Common Mistakes with MXP Files

When working with MXP files, you need to think about a couple of things to deter any weird errors that may come from packaging your components. First and foremost, open the Component Definition dialog box and make sure you have checked the Display In The Components Panel check box. If left unchecked, the component will be installed to the Components directory by the MXP, but it will not show up in the Components panel.

There is also the problem of a component's assets not being included when a user drags an instance to the stage from the Components panel. When a component is added to a movie, only the symbols that are physically in the component are imported into the movie. Therefore, all asset movie clips, buttons, and graphics must physically be in the component to ensure that everything is brought with the component. To do this, you usually create an Assets layer in your component and throw all the symbols you need into the layer. But, to make sure that the assets will not drain the user's memory and that they do not interfere with the component's functionality, you usually make the layer a Guide layer; that way, the assets are actually in the component, but they are not visible to the user.