How can I have more than one SWiSH Movie open at the same time?
Use File | New Window to create new 'SWiSH application' windows. You can have multiple windows open with a different SWiSH Movies in each window. Use File | Close to close individual windows, or File | Exit to close all of them and shut down the SWiSH program completely.
How can I open a SWiSH Movie that I was working on recently?
SWiSH saves a list of the four most recently used files under the File Menu. You can open a recent SWiSH Movie be selecting it from the File menu.
How can I make my Movie less crowded so I can more easily work on particular objects?
Use the 'Eye' icons in the Outline Panel, or right-click on an object and select the Show or Hide options from the Menu. Hidden objects still exist in the Movie and can still be selected and edited from the Timeline Panel, but do not appear in the Layout Panel while editing or in Preview Frame mode.
How can I select a Group of nearby objects?
While using the Select tool, drag a rectangle to surround the objects. This is called 'marquee' selection. You can also click on an object while holding the Control key to add or remove it from the selection.
How can I see work with the 'Layout' window at actual scale?
Click on the View at 100% button. This will also re-center the stage within the Layout Panel.
How can I see all the objects in a Scene, even those that are off stage?
Select the whole Scene and select the View | Fit Objects in Window command.
How can I Zoom in or out to see all the objects I have selected?
Use View | Fit Objects in Window.
How can I make objects line up nicely?
Use View | Snap to Object Handles. As you resize or drag objects around, they will snap into position to line up with other objects already on the stage. You can also use View | Snap to Grid to have objects line up with a grid (which you can show using View | Show Grid). You can also turn these options on or off, and set the grid size, from the Movie Panel.
How can I make two or more copies of something without having to copy and paste all the time?
Use Insert | Instance or Edit | Make Instance to create an Instance of a Sprite. As clones, Instances always remain the same as the reference Sprite they are copies of, but can have their own name, Effects and Events.
How can I make a mask?
Create a Sprite. Put some text or a shape at the bottom-most layer of the Sprite and then turn on the 'Masked' option on the Sprite Panel. The text or shape at the bottom of the Sprite becomes a mask when you play.
How can I make room for new Effect Frames between existing Effects?
Use Insert | Insert Frames and Insert | Delete Frames to add or remove Frames for all objects in the Scene. You can use this to make room for extra Effects. If you want to move Effects for a single object, simply select the Effects you want to move and drag them to the left or right in the Timeline Panel.
How can I apply an Effect to a number of objects (for example, explode a group of shapes)?
Select all the objects you want to combine and use Modify | Grouping | Group to create a Group Object. You can then apply a Complex Effect (such as Explode) to the Group, which will apply to the individual objects inside the Group.
How can I add animation to a button?
You cannot directly add Effects to an object in a Button State. However, you can convert the object inside a Button State into a Sprite using Modify | Convert | Convert to Sprite. Then you can edit the Sprite and apply Effects to the object inside it.
How can I apply outlines and gradient or image fills to text?
You cannot directly apply outlines and gradient or image fills to text. However, you can convert the text to shapes using Modify | Convert | Convert to Shapes and then apply an outline and gradient or image fill to the resulting individual letter shapes. If you use Modify | Group | Group as Shape, you can convert the text to a single shape and apply a single outline or fill to the whole shape. Note that once converted to shapes, or grouped as a shape, you can no longer edit the text.
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