Macromedia Flash 8: Training from the Source

Lesson 4. Creating and Editing Symbols

If you're going to do anything useful in Flash, you need to use symbols. Symbols provide structure to a Flash document, can help to reduce file size, are vital to motion animations, and what's more, are necessary to add interactivity to your Flash application. In short, a Flash file without symbols is like trying to cook without using pots and pans and casserole dishes. Sure, you can manage to make bread on a hot flat rock. But why would you want to?

MovieClip, Graphic, and Button Symbols added to the Tech Bookstore

In this exercise, you're going to start whipping out the cookware. You'll learn about the different symbol types in Flash 8 and what each one of them is used for. What's more, you'll see how your symbols have a unique structure that can be reused in many places and updated once. You'll learn how to nest symbols inside of each other to make complex effects, and finally you'll learn how to use symbols to produce interactivity. Sorry, but you won't end up with a chocolate cake at the end of this lesson, but the Tech Bookstore will be richer just the same.