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Flash component

Button Packs

SlideShowPro Player for Flash comes with a couple of free Button Packs that provide users with an extra set of navigation icons to replace the SlideShowPro Player's default set. Each pack comes with two icon sizes (24 pixels square and 16 pixels square) for each navigation icon, and are designed to be used on any colored background. The extra buttons are included free of charge in the "Extras" folder of the SlideShowPro Player for Flash download. Here's how to use them.

Step One: Add icons to your FLA

Library panel
Above: Library panel

Launch Flash, and open the FLA that already contains the SlideShowPro Player (or one you plan on adding it to). From the “File” menu, select “Import > Open External Library.” Navigate to the FLA that’s inside the button pack folder you just unzipped, select it, and click the “Open” button. A new Library panel will appear in Flash containing two icon folders (see left). One contains the 16 pixel square version of the icon, the other 24 pixel square. Drag either folder from the Library panel to the Library panel of your open FLA. The icons will transfer to your FLA’s Library.


Step Two: Give SlideShowPro for Flash an instance name

If you haven’t done so already, make sure that SlideShowPro Player component is on the stage of your FLA and has an “instance name” so it can be referenced with ActionScript. See the “Customization basics” section of this guide for instructions.

Step Three: Add ActionScript

Timeline with keyframe selected
Above: Timeline with keyframe selected

Now it’s time to add a little ActionScript! In the folder you unzipped is a file with an “.as” file extension. For those with a Professional version of Flash, simply double-click on this file to open. If you receive an error (that your OS doesn’t know what to do with it), open the file in any text/html editor, like Notepad, Dreamweaver, TextMate, etc. Once open, copy to your clipboard the block of code for the size of icon you plan to use.

Return to your FLA in Flash. Create a new timeline layer by clicking on the far left icon at the bottom of the timeline window (it’ll display “Insert Layer” on mouseover). A new timeline layer will appear. Click on the first empty keyframe in this new layer, then open the Actions panel. Click inside the right frame of the editor window, and paste the ActionScript you just copied.

Step Four: Publish

Publish a SWF by selecting File > Publish Preview > Flash from the top application menu. If all goes well, your icons should now be appearing in the SlideShowPro Player!

Troubleshooting

Don’t see the buttons? Here are a couple of things to check.

Instance name: Make sure you gave the component an instance name of “my_ssp”. If you are already using a different instance name, replace “my_ssp” in the supplied ActionScript with the name you are using.

Timeline: The ActionScript you pasted must be in a keyframe directly above or below the component instance. Not before, or after. The ActionScript won’t be able to find your instance.

Page last modified by tdominey on November 14, 2010, at 09:54 AM
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