Macromedia Flash 8: Training from the Source

One of the ways you will add text to the Tech Bookstore application in upcoming lessons is by using text components. Text components include the TextArea and TextInput components. TextArea is used when you need to display larger blocks of text that can be scrolled. TextInput is when you need to have users enter data into a text field that can be collected and used. In some ways, these two components are replacements for the dynamic and input text fields discussed earlier. A drawback of using TextArea and TextInput instead of dynamic or input text fields is a greater file size, and sometimes you have to write or use more ActionScript to get them to work the way you need them to. The advantage of using these components is the wealth of things you can do using them, and the scroll bars that are automatically attached to the field.

Note

Code to load content into these components will be added later on in Lessons 9 and 10. For now, you know where the components will go on the pages you just added. Later on in the book, you will add TextInput fields to a feedback form that will be created. Users will enter information that will be stored in an XML file.