For now, though, we'll move on to publishing the movie as If you want to add more buttons to this panel later on, just follow the Your completed ActionScript should match Figure 1.ġ The completed script for the Resources panel. To use the button to launch the Flash Exchange, add the following scriptĬreate the FlashKit button by typing FlashKit on the stage andĪssign the new button the instance name flashkit_btn.Īdd the following code to frame 1 of the actions layer to make the button Select the exchange button instance and assign it the instance nameĮxchange_btn via the Properties panel. Second button that opens the FlashKit web site. The script that tells the exchange button instance what to do then create a Next, you need to finish setting up your buttons. Without the preceding code, the contents of the panel would shift

Why add this code? Weĭo this because a panel can be scaled within Flash, and we want to keep things The stage, prevent scaling, and hide the contextual menu. This script tells Flash to align everything in the movie to the left side of In the Actions panel, add a stop() command: Select frame 1 of the actions layer and open the Actions panel. First, however, you should to setĪ few properties for the movie so the panel acts like a panel instead of a Flash Resource for Flash extensions and components). To launch your browser and open the Macromedia Flash Exchange (an online Next, as with any other button in any other movie, you need to write someĪctionScript that tells the button what to do.

You canĮdit the button's Over, Down, and Hit states if you like, but it's not On the buttons layer, use the Text tool to type Flash Exchange onĬonvert the text to a Button symbol named exchange button. This is somewhat arbitraryīecause the panels built into Flash have varying sizes, but when panels areĭocked, they are typically about 210 pixels wide (give or take, depending onĪdd a new layer to the timeline named actions. In other words, you'll make a simple movie with aĬouple of buttons in it and save it to a specific folder in the Flash installĬreate a new Flash document and save it as Resources_panel.fla.Ĭhange the stage dimensions to 210x150. The secret to making a custom panel is to know that a panel is really justĪnother Flash movie. This tutorial will reveal how to get started if you decide to make some custom This panel won't be some elaborate panel that serves up search resultsįrom FlashKit because I have only 10 minutes to show you how to build it, but Own panel and add it to my custom panel set. Much work to open a browser window and type in a URL. That way, I could just jump to those sites from within Flash. Flash MX 2004 has a lot of panels, but sometimes I wish there was one forĪccessing online resources such as the Macromedia Flash Exchange and FlashKit.

Macromedia flash mx 2004 tutorials