SlideShowPro for Flash Button Packs provide users with an extra set of navigation icons to replace SlideShowPro for Flash’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. Here's how to use them.
If you haven’t already, you first need to purchase a button pack from http://slideshowpro.net. After download, double click on the ZIP file you received to extract a folder containing your icons.
Launch Flash, and open the FLA that already contains SlideShowPro for Flash (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.
If you haven’t done so already, make sure that SlideShowPro for Flash 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.
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.
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 SlideShowPro for Flash!
Don’t see the buttons? Here are a couple of things to check.
Instance name: Make sure you gave SlideShowPro for Flash 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 SlideShowPro for Flash. Not before, or after. The ActionScript won’t be able to find your instance.
A screencast demonstrating the process outlined in this chapter can be viewed here.
