Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Killer Tips

By definition, a symbol instance is really just a dummy item that points back to its original symbol. So when you drag several instances of a symbol onto the stage and then change the original symbol, all the instances reflect the same change. That being said, it only makes sense that you can change which symbol an instance points to, right?

Select an instance of any symbol that's on your Stage. In the Property inspector, press the Swap button. You are given a list of all the symbols in your Library to choose from. Select any other symbol and then press OK to make the swap. Flash has now swapped the symbols that appear on your Stage. In essence, your instance (pointer) now points back to a different original symbol.

The cool thing is that whatever properties you had applied to that instance are still applied. Dat's what I'm talkin' about!