Creating MovieClip:
There are three different types of Symbols that can be created in Flash, namely Movie Clip, Button and Graphic. Each type of symbol serves its unique purpose, which you’ll learn along the way.
Using Rectangle tool, create a rectangle on Stage. Now choose Selection tool (black arrow) and double click on the drawn rectangle. A single click would have selected only its filling and not the outline along with it.
A grid of white dots will appear over the rectangle. This grid is an indication that our rectangle is still a shape, which is not converted into any type of symbol yet.
While keeping selection, right click over rectangle shape and select Convert to Symbol option from menu. A pop-up will appear asking details about new Symbol.
Enter HelloWorld in Name field and keep Movie clip radio button selected for behavior field.
Fig. 1 - Converting graphic into movie clip symbol
Press Ok button, selected rectangle will be converted into a Movie clip.
Flash indicates a selected symbol, whether it is a Movie Clip, Button or a Graphic, by drawing a blue rectangle around it.
If selection rectangle is not visible enough, try clicking anywhere on the stage and then back on rectangle, which is now converted to Movie clip.
Fig. 2 - Movie clip symbol and selection around it
MovieClip Vs. Other Symbols:
Basic thing that differentiate Movie Clip symbol from other two types of symbols i.e. Button and Graphic is that, MovieClips have their own timelines. Yes a timeline within main timeline, in other words movie clips enables you to do animations within animations; this is enough to know for now.
There are some more differences in these Symbols, thus making each of them unique and important, however we’ll leave those differences for now.
Inside a MovieClip:
If a movie clip has its own timeline, how can we see it? Answer is simple, by double clicking the Movie Clip symbol.
But! Let’s first make some necessary adjustments so that we can compare the main timeline vs. movie clip’s timeline.
Rename the only layer in main timeline to something, say MainTimeline, by double clicking Layer 1 label.
Also create another rectangle shape on stage, no need to make it a movie clip.
Ok we are all set, stage and timeline will look something like figure below.
Fig. 3 - Stage after adjustments for comparing timelines
Now double click on our rectangle movie clip, you will see an effect, like we are drilling into something. Also some changes are made in flash authoring environment.
First change made to authoring environment is the layer name, it is changed back to Layer 1? No it is not changed back, it is the name of default layer that is created inside the HelloWorld movie clip’s timeline.
Second change made is that, second rectangle dims out, and it remains no more selectable. Why? Simply because it is outside the HelloWorld movie clip.
It was neither created inside the HelloWorld movie clip, nor was selected when we were converting our first rectangle to movie clip, thus it gets dimmed.
Third change you’ll notice is of Navigation bar on top of the document window. It will change to show that we are currently inside HelloWorld Movie clip.
Fig. 4 - Changes made to flash authoring environment after drilling into a movie clip
Another important thing to note is, inside movie clip view, if you click on our original rectangle it will be selected as a vector shape rather than a symbol.
Double click anywhere on the stage or in gray area, but not on the original rectangle. You will see an effect like we are drilling out of something.
This brought us back to main timeline. You can verify this again by comparing layer name, second rectangle’s color, navigation bar’s state and by selecting HelloWorld movie clip on the stage.
We can simply delete movieclip from stage by selecting and pressing Delete button.
Exercises:
- What are three types of Symbols that can be created in Flash?
- Try this tutorial with a circle shape. Is blue selection box around your movie clip symbol still a rectangle?
- Create different types of Symbols and compare properties panel for each of them.
- Try creating two rectangles, and make symbol by selecting both of them. Does drilling into your movie clip dims any of them out? Why?
- Create a new movieclip using a shape, drill into that movie clip and select original shape, make a movie clip again from selected shape. Note the changes in Navigation bar.
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