Flash templates have become very popular and very useful for most individuals looking to get a head start on their next project. Check out this list created by Scott of Flashden which exemplifies the quality and diversity of Flash templates that are available for a small fraction of the cost. Enjoy!
This tutorial by Flash Farmer covers how to create a dynamic Flash XML navigation menu using Actionscript 2.0 and XML. Each button has a roll over and roll out animation. Control the clickthroughs, button titles and the total number of buttons with the external XML file. Once the Flash file is created you can update the menu just by editing the XML file.
This file consists of a nice structure and code is well commented. Also, files to be downloaded comes along with full offline documentation.
This tutorial is great for beginner Flash animators. It covers everything from how to know what sounds go with what mouth movements to animating the mouth movements to fit with an audio clip. Lip-syncing is huge for successful Flash animations and the technique used within this tutorial is probably the easiest and most effective way known to handle lip-syncing.
In a matter of 10 simple steps, Flash Farmer will get you on your away to becoming a better Flash animator. Enjoy!
With all the image galleries available on the web, it’s not easy to get a user to look twice at your version of an image gallery unless it’s unique. Cube is a very nice attempt to creating a image gallery that makes a statement with its creativity and therefore it deserves some extra attention.
The creativity level of this image gallery is high, however, its performance is a little sluggish at times during transitions. Other than that, this image gallery is definitely worth a second look.
Ever since Flash fullscreen within your browser was introduced, it has been used and abused time and time again but for good reason. There is definitely a time and place for Flash fullscreen. Here are 31 different sets of Flash fullscreen backgrounds. These Flash fullscreen backgrounds are resizable and of high quality available at Flashden.net. Also, take note that many of fullscreen backgrounds listed are Flash animated backgrounds. These will will definitely give you an edge over others when it comes to your Flash projects. Enjoy!
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a timer in Adobe Flash that will count down the time to a given date in days, hours, minutes, and seconds. If you were looking for a great Flash tool for counting down holidays, birthdays, etc, this is the tutorial for you.
Also, this Flash countdown timer tutorial allows you to preset any day of your choice with in AS2 and AS3. Have fun!
Create the Flash Countdown Timer in AS3
This tutorial will cover the basics of using the Date() class and the Timer() class in ActionScript 3.0.
Step 1: Create a dynamic text field
Step 2: Embed the font characters in your Flash file that are needed so your users don’t end up viewing your font all weird. In this case, you simply might only need to embed numbers and symbols.
Step 3: Create a new layer named “actions” and insert the following code in the first keyframe.
Source file: countdown.fla Source: Craig Campbell’s Tutorial:Creating a Timer in ActionScript 3
//Create your Date() object
var endDate:Date = new Date(2008,7,20);
//Create your Timer object
//The time being set with milliseconds(1000 milliseconds = 1 second)
var countdownTimer:Timer = new Timer(1000);
//Adding an event listener to the timer object
countdownTimer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, updateTime);
//Initializing timer object
countdownTimer.start();
//Calculate the time remaining as it is being updated
function updateTime(e:TimerEvent):void
{
//Current time
var now:Date = new Date();
var timeLeft:Number = endDate.getTime() - now.getTime();
//Converting the remaining time into seconds, minutes, hours, and days
var seconds:Number = Math.floor(timeLeft / 1000);
var minutes:Number = Math.floor(seconds / 60);
var hours:Number = Math.floor(minutes / 60);
var days:Number = Math.floor(hours / 24);
//Storing the remainder of this division problem
seconds %= 60;
minutes %= 60;
hours %= 24;
//Converting numerical values into strings so that
//we string all of these numbers together for the display
var sec:String = seconds.toString();
var min:String = minutes.toString();
var hrs:String = hours.toString();
var d:String = days.toString();
//Setting up a few restrictions for when the current time reaches a single digit
if (sec.length < 2) {
sec = "0" + sec;
}
if (min.length < 2) {
min = "0" + min;
}
if (hrs.length < 2) {
hrs = "0" + hrs;
}
//Stringing all of the numbers together for the display
var time:String = d + ":" + hrs + ":" + min + ":" + sec;
//Setting the string to the display
time_txt.text = time;
}
Create the Flash Countdown Timer in AS2
This video tutorial will go over the basics on constructing a Flash countdown timer within Actionscript 2.0.
Step 1: Create a dynamic text field with the string value of “00:00:00:00″. Note:this is simply to get the text field to the size needed for the dynamic content.
Step 2: Delete the string value of text field and name the text field “time_txt”.
Step 3: Create a new layer named “actions” and insert the following code in the first keyframe:
Source File:countDownTimer.fla
//onEnterFrame allows for a function to be called every tick
this.onEnterFrame = function(){
//Stores the current date
var today:Date = new Date();
//Stores the Current Year
var currentYear = today.getFullYear();
//Stores the Current Time
var currentTime = today.getTime();
//Creates and stores the target date
var targetDate:Date = new Date(currentYear,11,25);
var targetTime = targetDate.getTime();
//Determines how much time is left. Note: Leaves time in milliseconds
var timeLeft = targetTime - currentTime;
var sec = Math.floor(timeLeft/1000);
var min = Math.floor(sec/60);
var hours = Math.floor(min/60);
var days = Math.floor(hours/24);
//Takes results of var remaining value.Also converts "sec" into a string
sec = String(sec % 60);
/*
Once a string, you can check the values length
and see whether it has been reduced below 2.
If so, add a "0" for visual purposes.
*/
if(sec.length < 2){
sec = "0" + sec;
}
min = String(min % 60);
if(min.length < 2){
min = "0" + min;
}
hours = String(hours % 24);
if(hours.length < 2){
hours = "0" + hours;
}
days = String(days);
//Joins all values into one string value
var counter:String = days + ":" + hours + ":" + min + ":" + sec;
FlashVars is Flash answer to Query String. It’s a way to pass data or variables from html to a Flash movie. Variables passed via FlashVars will go into the _root level of the Flash movie.
Differences Between AS2 and AS3
The key difference between AS2 and AS3 is how to retrieve the FlashVars. The FlashVars are no longer available in the _root level of the movie. Instead, you must use the new LoaderInfo class object to access the FlashVars. The FlashVars is available in the parameters member of the LoaderInfo. This makes the AS3 solution much more dynamic and independent to each object that is created. See below for an example of both.
function loaderComplete(myEvent:Event)
{
this.flashVars=this.loaderInfo.parameters;
this.flashVarsLoaded=true; // set a flag to indicate that the FlashVars is loaded
}
I hope this post helped you understand the key difference between defining your FlashVars within AS2 and AS3. If your interested in learning more about FlashVars, check out the resources below as they will go deeper into the topic.
AFC Announces All 14 Actionscript 2.0 Components as FREE!
This a very impressive list of Flash components. The original value of all of these combined are over $310. As of today, you can find them all free at Advanced Flash Components. Enjoy these great tools and make sure to spread the word.
Flow List Component loads external images and creates a 3D flow animation. Flexible API makes it easy to integrate this component into your web application.
The Media List component is an adaptable list that can be used as a navigation for a variety of media. It allows you to easily scroll to, and select items in the list, with a clear indication of which item is selected.
Tooltip Component is the perfect tool for displaying text and image tool tips in Flash. Enhanced functionality, easy to use interface and scalability makes this component a valuable tool for every flash developer.
IMG Loop Flash Component creates continuous image scroll. Component supports XML, RSS 2.0 as well as direct data input. All of the component properties can be modified to seamlessly integrate with your project.
Map Component displays geographical locations and polylines, allowing for easy map navigation. Component uses Equidistant Cylindrical Map Projection and Longitude and Latitude position data to display location points.
IMG Gallery Flash component is a fully customizable and scalable tool for displaying dynamic slide shows. Component supports XML, RSS 2.0 as well as direct data input.
IMG Thumbnail Gallery Flash component is a fully customizable and scalable tool for displaying dynamic slide shows. Component supports XML, RSS 2.0 as well as direct data input.
FLV Gallery Flash Component is a perfect solution for playback of multiple flash video files and can be easily integrated within any flash application. FLV Gallery supports XML and RSS 2.0 feeds and is fully customizable through component properties.
FLV List Gallery Flash Component combines extensible functionality and easy to use user interface for multiple flash video files playback. FLV List Gallery supports XML and RSS 2.0 feeds and is fully customizable through component properties.
The IMG Loader component is a container that can display external image files (JPEG/GIF/PNG but not progressive JPEG files) with Flash 8 Blur Transition, Flash 8 Pixelate Transition, and Flash 8 Tint Transition; respectively.
What ever happened to getURL within Actionscript 3.0?
If you wanted to create a link to another website in Actionscript 2.0, here’s what it would have looked like:
The command getURL used to a be very easy way to create an outbound link within Flash. This one line of code code easily fitted perfectly within a button onRelease event. Not so easy anymore.
Along with many other easy Actionscript 2.0 calls, getUrl has changed. It uses a couple more lines of code and has changed to navigateToURL. You might be asking why would the amount of lines increase for such a simple task. Craig Campbell just recently posted an in depth example and explanation to creating outbound links within Actionscript 3.0.
The FIVe3D initiative is an open source code for the conception of interactive vector- based 3D animations. The classes originally written in Actionscript 2.0 and based on the Actionscript 3.0 structure are now ported in Actionscript 3.0. The FIVe3D system provides extra 2D functionalities.
This is huge for the Flash industry as FIVe3D always provided exceptional 3D support within the Flash environment. FIVe3D now joins other big 3D engines by switching it’s platform to Actionscript 3.0. Online documentation will be available soon at FIVe3D’s home site. Below are a few examples of FIVe3D.
