Creating Interactive Movies > Assigning actions to frames
Assigning actions to framesTo make a movie do something when it reaches a keyframe, you assign a frame action to the keyframe. For example, to create a loop within a movie, you might add a frame action to Frame 20 that specifies "go to Frame 10 and play."
It's a good idea to place all of your frame actions in one layer to make it easier to track them. Frames with actions display a small a in the Timeline.
Once you've assigned an action, it's recommended that you test whether it works, using the Control > Test Movie command. Most actions won't work in editing mode.
For a description of the actions you can add, see Using basic actions for navigation and interaction.
The following instructions describe how to set actions for frames using the Actions panel in Normal Mode. For information on using the Actions panel in Expert Mode, see ActionScript Help.
To assign an action to a keyframe:
1 | Select a keyframe in the Timeline and choose Window > Actions. |
If a selected frame is not a keyframe, the action is assigned to the previous keyframe. If the selection is not a frame, or if the selection includes multiple frames, the Actions panel will be dimmed. | |
(For information on assigning an action to a button or movie clip, see Assigning actions to objects.) | |
2 | In the Toolbox list on the left side of the panel, click the Basic Actions category to display the basic actions. |
3 | To assign an action, do one of the following: |
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Double-click an action in the Basic Actions category in the Toolbox list.
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Drag an action from the Toolbox list on the left to the Actions list on the right side of the panel. |
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Click the Add (+) button, and choose a statement from the pop-up menu. |
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Use the keyboard shortcut. |
4 | To display the Parameters pane, click the triangle in the lower right corner of the Actions panel. Select the action and enter new values in the Parameters text boxes to change parameters of existing actions. |
Parameters vary depending on the action you choose. | |
5 | Repeat steps 3 and 4 to assign additional actions as necessary. |
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To test a frame action in a scene:
Choose Control > Test Movie.