Flash CS4: The Missing Manual is full of details, explanations, and examples. This appendix provides quick thumbnail descriptions of every command in every menu.
The File menu commands work on your Flash document as a whole. Use the File menu for major events, like starting a new project, opening a file you created previously, and adjusting Flash’s Publish and Preview settings.
Windows: Ctrl+N
Mac: ⌘-N
The New command opens the New Document dialog box, where you can create many different types of Flash documents. For Web pages, choose Flash File (ActionScript 2.0 or ActionScript 3.0). To create Flash files that will run on phones, organizers, or other small handheld devices, use Flash File (Mobile).
Windows: Ctrl+O
Mac: ⌘-O
Opens the standard dialog box where you can navigate through your folders and open Flash files. Use the Open command to quickly find, and then open files in Flash. Consider using the Browse command (described next) if you need to organize your files and perform other housekeeping chores.
Mac: Option-⌘-O
Opens Adobe Bridge where you can organize, preview, import, and work with all different types of graphic files. Bridge shows thumbnail animations of SWF files and previews of JPEGs and other image files. Use Bridge to edit and search through the metadata and keywords attached to your graphic files.
Leads to a submenu that shows a list of the last 10 Flash (.fla or .as) files that you opened and saved. Click a file name to open the Flash animation.
Mac: ⌘-W
Closes the active Flash document. If you made changes to the document, Flash asks if you want to save it before closing.
Mac: Option-⌘-W
Closes all open Flash documents. If you made changes to the documents, Flash asks if you want to save them before closing.
Windows: Ctrl+S
Mac: ⌘-S
Saves the changes that you’ve made to your Flash document. If you haven’t made any changes since opening the document, the Save command is dimmed.
Saves your Flash document and reduces the file size by removing deleted items from the Flash file. Once you Save and Compact your document, you won’t be able to restore deleted items using the Undo or History commands.
Windows: Shift+Ctrl+S
Mac: Shift-⌘-S
Use Save As to save the active Flash document with a new name or as a different file type. For example, you can save your Flash CS4 file in the Flash 8 file format.
Saves your document as a Flash template. Templates provide easy-to-use starting points for Flash projects. When you save a Flash file as a template, you provide a category and description of the template. You see templates listed when you use the File → New command and click the Templates button at the top of the New Document dialog box.
Flash can use Adobe’s Version Cue program to make it easier track changes in your project and work collaboratively with others. After making changes to a file on your local computer, use Check In to post those changes on the Version Cue server.
Adds graphics, sound, video, and other media files to your Flash animation. Subcommands on this menu let you import files to the stage or to the Library of your active Flash animation. You can also import files to an External Library, where they’re available to all Flash animations.
Lets you save images and movies in a variety of different file formats so you can use them in other programs. Some of the Image options include: JPEG, GIF, PNG, Illustrator, and AutoCAD. Some of the Movie options include: SWF Movie, QuickTime, Animated GIF, and JPEG Sequence.
Windows: Shift+Ctrl+F12
Mac: Shift-Option-F12
Opens the extensive Publish Settings dialog box, where you can fine-tune the production of your Flash animations. Use Publish Settings to create Web pages (HTML files) complete with commands to show your Flash animations and position them on the page. With Publish Settings, you can choose to create Flash projectors (standalone programs that run your animation for Windows or Mac computers).
Mac: ⌘-F12
Publish Preview runs your Flash animation in the format of your choice. Using the factory setting for Publish Preview, you see your animation embedded in a Web page. With the submenus, you can choose to see your animation in a projector file or other formats, like an animated GIF, JPEG, or PNG file.
Windows: Shift+F12
Mac: Shift-F12
Produces the finished files that make up your Flash animation. Flash uses the Publish Settings dialog box (see Publishing as a Compiled Flash (.swf) File) to create the files of your choosing. These may include: Flash movies (SWF), Web pages (HTML), projector files (EXE for Windows, APP for Mac), and the whole spectrum of graphic files (JPEG, GIF, PICT, and PNG).
AIR stands for Adobe Integrated Runtime, which is a system for creating desktop programs that run on PCs, Macs, and other systems using Flash Player and other Web technologies, like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. The benefits to programmers are that they can use familiar programming tools and don’t have to rewrite programs for different computer systems. Once you create a new AIR file by selecting File → New → Flash File (Adobe AIR), use the options on this submenu to set metadata and link to supporting files. For more detail on Adobe AIR go to www.adobe.com/products/air/.
Stores metadata for your Flash file. Metadata can include details like the date you created a file, the name of the file’s author, and the copyright information. Programs like Adobe Bridge read the metadata stored in files, and provide database-type features. For example, in Bridge you can search through all your media files for ones that were created or modified on certain dates.
Adobe ConnectNow lets you share your screen with up to three other people online. Click the Share My Screen option to open the ConnectNow panel and have live online meetings with others. Adobe IDs are required, but it’s free to register for one.
Flash documents are meant to be viewed on a computer, but you can print frames of your document on paper. Page Setup opens the dialog box where you can choose a printer, page size, and orientation before you print from your Flash document.
Opens the Print Margins dialog box, where you can position Flash frames on your page before printing. The settings include margin measurements and options for centering the document horizontally and vertically on the page. (To set margins for Windows computers, use the Page Setup command.)
Windows: Ctrl+P
Mac: ⌘-P
Prints a frame or a sequence of frames from your Flash document using the settings from Page Setup and Print Margins.
Use this menu to cut, copy, paste, and change items you’ve selected on Flash’s stage.
Windows: Ctrl+Z
Mac: ⌘-Z
This command undoes the last command you applied. So, if you accidentally deleted a drawing from your stage, the Undo command brings it back like magic. Remember the Undo command for those moments when you smack your forehead and say, “Oh no! Why’d I do that?” For extensive undoing, consider using the History panel: Window → Other Panels → History (Windows: Ctrl+F10; Mac: ⌘-F10).
Mac: ⌘-Y
Repeats the last command you used. So if the last thing you did was paste a circle on the stage, Redo pastes another circle on the stage. If you’ve just used the Undo command, Redo restores the change. Thus, you can use Undo to step backward through your recent commands and Redo to step forward again.
Mac: ⌘-X
Removes the selected object from the stage and places a copy of it on your computer’s clipboard. Once it’s on the clipboard, you can paste it to a new location or a new document.
Mac: ⌘-C
Makes a copy of any selected objects and places the copy on the clipboard. The original objects remain on the stage. Once you’ve copied an object or group of objects to the clipboard, you can paste them to a new location or a new document.
Mac: ⌘-V
Tells Flash to paste the cut (or copied) object right smack in the middle of the stage’s visible area, on top of any other image that happens to be there.
Windows: Shift+Ctrl+V
Mac: Shift-⌘-V
Tells Flash to paste the cut or copied object in its original position on the stage. Useful for copying objects from one frame to another, this command ensures the objects are positioned in exactly the same location in both frames.
Mac: Backspace
Removes any selected objects from the stage. Flash doesn’t store cleared objects on the clipboard, so you can’t use the Paste command to put them back on the stage.
Mac: ⌘-D
Copies any selected objects, and then immediately pastes a duplicate on the stage. This one command combines the Copy and Paste commands.
Mac: Shift-⌘-A
Removes the selection from any currently selected objects.
Mac: ⌘-F
Opens the Find and Replace panel, where you search your document or scene for text, symbols, graphics, and media that you specify. You can then, if you wish, replace those items with something else.
Windows: F3
Mac: F3
Searches for the next occurrence of the items identified in the Find and Replace panel.
Leads to a submenu that shows Edit commands specific to Flash’s timeline. The submenu commands include the following:
Mac: Shift-F5
Removes frames from the timeline, shortening the length of the timeline.
Mac: Option-⌘-X
Cuts the contents of the frames, placing that content on the clipboard, where you can paste it into other frames. Cut Frames doesn’t reduce the number of frames in the timeline.
Mac: Option-⌘-C
Copies the selected frames and places them on the clipboard, so you can paste them to a different location in the timeline.
Mac: Option-⌘-V
Pastes copied or cut frames into the timeline after the selected frame. Pasting frames increases the overall length of the timeline.
Windows: Alt+Backspace
Mac: Option-Backspace
Removes the contents of the selected frames, leaving empty frames in place. (Unlike Cut, Clear Frames doesn’t place the frames on the clipboard.)
Mac: Option-⌘-A
Selects all the frames in all the layers in the visible timeline so you can make changes to the entire timeline at once.
Mac: ⌘-E
When you edit symbols, you change every instance of the symbol in your document. Edit Symbols opens the selected Flash symbol so you can edit it in its own timeline. (When you’re in Edit Symbols mode, this command changes to Edit Document, and brings you back to the document timeline.)
Lets you edit a selected group or object within a group. Other objects on the stage that aren’t part of the group are dimmed and inaccessible. Use Edit All (below) to return to the normal stage.
Use Edit in Place to edit symbols within the context of the stage. Other objects on the stage are dimmed and inaccessible. When you edit a symbol, you change all instances of that symbol in your document.
Opens the extensive Flash Preferences panel, where you can tweak dozens of settings to make Flash work the way you like to work. You can set Preferences in the following groups: General, ActionScript, AutoFormat, Clipboard, Drawing, Text, Warnings, PSD File Importer, and AI File Importer. For example, General settings include: Flash’s startup options, how many levels of undo to save, and whether or not to display tooltips when the cursor is over a command or object.
Opens the Customize Tools Panel, where you can set up the Tools panel with just the tools you want and arrange them any way you like.
Lets you navigate Flash animations that are broken up into multiple scenes. The Go To command leads to a submenu where you can select scenes by name or choose First, Last, Previous, and Next options.
Windows: Ctrl+=
Mac: ⌘-=
Changes the view of the stage by zooming in twice as much. So, if the view is at 500%, zooming in changes the view to 1000%.
Mac: ⌘- -
Changes the view of the stage by zooming out twice as much. So, if the view is at 500%, zooming out changes the view to 250%.
Leads to a submenu where you can choose from several preset Zoom levels that range from 25% to 800%. In addition, there are options to Show All (zoom to show all the contents of the current frame), Show Frame (shows the entire stage), and Fit in Window (scale the entire stage to fit in the program window).
Leads to a submenu with several options related to previewing your animation with the Control → Play command. The options include the following:
Mac: Shift-⌘-Option-O
Displays shapes in the animation as outlines or wireframe representations. With older, slower computers this mode can help speed up previews, although most of today’s machines can keep pace with even the most complex Flash animations.
Windows: Shift+Ctrl+Alt+A
Mac: Shift-Option-⌘-A
Turns on anti-aliasing, a computer graphic technique that makes shapes and lines appear smoother on computer screens.
Mac: Shift-⌘-W
Shows the workspace around the stage. Works in conjunction with the Magnification commands (Zoom Out). A checkmark appears in the menu when this option is in force.
Mac: Shift-Option-⌘-R
Shows or Hides the rulers that appear at the top and left of the program window. With rulers visible, you can drag guidelines to place on the stage. (Guides don’t appear in your final animation; they’re just visual aids to help you position items on the stage.) A checkmark appears in the menu when this option is turned on.
The Grid is another visual aid to help you position and align objects on your stage. The grid appears as horizontal and vertical lines, similar to graph paper. The Grid command leads to a submenu where you can show or hide the grid and change the color and spacing of the lines. You can turn the grid’s “snapping” behavior on and off (see Snap Align).
Show, hide, and lock guides using the submenu under the Guides command. Use the Edit Guides command to adjust the appearance and behavior of your guides. The Clear Guides command removes all guides from the stage.
When Snapping is turned on, objects automatically line up with other objects. So, for example, if you turn on Snapping for Guides, objects you drag snap into alignment with the nearest guide. You can turn Snapping on or off for: the grid, guides, and objects. The Snapping submenu displays the following commands:
When Snap Align is turned on, dotted lines appear on the stage when you drag an object near another object or the edge of the stage.
Use Snap to Pixels for super-accurate alignment. With Snap to Pixels on, a grid appears when the zoom level is 400% or greater. This grid represents individual pixels on your Flash stage.
Mac: Shift-⌘-U
Toggles the snapping behavior of objects on or off.
Windows: Ctrl+H
Mac: Shift-⌘-E
Toggles the highlight that appears on objects when you select them. If you want to see the object without the highlight, click Hide Edges; a checkmark appears on the menu.
Mac: Option-⌘-H
Shows and hides shape hints on the stage. Shape hints are used to control shapes that are being tweened. By positioning shape hints, you control the appearance of an object as it changes shape during a tween. Turn Show Shape Hints on to make adjustments, and then turn them off to see your objects as they’ll appear in your animation.
Tab Order establishes keyboard navigation in forms and Web pages. For example, if you create a form with the tab order Name = 1, Address = 2, and Phone number = 3, your visitors can fill in their name, press Tab key to move on to the Address field, and so on. Use Show Tab Order to see a visual representation of the Tab Order of items on your stage.
Use the Insert menu to add objects to your animation and make changes to the timeline.
Mac: ⌘-F8
Opens the Create Symbol dialog box, where you name and select the symbol type (movie clip, button, or graphic).
Applies a motion tween to an object, which is great for animating movement and changing properties over time—like color, transparency and dimensions. You can use the new Motion Editor to fine-tune every aspect of a motion tween.
Creates a shape tween between adjacent keyframes. Shape tweens work only on editable shapes (not text or symbols). They’re great for morphing objects from one form to another—an acorn to an oak, for example.
Creates a motion tween between adjacent keyframes (represented by an arrow on a blue background). Use motion tweens to create nonlinear motions. Motion tweens work only on symbols, grouped objects, and text blocks. While Adobe still makes classic tweens available in Flash CS4 for compatibility reasons, it’s replaced them with the more versatile and powerful motion tween
The Timeline command leads to a submenu with commands for adding layers and frames to your timeline.
Inserts a new layer in your timeline. You use layers to organize objects on the stage. For example, layers can hold elements like shapes and text. You can also create keyframes and tweens on individual layers.
Creates a layer folder. Layer folders are used to organize and group layers. By opening and closing layer folders, you can simplify the appearance of your timeline.
Windows: F5
Mac: F5
Inserts frames into your timeline. If no frame is selected, this command inserts one frame in every layer after the current position of the playhead. If one or more frames are selected, then an equal number of frames are inserted following the selection. If a position is selected on the right, outside the range of the current timeline, Flash adds new frames up to the selected point.
Inserts new keyframes into the timeline (represented by a solid circle), similar to the Frame command. Keyframes are different from ordinary frames in that the changes and repositioning of objects in keyframes represent significant changes in the action of your animation. When you use the Insert Keyframe command, objects on the stage become part of the new keyframe.
The commands in the Modify menu let you change the properties of your document, your timeline, and the objects in your animation. For example, you use commands in this menu to rotate, scale, and distort the shapes on the stage.
Windows: Ctrl+J
Mac: ⌘-J
Opens the Document window, where you set the width, height, and background color of the stage. Document settings also control the speed (frames per second) of your animation and the measurement units used by rulers.
Mac: F8
Converts selected objects to a symbol, which can be a movie clip, a graphic, or a button. Symbols are key to many aspects of Flash animations. Among other things, symbols help to reduce the overall file size of Flash animations.
Mac: ⌘-B
Used to break an imported bitmap into separate pixels that can be selected and edited. (When you first import a bitmap, Flash treats it as a single discrete element.) This command also separates grouped objects and symbols into their component parts.
Flash has several commands to help you modify shapes in your animation.
Mac: Shift-Option-⌘-N
Removes the hard angles and bumps from shapes and lines. Applying this command repeatedly creates smoother and smoother shapes.
Mac: Shift-Option-⌘-M
Removes the curves from lines and line segments. You can apply this command repeatedly, creating straighter lines each time.
Windows: Shift+Ctrl+Alt+C
Mac: Shift-Option-⌘-C
Reduces the number of anchor points (control points) in a shape or line by removing unneeded anchor points. This doesn’t change the shape, but it does reduce the file size and helps make shapes more manageable.
Changes lines into fills, in effect giving them the properties of fills. For example, once a line is changed to a fill, you can apply gradients to the line or erase a portion of it.
Opens the Expand Fill window where you can expand (enlarge) or inset (shrink) the fill portion of a shape. This is similar to scaling a shape and works best on simple objects.
Softens the edges of the selected shape giving it the appearance of fading away. In the Soften Fill Edges window you can choose the distance and the steps (gradations) for the effect.
Mac: Shift-⌘-H
When you’re creating a shape tween, you can use hints to control the appearance of objects as they change from one shape to another. By adding hints, you can highlight important parts of the shape that should be defined during the transition.
The Combine Objects submenu lets you create more complex objects by combining multiple objects and altering their features.
Combines two or more shapes to create a new object by deleting unseen overlapping sections. The new object consists of the visible portions of the joined shapes.
Creates an object from the intersection of two or more objects. The new object shape consists of the overlapping portions of the combined shapes.
The Timeline submenu’s commands help you organize and manipulate the parts that comprise your animation, notably layers and frames.
Mac: Shift-⌘-D
Distributes the selected objects so that each object is on its own layer. Useful for making sure different shapes are on separate layers before applying a tween.
Opens the Layer Properties window, where you name layers and adjust settings like: layer type, layer colors, layer height, layer visibility, and layer locking.
Rearranges the selected frames in reverse order. In effect, this arranges the frames so that the animation runs in reverse.
Synchronizes the animation of a graphic symbol instance to match the timeline. It also recalculates the number of frames in a tween to match the number of frames allotted to it in the timeline.
Mac: F6
Converts the selected frames in the timeline into keyframes. This command retains the contents of the preceding keyframe. Keyframes are represented by a solid circle.
Leads to a submenu with the following Transform commands:
Puts the selected object in Free Transform mode where you can perform scale, rotate, and skew transformations.
Puts the selected object in Distort mode. You can change the shape of the object using handles on the bounding box.
Scale lets you change the height and width of an object by dragging the handles on the bounding box. Press Shift to resize the object proportionally.
Places a bounding box around the selected object. Using the handles, you can freely rotate and skew the object.
Mac: Option-⌘-S
Opens the Scale and Rotate window where you can resize and rotate the selected object by typing numbers into text boxes.
Mac: Shift-⌘-9
Rotates the selected object by 90 degrees in a clockwise direction.
Mac: Shift-⌘-7
Rotates the selected object by 90 degrees in a counter-clockwise direction.
The Arrange submenu’s commands act on the objects in your animation’s layers.
Mac: Shift-Option-Up Arrow
Brings the selected object to the top level in the frame so that the object appears to be in front of all other objects in the same frame. This action pertains only to objects in the same layer in the timeline, it doesn’t reposition layers or move objects from one layer to another.
Mac: ⌘-Up Arrow
Brings selected objects forward one step in front of other objects in the same frame. This action pertains only to objects in the same layer in the timeline; it doesn’t reposition layers or move objects from layer to another.
Mac: ⌘-Down Arrow
Sends the selected object backward one step behind other objects in the same frame. This action pertains only to objects in the same layer in the timeline; it doesn’t reposition layers or move objects from one layer to another.
Windows: Shift+Ctrl+Down Arrow
Mac: Shift-Option-Down Arrow
Sends the selected object to the bottom level in the frame, so that the object appears to be behind every other object in the same frame. This action pertains only to objects in the same layer in the timeline; it doesn’t reposition layers or move objects from one layer to another.
The Align submenu’s commands help you position your animation’s objects neatly in relation to the edges of the stage or to each other.
Mac: Option-⌘-2
Aligns the center of the selected objects to the same horizontal position.
Mac: Option-⌘-5
Aligns the center of the selected objects to the same vertical position.
Mac: Option-⌘-7
Spaces selected objects evenly on the stage from left to right.
Mac: Shift-Option-⌘-7
Makes the width property of selected objects equal.
Mac: Shift-Option-⌘-9
Makes the height property of selected objects equal.
Use the commands on the Text menu to modify the appearance of text on the stage.
Letter spacing is a typographic effect sometimes used in headings and logos to increase or decrease the space between all letters by the same fixed amount.
The Commands menu helps you automate tasks in Flash. You can create commands for tasks that you perform repeatedly and download prebuilt commands from the Adobe Exchange Web site.
Opens your Web browser to the Adobe Exchange page, where you can find commands others have created. Some are for sale and some are free.
Use Run Commands to run a JavaScript command. An Open File dialog box opens where you can navigate to the script you wish to run.
Control menu commands provide playback controls to test your animation in the program window, the Flash Player, and HTML pages.
Windows: Enter
Mac: Return
Plays the timeline in the Flash window, showing the contents of each frame on the stage.
Mac: Shift-, (comma)
Mac: Shift-. (period)
Moves the playhead in the timeline to the last frame.
Mac: . (period)
Moves the playhead in the timeline ahead one frame.
Mac: , (comma)
Moves the playhead in the timeline back one frame.
Mac: ⌘-Return
Compiles the animation, and then runs it in the Flash Player. If your movie has more than one scene, this command plays all the scenes in order.
Mac: Option-⌘-Return
Compiles and tests the scene in the timeline. If you want to test and view all the scenes in your movie, use Test Movie (above).
Flash sometimes creates ASO (ActionScript Object) files when it compiles your movie; this command deletes those files. (Sometimes, Flash doesn’t update these files properly and it creates undesirable results.) If necessary, Flash creates new ASO files if they’re needed the next time you compile.
ASO files are temporary files Flash uses when compiling and previewing animations (see above). This command deletes the files, forcing Flash to create new ASO files (if needed), and then tests the movie.
Repeats the playback of your movie or scene when testing. When the movie reaches the end, it starts playing from the beginning again.
Mac: Option-⌘-F
Tells Flash to play the actions you’ve added to frames in the timeline. (These are basic actions like Play and Stop commands.) If you don’t turn on Enable Simple Frame Actions, Flash ignores frame actions.
Mac: Option-⌘-B
Makes your buttons work on the stage. If you turn off this menu item, mousing over and clicking buttons have no effect.
Debug commands give you tools to play back your movie and, at the same time, examine the inner workings of the timeline, object properties, and ActionScript code.
Mac: Shift-⌘-Return
Plays your animation while displaying information in the Debugger window, where you can monitor the list of objects and variables your animation and ActionScript are using.
Mac: Option-F12
Stops the debugging session and stops playback of the animation.
Mac: Option-F6
Used during debugging in combination with breakpoints, the Step In command runs ActionScript functions step-by-step.
Mac: Option-F7
Use Step Over during debugging in combination with breakpoints to step through your ActionScript code a line at a time. Stepping over a line of code tells Flash to execute the code even if the line contains a function call.
Windows: Alt+F8
Mac: Option-F8
Use Step Out during debugging in combination with breakpoints. You use this command to return from examining a function in your ActionScript code (see Step In above).
Mac: Shift-⌘-B
Breakpoints are used in debugging as a way to stop the animation and ActionScript program running, which gives you the opportunity to examine the code, variables, and properties. This command removes all the breakpoints that you previously placed in your ActionScript program.
Remote debugging is the programmer’s art of debugging a .swf file on a remote server. Use this command to begin remote debugging after you’ve done the necessary setup chores of choosing your ActionScript version, creating a remote debugging file (.swd), and uploading files to the server. Remote debugging isn’t covered in this book; for more details, see Essential ActionScript by Colin Moock (O’Reilly).
This menu is command central for opening and closing the many windows you use when working in Flash. Checkmarks appear next to the names of currently open windows. Clicking next to the name opens or closes the window.
Mac: Option-⌘-K
Creates a second program window. Use this command when you want more than one view of your animation or timeline. It’s useful for side-by-side comparisons of two separate frames or other aspects of your Flash animation.
Leads to a submenu with the following commands:
Opens the Controller toolbar, which you use to play, pause, and navigate through the frames of your animation.
Mac: Option-⌘-T
Displays the timeline in your program window, which you use to work with frames and layers in your animation.
Opens the Motion Editor panel, which you use to fine-tune motion tweens. The Motion Editor uses graphs to show how properties change over time. In particular, the Motion Editor gives you greater control over the easing applied to property changes.
Mac: ⌘-F2
Shows and hides the Tools palette, which holds tools for: selection, drawing, shape creation, text, color application, and color picking.
Mac: ⌘-F3
Opens the Properties window, where you view—and edit—various aspects of objects in your animation.
Mac: ⌘-L
Opens the Library window, which stores objects used in your animation like graphics, movie clips, buttons, and sound clips.
Opens a panel with predesigned motion tweens like Fly-in, Fly-out and Bounce. You can use Adobe-designed presets or store your own custom designed presets using this panel.
Mac: Option-F9
Opens the Actions panel, from which you define and edit actions used in your animation.
Mac: Shift-F3
Opens the Behaviors panel, which automates the process of applying actions to objects in your animation. (Behaviors aren’t available with ActionScript 3.0.)
Mac: Option-F2
Opens the Compiler Errors window, where Flash displays the problems that may happen during the compilation of your animation.
Opens the Debug panels, which you use to find errors in your ActionScript programs. The Debug panel displays the lines of your code, variables, values, and properties while giving you the opportunity to execute code a line at a time. The Debug subpanels are: Debug Console, Variables, and ActionScript 2.0 Debugger.
Mac: Option-F3
Displays the Movie Explorer window, where you see a hierarchical representation of your Flash animation, breaking it down into scenes and objects.
Windows: F2
Mac: F2
Opens the Output window, which is used in combination with trace( ) statements to debug ActionScript code.
Mac: ⌘-K
Displays the Align window, which you use to align, distribute and position objects on the stage. The Align commands are identical to those in the Modify → Align submenu, except the window displays icons that visually indicate the alignment command.
Mac: Shift-F9
Opens the Color window, from which you pick stroke, fill, and gradient colors. The Color window provides several tools to identify colors including color pickers, swatches, and RBG color tools.
Mac: ⌘-I
Opens the Info panel, which continually provides details on the position of the mouse cursor and the colors at that location. The info panel also provides height, width, and location information for selected objects on the stage.
Mac: ⌘-F9
Opens the Swatch window, from which you can pick colors to apply them to objects in your animation. You use the Swatch panel to create and save custom colors for your animation.
Windows: Ctrl+T
Mac: ⌘-T
Opens the Transform window, which you use to resize, rotate, and skew objects in your animation.
Mac: ⌘-F7
Opens the Components window, from which you choose components to add to your animation. Components are grouped in four categories: data, media, user interface, and video.
Mac: Shift-F7
Displays the Component Inspector window, which you use to set parameters, bindings, and XML schema for components you add to your animation.
Leads to a submenu with additional panels, including the following:
Mac: Shift-F11
Opens the Accessibility window, which you use to provide accessibility information to screen readers and set accessibility options for individual Flash objects.
Mac: ⌘-F10
Displays the History panel, where you see a record of actions performed during the current Flash authoring session. Use the slider to the left of the list to backtrack and undo these actions. By selecting and saving multiple actions in the History panel, you can create commands (reusable actions, similar to macros) that you run from the Commands menu.
Windows: Shift+F2
Mac: Shift-F2
Opens the Scene window, which lists all the scenes in your animation. Reorganize the list of scenes to change the order in which scenes play in your animation.
Opens and closes the Screens panel, used to create PowerPoint-type slideshows with Flash. Use the Screens panel to arrange and organize the slides in your presentation.
Mac: ⌘-F11
Opens the Strings panel, where you can create and update multilingual content for your animation. Using Strings, you specify content for text fields that accommodate multiple languages. Flash can automatically determine which language to use based on the language used by the computer running Flash Player.
Leads to a submenu with additional Adobe services and community-based tools.
The Help menu provides access to Flash help files included with the product and links to the Adobe Web site. (Many of the Help and Support resources were still in the works at the time this book went to press.)
Mac: F1
Opens the Help window in Flash, where you can find and view the help information that’s included with the Flash program. Use the panels on the left to select books and type in search words and phrases. Help articles appear on the right side of the Help window.
Opens a dialog box where, if you wish, you can give Adobe permission to anonymously collect information about how you use their products. The company then uses this information to develop future products. If you choose to participate, you can later turn this feature off through the same menu command.
Opens Adobe’s Extension manager and provides access to Flash Exchange, where you can download components and other extensions that add to Flash’s features.
Opens your browser to the Flash Developer Center, which contains articles, tutorials, and other resources for developing Flash programs.
Takes you to a Web page listing resources for getting Adobe-certified training or becoming an Adobe-certified professional.
Opens a window where you can activate Flash. Activation is part of Adobe’s copy and piracy protection system. Products that aren’t activated won’t run.
Runs Adobe’s product update tool. You have to have an activated product and Internet access to download updates from Adobe’s Web site.