movie clips/buttons

[katiekat]

is there some sort of protocol when creating buttons with frame actions in a movie clip?

I have a clip with 3 buttons. 2 are get url buttons, 1 is a go to and play button. the get urls work, but the other doesn't. is there some kind of building thing that I don't know about, some way you have to do it that I missed?

I know i've asked this before, but i really can't figure it out. I tried remaking the buttons, I tried remaking the entire freakin clip. same result.

Please save me!!!! spanks! Holy tek-tips batman!:-0

 

[davdesign]

Hi Katie

Might be a stupid question for you but have you made sure your targeting properly?

Where is your clip with respect to the timeline/movie-clip your targeting?

dave dave@davdesign.co.uk

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[katiekat]

My clip is scene 4, I want it to play scene one. Is this impossible?

I have *very* little expierence with clips. Targeting is a mystery to me. Before this, I just dragged and dropped. I don't even know if that's the way you are supposed to it. This is the most complicated thing I have done yet.

If this targeting thingie is the soloution (or the problem? *oy*), I need to learn more, fast. Obvioulsy you dont have the time to hold my hand, do you know where I could get the basics? Holy tek-tips batman!:-0

 

[davdesign]

I'd rather hold your hand Katie than some other forum members... so don't worry about that! ;-) As far as info on targeting goes, the help section that comes with the software is pretty much what it's all about, although i don't think it deals with scenes. However I think the principles are the same.

Do you have a movie-clip in scene 4, within which is an action to tell Scene 1 to play?

I 'think' you might get away with simply using labels on this one. ie: in your movie-clip in scene 4 insert the action:

On (Press)
Begin Tell Target ("_level0/&quot
Go to and Stop ("start&quot
End Tell Target
End On

I've just tested this and it definitley works. I guess you know that by using _level0/ I'm targeting the main timeline of the movie, regardless of scene, and regardless of where your using the action. So put your labels in the main timelines of the movie.

dave dave@davdesign.co.uk

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[katiekat]

Dave, I'm blushing! :-D So lets seee..... "start" would be the label that I would give to the frame that I want the button to take me, right? I would attach this code to my button perhaps with (release) intsead of (press) but otherwise as-is?

Now, here's another dumbo question. How do I know if I am labeling in the main timeline? Should I put it on another layer, like I would an action? Ahhh! I know nothing! I tried reading the help text, but it wants to tell me about controlling cilps, not movies.

Could I just label that frame on the main timeline and then use the goto and play action, specify the label instead of a frame #?

Katie Holy tek-tips batman!:-0

 

[davdesign]

yeah you're assumptions are right.

Personally, i keep all my labels in their own layer at the top of the timeline, this way you don't repeat labels or put one movie section over another unintentionally.

Okay, it tells you about clips, but I just made a little tester and its the same principle (thank god!), you just target each scene as though they were all on one big timeline (ie: "_level0/&quot.

Finally, yes you could use the label instead of the number.

dave dave@davdesign.co.uk

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[katiekat]

so, alright, you said you would hold my hand....The "main timeline" isn't it's own entity, I take it. What exactly is it then? How do I add and remove things from it if it's a vague and abstract idea?

It's amazing that I can make this program do anything at all, isn't it? Holy tek-tips batman!:-0

 

[katiekat]

Is this a *really* dumb question or something? Holy tek-tips batman!:-0

 

[davdesign]

sorry katie I fell asleep big-time, literally, you're so dull! ;-) LOL JOKE!!!!!

I haven't had to target scenes from another scene before, but according to my test this afternoon, everything worked ok. I was preparing an example when i fell asleep! So.....

ahem, let me remember....the main timeline is it's own entity, but flash is so nice and generous that it splits it up into scenes for us to work on so that we don't get bogged down trying to remember what goes where (it seems...haven't found anything on this subject).

What I am saying is, that when you are targeting a movie-clip in a scene, if you are targeting from another scene, then you simply have to treat the movie as if they were no scenes at all, just one big timeline. ie: if your in a button within an mc in Scene1 and you want to target an mc (with instance name "cooldave&quot in Scene3, then you're target would be "_level0/cooldave".

Wow, I've written far too much here. I made a simple test earlier on: 3 scenes. In scene 1 an mc with a button, in scene 3 an mc with a button. Labels in the timelines of both mc's. Using the method above I was able to tell each mc to go & stop at the labels I specified.

That sounds a bit confusing but I know you'll know what I mean....

dave dave@davdesign.co.uk

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[melocco]

????????? LOL I think I know what you're saying. But to do it is another thing... LOL I know katiekat will know how to do it. ..... ... Daisy.. eerr Melocco.... scratch the last name.... LOL

http://www.melocco.com

 

[melocco]

????????? LOL I think I know what you're saying. But to do it is another thing... LOL I know katiekat will know how to do it. ..... ... Daisy.. eerr Melocco.... scratch the name daisy.... LOL

http://www.melocco.com

 

[melocco]

What happened????

http://www.melocco.com

 

[oldnewbie]

Feedback from your dish!

;-) "Who's that guy with the shades... What's he trying to prove!”

 

[melocco]

What do you mean??? I'm on T2 here at work.. LOL Nice one though. You might not want to quit your day job though.. I think you'd better stick to Flash and computer stuff. The jokes The jokes <>?KLJKJB UHJHJH LOL Just kiding... LOL LOL LOL

http://www.melocco.com

 

[katiekat]

whoah! Missed lots due to the 3 feet of snow falling here in good ol' NH.

Ok, I get the idea of the main timeline (thanks to some intense hand holding ;-)) The issue is, I'm not targeting another movie clip. I just want this button that is in a movie clip in scene 4 to play scene 2. *whew* I haven't tried labeling any frames, that's my next plan of attack.

Seems like a pretty easy thing to do, I don't get why it's giving me such a hard time!!!

Also, thanks a bunch for all your help! What a guy!! Holy tek-tips batman!:-0

 

[katiekat]

so... if I labeled frame one of scene 2 starttwo, then made the button

on (release) {
gotoAndPlay (&quot;_level0/starttwo&quot;
}

Or maybe that only works for movie clips?

ack ack ack... Have you fallen asleep again perhaps? Or not gotten up yet? There's nothing going on here today....It's quiet....
Holy tek-tips batman!:-0

 

[davdesign]

sorry katie......wow, seems like this thread was months ago, and I've since lost the fla I was using to experiment on this. But from what I remember, yeah your targeting is right and should work no probs. I think what I was explaining above (haven't re-read it yet) that when your targetting 'labels' in your main timeline flash assumes that all scenes are just one big timeline rather than 3 or 4 or whatever (does that sound better?). I don't know, but I guess by now you've got it already.

dave

ps: did you have gum on your hand or seomething, my hands all sticky? LOL dave@davdesign.co.uk

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[katiekat]

nope, it wasn't gum! Must have been sugar, cause you're so sweet! Har har. LOL

*ahem* Right, well, I'm going to be forced to shoot myself soon if this thing doesn't get cleared up. I think I might need to send you the .fla, though it's huge.

I've done some testing. I made a button. I put that button right on scene 4, and made it reference the label, and it worked fine. I put the same button in a movie clip, and it didn't work. I have no idea why. If I can't do it that way eiter..... I will continue my evil flash tests, probably to no avail....

Holy tek-tips batman!:-0

 

[davdesign]

ok, just tested and its working

What I made:

3 scene movie (very basic)

Scene1:
(frame1)>>Stop action and Button (actions on press go to and stop scene3)

Scene2:
(frame10)>>label set to &quot;dave&quot; and drew simple graphic

Scene3:
(frame 1)>>Movie-clip with simple graphic to show that it was there. Dragged a copy of the button 'into' the movie-clip, and gave the button the actions:

on (release) {
tellTarget (&quot;_root&quot {
gotoAndStop (&quot;dave&quot;
}
}

All worked fine.
dave
dave@davdesign.co.uk

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[davdesign]

just done another test to check the targeting of another movie-clip and the theory still applies, doesn't matter what scene your in or what scene your targeting, just treat all scenes as _root (ie:target in the normal way you would target something in the same scene).

dave dave@davdesign.co.uk

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^