Flash MX 2004 Pro Menu Bar and Slides

[AXXESS]

Alright, pro Flashers out there....

Looking for info on setting up the menubar component in a Flash MX 2004 Pro slide presentation. Specifically, how to have the submenus link to other slides in the presentation.

Though diligent research, I have been able to construct the menubar with the submenus I need for the project. Through the trace function I have verified that each submenu button is "firing" when clicked on.

I have tried adding the

presentation.gotoSlide(newslide);

function and a few other variations of this just prior to the corresponding trace statement... nothing works yet.

Anyone here tamed this beast?? It's interesting that the menubar is included in the library (supposedly "drag and drop" ease of use), but there really is no documentation on customization from Macromedia.

[AXXESS]

I have found the solution...

The navigation has to be written like this:

_root.presentation.gotoSlide(newslide)

[Intrigued]

Yes, I also noticed that we need to keep an eye on the path of our objects (and Level). I ran into a situation like this recently. It took me 15 minutes to figure it out. Uhg.

So, I know how you feel. But, finding that solution sure is sweet, right?



Ps. I also learned how to use the MenuBar Component (I had not used it before). I am still working on core AS skills at this point.

So, thanks for getting me motivated indirectly to learn how to use the MenuBar.

Now, I can add my own haloGreen, haloBlue, or haloOrange MenuBar Component to my projects!

*hmmm... I wonder if Halo 2 uses these menus.

Sincerely,

[AXXESS]

Yeah, that was another one. I researched for quite a while learning to "skin" the MX components... and it turns out you can just use global.style.setStyle to change the halo colors. Sheesh. Didn't find it from Macromedia either.

If you need more info on MX 2004 components, here is a good resource:

Ultrashock

[AXXESS]

I discovered that you can't use this method to navigate to a numbered slide... it must be a word...

i.e., You can't do this..

_root.presentation.gotoSlide(2)

but you can do this..

_root.presentation.gotoSlide(two)

Go figure.

[Intrigued]

Thanks for the link!

How I did it was to print off several pages for the Flash's innate Help system.

Still, often, I find it easier to find and understand examples usually when I "google" a bit, myself.

I don't mind grinding through documentation. But, this is one topic I believe I.R. has done a much better job at! I appreciate the point that every time you type in an Action you can quickly get working examples via the close proximity of the Help file!

[Intrigued]

Ah, how naive of me!

The reason I believe MM does not document their products in an easy to understand matter more... is because there is MM Press to think about and make huge bucks off. Sadly, those books I ordered for Flash MX are not going to get used because, well, they plain stink. Cryptic to read and understand.

Ack!

[AXXESS]

But, this is one topic I believe I.R. has done a much better job at!

No doubt. IR's help system is the best around!!!

For the rest.... Google ROCKS!

[Intrigued]

Well, the link you posted rocks! (ultrashock.com)

I originally setup amsuser.com's List boxes with manual insertion (ouch), which does not scroll and does not alphabetize the listing (the last point is nice in a way, you can see what I have added last, project wise).

I believe I am going to (now) work on setting up an external (which I plained on doing, just down the road) file so that I do not have to open Flash each time to update the site. Just .txt the data (evntually DB) so that I can just copy and past the links in and then then such is updated quicker (and I will be more apt to update more often than I do even now).

Slowly, I'm getting use to Flash MX 2004. I am excited to have such coding come off as easily (well for the most part) as with AMS 5 Pro's Scripting.

(Now, if I can just get "artsy")

Thanks again!

[AGRO]

Another Flash component that is similar to the menuBar in Flash is a component by Ghostwire called the Slide Menu. In this one you can also add a icon to each button. This component is really easy to edit. You wont have the halo skin but is still nice.

[Intrigued]

I looked into Ghostwire. It seems like it would be useful for sure.