Flash 8 Cookbook

8.9. Creating Multiline Text

Problem

You want to display multiple lines of text and/or allow the user to input multiple lines of text.

Solution

Use a text area component.

Alternatively, use a dynamic or input text field and select Multiline or Multiline No Wrap from the Line type menu in the Property inspector. Optionally, you can set the text field’s multiline property to true via ActionScript.

Discussion

There are two ways you can work with multiple lines of text within Flash: a text area component and a text field instance that has been configured to accept multiple lines. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The text area component provides functionality much like the text area form control in HTML. The text input component allows a single line of input; the text area component allows multiple lines of input. However, the text area component is not only for input, but also for displaying text. It provides automatic scrolling functionality, so that if the text extends beyond the boundaries of the text area, a scrollbar will appear, allowing the user to scroll to see the entire contents. That makes text area components useful both for allowing a user to input multiple lines of content and for displaying text content.

To use the text area, complete the following steps:

1. Drag an instance from the Components panel onto the stage.

2. Give the instance a name in the Property inspector.

3. If you want to assign a text value to the component instance, you can do so either at authoring ...