Flash Text Properties Panel

The Properties Panel is slightly modified for the specifics of Flash Text in Dreamweaver. Image D shows the features specific to Flash Text Properties Panel.

The Flash Text Properties Panel

On the whole, the panel looks very similar to the Flash Properties Panel, because we’re working with a Flash movie. The most significant difference is the Edit button. Selecting the Edit button opens the Flash Text window, in which all the options you have selected will appear. You can modify the text, font or any of the options, and then click “OK” to resave the file, and the changes are immediate. Why is this so exciting? It’s exciting be-cause the Flash SWF file format is a locked format. That is, when the SWF file is cre-ated, you can’t modify it: the original source file that was used to create the SWF has to be modified. Dreamweaver gets around this knotty problem by utilizing Flash Generator to build and modify the SWF files, which allows you to create and edit your Flash Text very easily.

Flash Buttons

If Flash Text is fun; Flash Buttons are downright cool. You will find on the Common Ob-jects Panel a button called “Flash Buttons”. Select this to open the Flash Buttons win-dow.

The Flash Button Window

Most of the Flash Button window replicates the Flash Text window: you can add text, apply any type or size of font, insert links, change the background color of the movie and modify the name of the final SWF file. The difference is the type of Flash movie we’re creating. The movie is now a stylized interactive button. And you know what? You have nearly 4 dozen styles to choose from. Scroll down the Style menu list to preview a style. You will see that the Sample in the top window keeps changing as you scroll. If you want to see the button animate, just roll your cursor over the sample. For instance, if you choose the Style “Star Spinner” and roll your cursor over it you will see the star spin when you roll.

The text you add to the “Button Text” field will be added to the button. Each style will de-fault the Font to the once that’s most appropriate for that button, however you can still modify the Font yourself

Let’s create a new Flash Button. Open the window and apply the following settings:

• Style: Slider
• Button Text: SitePoint
• Font: Impact
• Size: 16
• Link: http://designstacks.net
• Save As: adobetutorialz.swf

OK, the button will take you to SitePoint, but the point is you can see how easy it is to configure a Flash Button. Select “OK” and the button will be embedded into your Web page. Press F12 to preview the page in your browser. As you roll your cursor over the button you will see that it animates and allows you to click it — when you do so, you’re taken to SitePoint.

Any Flash Button can modified from the Flash Button Properties Panel. Select the “Edit” from the Properties Panel with the Flash Button highlighted on the page in Dream-weaver. The Flash Button Window will open and all the parameters for the button can be modified.