Beginning ActionScript 2.0

Chapter 6. Setting Up Flash Projects

ActionScript programming involves more than just coding. Working on a Macromedia Flash project includes organizing timelines, structuring symbols in the library, structuring elements on state, working with media, and creating a structured movie clip environment that can be controlled with code. As you've seen, a number of guidelines help you to make the most of your project.

In this chapter, you learn to set up your library, work with bitmap images, and use movie clips and frames.

Setting Up the Library

In even a medium-sized project, the number of items that accumulate in the library can become quite large, so it's a good idea to organize library folders before placing anything in the project. Figure 6-1 shows a suggested system for organizing the library.

At the base, two folders are created, one (global) for content that is not specific to any particular screen, and one (screens) for content that belongs to a specific screen. The screens folder shows one subfolder for each screen in the project: home, photography, and tutorials. Within each of the screen folders and the global folder exist five subfolders:

• bitmaps—Stores bitmap images that have been imported into the project.

• buttons—Holds complete button clips.

• graphics—Contains artwork that is just illustrative in nature.

• movie clips—Stores clips containing animation or holding other clips or media.

• tweens—Holds clips that are automatically created whenever tweens are created on the timeline.

Figure 6.1. Figure ...