Re: FLASH: Smart Buttons?

[Dorian Nisinson]

Interesting problem. I'll think about it. It seems to me that one could

create a movie clip that contains the more complicated Flash buttons and

then place this movie clip as needed throughout the project but I'll

have to consider it in light of the new info you supplied. 

	The best place to submit wish list items is to

wish-flashmacromedia [dot] com

Dorian


Len Harrison wrote:

> 

> Thanks Dorian,

> 

> You correctly interpreted the objective. Your suggestion for implementing it

> is pretty much what I was thinking would be necessary. So thanks for

> confirming that. Does anyone have another approach? Unfortunately, it would

> be a nightmare to implement this under my present design paradigm. Consider

> this:

> 

> 1) We have a set of glossary terms, say one per frame on Layer Terms. Each

> frame is labeled according to term it defines: WBS, Model, Methodology, etc.

> 2) Where the term is used in context, we provide a link to the frame where

> it is defined.

> 3) Definition frames have a back button that returns the learner to the

> material they were working with before they went to look up the definition.

> 4) There are perhaps 20 definition frames per module.

> 5) There might be from 2 to 20 occasions to jump to and return from a

> definition.

> 6) Content developers with minimal Flash skill may be involved in

> development.

> 7) There are five or six separate pieces each containing five to twelve

> modules.

> 8) Ideally a single glossary should be defined since terms are used across

> modules and pieces.

> 

> Now the simplest way to do this is to set up a sequence of key frames on

> Layer Terms with no gaps between them and then jump to them. If we use

> instances of buttons, then we jump to the button instance instead and need

> to define a naming convention and track that appropriately. Every time we

> add a new call into the glossary, we need to add a new frame on all layers

> of the glossary plus the keyframe we're calling and modify both the button

> instance in the called keyframe and the instance of the symbol that called

> it. Maybe that's not as bad as I thought when I started writing this, but

> it's still far from ideal.

> 

> By comparison, we could do this in Javascript using a cookie. The button

> action for the caller includes a script call which writes the name of the

> "home" frame and (optionally) scene and movie to a cookie. Calling code

> would look something like

> "Javascript:'returnFrame("thisFrame","thisScene","thisMovie")'". After it

> writes the cookie it goes to the appropriate definition frame. When the user

> presses the back button another javascript is called which reads the cookie

> and returns from whence it came. That takes care of the simple case. If

> there is only the back button available within the glossary that's all you

> have to do.

> 

> Otherwise you might need to track movement within the glossary which could

> get a bit complicated. Quick solution would be to build a stack with

> numbered cookies plus a stack counter cookie. Every time you go back you

> decrement the stack counter and delete the cookie which points to the

> current frame. Every time you go forward you increment the counter and add a

> cookie for the last frame visited.

> 

> This is a bit of upfront work and demands the user enable cookies (which I

> can do within this context), but once you have the routines, invoking them

> is trivial and there is no need to keep adding frames inside your glossary

> terms every time you want to point the user to a definition.

> 

> ***PERSONAL WISH LIST FOR FLASH 4.0 ITEM #1***

> Some kind of real scripting language ala Lingo, Java, Javascript, VBscript,

> etc.

> ***PERSONAL WISH LIST FOR FLASH 4.0 ITEM #2***

> Objects with behaviors at a class, not just an instance level

> ***PERSONAL WISH LIST FOR FLASH 4.0 ITEM #3***

> "Variable" added to goto list (i.e. Goto Frame whose value is "Variable"

> where provisions are made to define the value of any given variable in any

> given frame.)

> 

> Where is the best place to submit such suggestions?

> 

> len harrison

> instructional designer

>

lenhabtcorp [dot] com

> 

> -----Original Message-----

>

From: ownershocker [dot] com [ownershocker [dot] com]On">mailto:ownershocker [dot] com]On Behalf Of Dorian

> Nisinson

> Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 1998 6:44 PM

>

To: flashershocker [dot] com

> Subject: Re: FLASH: Smart Buttons?

> 

> This could be done in Flash using 4 different instance of the same

> button and 4 frame labels.

> Labels= FrameA

>         FrameB

>         FrameC (sent by Frame A button instance 1)

>         FrameC2 (sent by Frame B button instance 2)

> 

> Instance 1 button in Frame A would contain an action to go to label

> FrameC

> Instance 2 button in Frame B would contain an action to go to label

> FrameC2

> Instance 3 button in Frame C would contain an action to go to label

> FrameA

> Instance 4 button in Frame C2 would contain an action to go to label

> FrameB

> 

> Make a layer for Instance 3 button and a layer for instance 4 button.

> Have the rest of the contents of FrameC on other layers. Say your Frame

> C sequence starts at frame 20 put the label FrameC at frame 20. Add a

> keyframe at frame 25 (for example) and label that FrameC2. All the other

> contents of the frame C are only loaded once and only the buttons

> change.

> 

> Hope this is what you meant.

> 

> Dorian

> 

> Len Harrison wrote:

> >

> > Is there a way to make a button smart in the following sense:

> >

> > Frame A   Jumps to Frame C

> >

> > Frame B  Jumps to Frame C

> >

> > Frame C Back Button goes to Frame B or Frame A depending on which frame

> > called it?

> >

> > Need this for a glossary function. Suppose I could do it with a cookie and

> > some Javascript, but can it be done completely in Flash?

> >

> > len harrison

> > instructional designer

>

> lenhabtcorp [dot] com

> >

> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 

> Dorian Nisinson Design

>

dorianbway [dot] net (mailto:dorianbway [dot] net)

> 

> The Flash Fortune Teller

> Ask and you shall be answered!

> http://www.bway.net/~dorian/FortuneT.htm

> 

> Flash Central-- The Source for Flash Information

> http://www.FlashCentral.com/

> 

> http://www.bway.net/~dorian

> Graphic Design, Illustration, Flash Design

> Photoshop 4 Actions too

> 

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-- 

Dorian Nisinson Design

dorianbway [dot] net (mailto:dorianbway [dot] net)

The Flash Fortune Teller

Ask and you shall be answered!

http://www.bway.net/~dorian/FortuneT.htm


Flash Central-- The Source for Flash Information

http://www.FlashCentral.com/


http://www.bway.net/~dorian

Graphic Design, Illustration, Flash Design

Photoshop 4 Actions too


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