Flash MX Hands On Training: Working with Text

This chapter will show you how to create horizontal or vertical text, text fields that bring in text from an external document, make text scroll, and create text fields where someone can enter information themselves.

This sample is taken from Chapter 12: "Working with Text" of the glasshaus title "Flash MX H.O.T"

When working with text, you have many options that go far beyond simply selecting the Text tool and typing on the Stage. In Macromedia Flash MX, you can create horizontal or vertical text, you can change the text attributes such as kerning (spacing between characters) and line spacing, and you can apply transformations such as rotation and skew. However, that is only the beginning. As this chapter will show you, you can also create text fields that bring in text from an external document, make text scroll, and create text fields where users can enter information themselves.

Macromedia Flash MX allows you to create three different types of text elements: Static Text, Dynamic Text, and Input Text. You'll learn about these different types of text treatments and try them out with hands-on exercises.

Text Block Types

When you select the Text tool in Macromedia Flash MX, you can choose from three types of text fields: Static Text, Dynamic Text, or Input Text, each of which will be explained in the context of the exercises in this chapter. When you add one of these text fields to the Stage, a text block is created with a corner handle to identify the type of text block you are creating. A chart  follows to identify the different types of text blocks.

Types of Text Blocks

Text Type

Orientation

Defined or Extending

Handle Shape

Handle Position

 

Static

Horizontal

Extending

Round

Upper right corner

12_00_01

Static

Horizontal

Defined

Square

Upper right corner

12_00_02

Static

Vertical (right to left)

Extending

Round

Lower left corner

12_00_03

Static

Vertical (right to left)

Defined

Square

Lower left corner

12_00_04

Static

Vertical (left to right)

Extending

Round

Lower right corner

12_00_05

Static

Vertical (left to right)

Defined

Square

Lower right corner

12_00_06

Dynamic or Input

Horizontal only

Extending

Round

Lower right corner

12_00_07

Dynamic or Input

Horizontal only

Defined

Square

Lower right corner

12_00_08

Tip | Changing the Text Box Type

You can switch a text block from an extending text block to a defined text block and back again simply by double-clicking on the handle.

Tip | Fixing a Text Block That Extends Too Far

If, by accident, you do create a text block that continues off the Stage, dont worry: You can choose View > Work Area and reduce the magnification to make the entire line of text visible. You can then force the text to wrap downward by placing the cursor inside the text block and adding your own line breaks or returns.

George Petrov

George PetrovGeorge Petrov is a renowned software writer and developer whose extensive skills brought numerous extensions, articles and knowledge to the DMXzone- the online community for professional Adobe Dreamweaver users. The most popular for its over high-quality Dreamweaver extensions and templates.

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Comments

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November 6, 2002 by Jack xiang
asdfasdf

great!!

November 19, 2002 by Behring Bautista

Perfect to start working with text.

It was so helpful to me.

But I get and error in the username/password example. If somebody can give a hand i will very greatful.

It seems everthing is ok, but it doesn't verify the password , whatever I write I go always to frame 10 (pass) and never reach the frame 20 (fail). :-) thank you

 

nice tutorial...but...

March 8, 2004 by Stefaan Contreras
How to avoid a 'space' as the first character on a new line? Let me explain a bit more: since the wrapping is done by Flash it happens that a space and the rest of the text is wrapped to the next line. How can this be avoided?

Multiline Text

April 13, 2004 by Kevin Slack

Indeed, this is very useful information.  I apologize if this is not the correct forum for asking questions.  But I have the same problem as Stefaan.  How do you keep a mulitline text box from starting a new line with a space character?  It's very annoying besides ugly.  Thanks.

 

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