

Developer Guide

299

Creating gradient lines and fills

The graphics object can also draw strokes and fills with gradients rather than solid colors. A gradient stroke is created

with the

lineGradientStyle() method and a gradient fill is created with the beginGradientFill() method.

Both methods accept the same parameters. The first four are required: type, colors, alphas, and ratios. The remaining

four are optional but are useful for advanced customization.

• The first parameter specifies the type of gradient you are creating. Acceptable values are GradientFill.LINEAR

or

GradientFill.RADIAL.

• The second parameter specifies the array of the color values to use. In a linear gradient, the colors will be

arranged from left to right. In a radial gradient, they will be arranged from inside to outside. The order of the colors

of the array represents the order that the colors will be drawn in the gradient.

• The third parameter specifies the alpha transparency values of the corresponding colors in the previous

parameter.

• The fourth parameter specifies ratios, or the emphasis each color has within the gradient. Acceptable values

range from 0-255. These values do not represent any width or height, but rather the position within the gradient; 0

represents the beginning of the gradient, 255 represents the end of the gradient. The array of ratios must increase

sequentially and have the same number of entries as both the color and alpha arrays specified in the second and third

parameters.

Although the fifth parameter, the transformation matrix, is optional, it is commonly used because it provides an easy

and powerful way to control the gradient’s appearance. This parameter accepts a Matrix instance. The easiest way to

create a Matrix object for a gradient is to use the Matrix class’s

createGradientBox() method.

Defining a Matrix object for use with a gradient

You use the beginGradientFill() and lineGradientStyle() methods of the flash.display.Graphics class to

define gradients for use in shapes. When you define a gradient, you supply a matrix as one of the parameters of these

methods.

The easiest way to define the matrix is by using the Matrix class’s

createGradientBox() method, which creates a

matrix that is used to define the gradient. You define the scale, rotation, and position of the gradient using the param-

eters passed to the

createGradientBox() method. The createGradientBox() method accepts the following

parameters:

• Gradient box width: the width (in pixels) to which the gradient will spread

• Gradient box height: the height (in pixels) to which the gradient will spread

• Gradient box rotation: the rotation (in radians) that will be applied to the gradient

• Horizontal translation: how far (in pixels) the gradient is shifted horizontally

• Vertical translation: how far (in pixels) the gradient is shifted vertically

For example, consider a gradient with the following characteristics:

• GradientType.LINEAR

• Two colors, green and blue, with the ratios array set to [0, 255]

• SpreadMethod.PAD

• InterpolationMethod.LINEAR_RGB

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Developer Guide

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The following examples show gradients in which the rotation parameter of the createGradientBox() method

differs as indicated, but all other settings stay the same:

The following examples show the effects on a green-to-blue linear gradient in which the

rotation, tx, and ty

parameters of the

createGradientBox() method differ as indicated, but all other settings stay the same:

width = 100;

height = 100;

rotation = 0;

tx = 0;

ty = 0;

width = 100;

height = 100;

rotation = Math.PI/4; // 45°

tx = 0;

ty = 0;

width = 100;

height = 100;

rotation = Math.PI/2; // 90°

tx = 0;

ty = 0;

width = 50;

height = 100;

rotation = 0;

tx = 0;

ty = 0;

ADOBE FLEX 3

Developer Guide

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The width, height, tx, and ty parameters of the createGradientBox() method affect the size and position of a

radial gradient fill as well, as the following example shows:

The following code produces the last radial gradient illustrated:

import flash.display.Shape;

import flash.display.GradientType;

import flash.geom.Matrix;

var type:String = GradientType.RADIAL;

var colors:Array = [0x00FF00, 0x000088];

var alphas:Array = [1, 1];

var ratios:Array = [0, 255];

var spreadMethod:String = SpreadMethod.PAD;

var interp:String = InterpolationMethod.LINEAR_RGB;

var focalPtRatio:Number = 0;

var matrix:Matrix = new Matrix();

var boxWidth:Number = 50;

var boxHeight:Number = 100;

var boxRotation:Number = Math.PI/2; // 90°

var tx:Number = 25;

var ty:Number = 0;

matrix.createGradientBox(boxWidth, boxHeight, boxRotation, tx, ty);

var square:Shape = new Shape;

width = 50;

height = 100;

rotation = 0

tx = 50;

ty = 0;

width = 100;

height = 50;

rotation = Math.PI/2; // 90°

tx = 0;

ty = 0;

width = 100;

height = 50;

rotation = Math.PI/2; // 90°

tx = 0;

ty = 50;

width = 50;

height = 100;

rotation = 0;

tx = 25;

ty = 0;