Tutorial > Use the Stage and Timeline
Use the Stage and TimelineNow that you've created, imported, and modified your media, use the Stage and Timeline to assemble your movie. You can create media directly on the Stage (in which case it does not appear in the library unless you decide to turn it into a symbol), or you can use the Stage to arrange imported media for individual frames. The Timeline determines when your media appears in the movie as the playhead moves through the frames.
Change the width and height of a button
On the Stage, one of the Select a Kite buttons is missing: you'll add an instance of the button, resize it, and align it on the Stage.
Since the button symbol you will add to your movie is larger than the button instances already on the Stage, you'll use the Info panel to resize the new instance.
1 | If the Info panel is not open, choose Window > Panels > Info or click the Info Panel button in the Launcher bar.
![]() |
2 | In the Timeline, click Frame 1 of the Pick a Kite Button layer. |
3 | Drag an instance of rokkaku kite BUTTON from the Library window to the Stage and place it between the other two Select a Kite buttons. When you've finished, the buttons should look like this:
![]() |
4 | In the Info panel, change the width (W) to 54.2 and the height (H) to 50.0 and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh). |
![]() |
You can use the Align panel to align an object in relation to other objects. You'll use this feature now to align the three Select a Kite buttons.
1 | On the Stage, select a Select a Kite button, then Shift-click to select the other two Select a Kite buttons pictured above. |
The playhead should still be in Frame 1 of the Timeline. | |
2 | If the Align panel is not visible, choose Window > Panels > Align. |
3 | In the Align panel, click the Vertical Align Top button, the third button from the right on the top row, to align the buttons relative to their registration points. |
4 | Click the Horizontal Distribute Left button, the third button from the right in the middle row, to distribute the buttons evenly apart. |
Depending on where you placed the Rokkaku Kite button, the three Select a Kite buttons might require further alignment. You can align them using other alignment buttons on the Align panel until you achieve the desired result.
![]() |
|
![]() |
Create a navigation action for a button instance
Flash lets you add interactivity by adding actions to your movie. The Actions panel assists you in adding ActionScript, the Flash scripting language. You can use the Actions panel to view, write, edit, or add actions to a symbol or instance.
Now you will use the Actions panel to create a navigation action that makes the playhead move to the correct frame in the Timeline when the user clicks the Rokkaku Kite button.
1 | On the Stage, select just the Rokkaku Kite button (press Shift and click the other two Select a Kite buttons to deselect them). |
You've selected the middle button of the three Select a Kite buttons. The Instance panel can help you identify instances by name. | |
The playhead should still be in Frame 1 of the Timeline. | |
2 | Choose Window > Actions or click the Actions button in the Launcher bar.
![]() |
The Object Actions panel appears. | |
![]() |
Note: When you use the Actions panel to work with actions attached to an object, the panel is titled Object Actions. When you work with frames rather than objects, Flash displays the Frame Actions panel.
3 | Click the triangle in the upper right corner of the panel to display the pop-up menu. Verify that Normal Mode, rather than Expert Mode, is selected. |
Expert Mode offers features useful to those experienced with ActionScript. In Normal Mode, parameter fields and controls guide you in creating actions.
![]() |
|
If necessary, click the triangle in the lower right corner of the Object Actions panel to open a pane that displays the parameters, and resize the window until the Toolbox list and Actions list are both visible. | |
4 | Select the Actions icon to expand that category, then scroll down the Toolbox list and double-click goto . |
5 | In the Type pop-up menu, select Frame Label. |
6 | In the Frame pop-up menu, select rokkaku. |
You are specifying that when users click the Rokkaku Kite button, the playhead moves to the first frame within the rokkaku label. | |
7 | Deselect Go to and Play at the bottom of the Object Actions panel.
![]() |
![]() |
Specify that the correct kite appears
In addition to the Go To action, you will add actions to make the correct kite appear when the user clicks the Rokkaku Kite button.
1 | In the Toolbox list, double-click setProperty . |
2 | In the Property pop-up menu, select _visible (Visibility) |
3 | In the Target text box, type demoKite and verify that Expression, next to the text box, is deselected. |
4 | In the Value text box, type True, and select Expression next to the text box. |
5 | In the Toolbox list, double-click loadMovie . |
6 | In the URL text box, type r.swf, which is the name of the external file with the rokkaku kite image. |
7 | In the Location pop-up menu, select Target. |
8 | In the Location text box, type demoKite. |
9 | Verify that Don't Send is selected in the Variables pop-up menu and that both Expression options are deselected, then close the Object Actions Panel. |
![]() |
Note: For additional information about the setProperty
and loadMovie
actions, refer to the ActionScript Help.
Now that you've placed and modified buttons, you'll lock the buttons to ensure that no one accidentally moves them out of alignment or makes other changes to them.
1 | In the Timeline's Pick a Kite Button layer, click the black dot in the Lock column.
![]() |
A padlock icon appears in the Lock column. (To unlock the layer, click the padlock icon again.) | |
![]() |