Flash MX Hands On Training: Working with Text

1.    You should still have the dynamicText.fla file open from the last exercise.

2.    Select the Dynamic Text field on the Stage. In the Property Inspector, type learnText in the Instance Name box. This will assign the instance name learnText to the Dynamic Text field.

Note | Why Do I Need an Instance Name and a Variable Name?

In Macromedia Flash MX, text is its own ActionScript object, so now (this is new in Flash MX) a text field (Dynamic and Input Text) can have both a variable name and an instance name. As you learned in Exercise 2, you need a variable name to be able to load the external text file into a Dynamic Text field. In this exercise, you need to give the text field an instance name so that ActionScripting on the Buttons can control the text field. You will do this next.

3.     On the Main Timeline, lock the holder layer and click the Insert Layer button to add a new layer. Rename the layer buttons. Position the buttons layer below the actions layer.

4.     Open the Library (F11) and notice that it contains two Buttons: btnDown and btnUp. Drag an instance of each Button onto the Stage. Position the btnDown Button under the btnUp Button, as in the picture above.

5.    Select the btnUp Button on the Stage and press F9 to open the Actions panel.

6.    In the Actions panel Toolbox, choose Objects > Movie > TextField > Properties. Double-click on the scroll property to add it to the Script pane.

Tip: You can change the number of lines that scroll at one time by changing the number after the += 1. For example, learnText.scroll += 5 will scroll the Dynamic Text field up 5 lines for each click on the Button.

8.   Select the btnDown Button on the Stage and press F9 to open the Actions panel. Choose Objects > Movie > TextField > Properties and double-click on the scroll property to add it to the Script pane.

9.    In the Expression box, place your cursor before .scroll and type learnText. After the word scroll, this time type -= 1. The expression should now read learnText.scroll -= 1. This will tell Macromedia Flash MX that, when a user clicks on the Down Button, it should take the learnText instance (the Dynamic Text field) and scroll it down 1 line.

Troubleshooting tip: If your scroll buttons don't work, go back and check the ActionScripting on the buttons and make sure that all the text is spelled correctly and that you used the correct lowercase and uppercase letters, since the ActionScript you applied to the Buttons is case sensitive.

11. When you are finished, save and close this file.