Flash Basics > Using panels
Using panelsFloating panels help you view, organize, and change elements in a movie. The options available on panels control the characteristics of selected elements.
Panels in Flash let you work with objects, colors, text, instances, frames, scenes, and entire movies. For example, you use the Character panel for selecting type character attributes, and the Frame panel for entering frame labels and choosing tweening options. To view the complete list of panels available in Flash, choose Window > Panels.
You can show, hide, group, and resize panels as you work. You can also show and hide several panels, including the Info, Mixer, Instance, Frame, and Actions panels, using buttons in the Launcher bar at the bottom of the application window.
You can group panels together in custom arrangements, and you can save custom panel layouts. You can reset panel display to the default layout (displaying the Info, Mixer, Character, and Instance panels to the right of the application window) or to a custom layout that you have saved previously.
Most panels include a pop-up menu with additional options. The pop-up menu is indicated by a triangle in the panel's upper right corner. (If the triangle is dimmed, there is no pop-up menu for that panel.)
To open a panel:
Choose Window > Panels and select the desired panel from the list.
To close a panel, do one of the following:
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Click the Close box in the upper right corner (Windows) or upper left corner (Macintosh). |
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Choose Window > Panels and select the desired panel from the list. |
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Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the panel's tab and choose Close Panel from the context menu. |
To open or close panels using the Launcher bar:
In the Launcher bar, click the button for the Info, Color Mixer, Character, Instance, or Actions panel.
Note: You can also open or close the Library window or the Movie Explorer using the Launcher bar. See Using the library or Using the Movie Explorer.
To use a panel's pop-up options menu:
1 | Click the triangle in the panel's upper right corner to view the menu. |
2 | Click an item in the menu. |
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To close all panels:
Choose Window > Close All Panels.
To group panels:
Drag a panel by its tab onto the tab of another panel.
To bring a panel within a group to the front:
Click the panel's tab.
To ungroup a panel into a separate window:
Drag the panel by its tab to the outside of its window.
To move a panel or a panel group:
Drag the panel or group by its title bar.
To save a custom panel layout:
Choose Window > Save Panel Layout. Enter a name for the layout and click OK.
To delete a custom layout:
Open the Flash 5 application folder on your hard drive and delete the Panel Sets file.
To select a panel layout:
1 | Choose Window > Panel Sets. |
2 | From the submenu, choose Default Layout to reset panels to the default layout, or choose a custom layout that you have saved previously. |
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To resize a panel:
Drag the panel's lower right corner (Windows) or drag the size box at the panel's lower right corner (Macintosh).
To collapse a panel or a panel group to its title bar and tab only:
Double-click the title bar. Double-click the title bar again to return the panel or group to its previous size.
To collapse a panel or panel group to its title bar (Macintosh only):
Click the collapse box at the right end of the title bar. Click the box again to return the panel or group to its previous size.