FLASH CS3
User Guide
215
An animated graphic symbol is tied to the Timeline of the document in which the symbol is placed. In contrast, a
movie clip symbol has its own independent Timeline. Animated graphic symbols, because they use the same
Timeline as the main document, display their animation in document-editing mode. Movie clip symbols appear as
static objects on the Stage and do not appear as animations in the Flash editing environment.
1
Select a graphic instance on the Stage, and select Window
>
Properties > Properties.
2
Select an animation option from the menu below the instance name:
Loop
Loops all the animation sequences contained in the current instance for as many frames as the instance
occupies.
Play Once
Plays the animation sequence beginning from the frame you specify to the end of the animation and then
stops.
Single Frame
Displays one frame of the animation sequence. Specify which frame to display.
Break apart an instance symbol
To break the link between an instance and a symbol and make the instance into a collection of ungrouped shapes
and lines, you
break apart
the instance. This feature is useful for changing the instance substantially without affecting
any other instance. If you modify the source symbol after breaking apart the instance, the instance is not updated
with the changes.
1
Select the instance on the Stage.
2
Select Modify > Break Apart. This action breaks the instance into its component graphic elements.
3
To modify these elements, use the painting and drawing tools.
Get information about instances on the Stage
The Property inspector and Info panel display the following information about instances selected on the Stage:
•
In the Property inspector, view the instance’s behavior and settings—for all instance types, color effect settings,
location, and size; for graphics, the loop mode and first frame that contains the graphic; for buttons, the instance
name (if assigned) and tracking option; for movie clips, the instance name (if assigned). For location, the Property
inspector displays the
x
and
y
coordinates of either the symbol’s registration point or the symbol’s upper left
corner, depending on which option is selected in the Info panel.
•
In the Info panel, view the instance’s size and location; the location of its registration point; its red (R), green (G),
blue (B), and alpha (A) values (if the instance has a solid fill); and the location of the pointer. The Info panel also
displays the
x
and
y
coordinates of either the symbol’s registration point or the symbol’s upper-left corner,
depending on which option is selected. To display the coordinates of the registration point, click the center square
in the Coordinate grid in the Info panel. To display the coordinates of the upper-left corner, click the upper-left
square in the Coordinate grid.
•
In the Movie Explorer, view the contents of the current document, including instances and symbols.
View any actions assigned to a button or movie clip in the Actions panel.
See also
“Using the Movie Explorer with screens” on page 370
Get information about an instance
1
Select the instance on the Stage.
