Editing Symbols

Because every instance of a symbol is linked to the original, any edit applied to that original is applied to every instance. There are several ways to edit a symbol, which we cover in the following sections.

Modifying a Symbol in Edit Mode

Edit mode opens the Stage and timeline of the selected symbol in the Document window, replacing the view of the current keyframe in the Main Timeline with a view of the first keyframe in the symbol's timeline. To open a symbol in Edit mode, do one of the following:

• Select an instance on the Stage and choose Edit ð Edit Symbols, or Edit Selected from the application menu.

• Select an instance on the Stage and right-click (Command/Ctrl+click). Then choose Edit from the contextual menu.

• Select an instance on the Stage and use the shortcut key (z/Ctrl+E).

• Double-click a symbol in the Document Library. (Double-clicking Bitmaps, Sound, Video, and other nonnative symbol types launches the Properties dialog box instead of opening Edit mode.)

Editing a Symbol in a New Window

This method is useful if you're working on two monitors and want to quickly open a new window to edit in while keeping a view of the Main Timeline open and available. On Macintosh, these two windows are always separate, but you can click on either window to switch back and forth. On Windows, you can switch between these windows by choosing from the Window menu.

To edit a symbol in a new window, select an instance on the Stage and right-click (Command/Ctrl+click); then select Edit In New Window from the contextual menu.

Editing a Symbol in Place

The advantage of Edit in Place is that, instead of opening the symbol in a separate edit space, you can edit your symbol in context with the surrounding movie. Other elements present on the current keyframe are visible but dimmed slightly and protected from any edits you make on the selected symbol. To edit a symbol in place, do one of the following:

• Select an instance on the Stage and choose Edit ð Edit in Place from the application menu.

• Select an instance on the Stage and right-click (Command/Ctrl+click). Then select Edit in Place from the contextual menu.

• Double-click the instance on the Stage.

Editing Symbols from the Library

You might not have an instance of your symbol available to select for editing in the Document window, but you can still edit it. Just edit it from the Library. Open your movie's Library with Window ð Library from the application menu (z/Ctrl+L). Select the symbol in the Library that you want to edit and do one of the following:

• Double-click the symbol's icon (not its name), in the Library list.

• Right-click (Command/Ctrl+click) and then select Edit from the contextual pop-up menu.

• If you have opened the Symbol Properties dialog box (see Figure 6-6), you can move to Edit mode by clicking the Edit button.

Returning to the Main Timeline or Scene

After you've edited your symbol, you'll want to go back to the scene in the Main Timeline to make sure that your changes work properly. Just do one of the following:

• Choose Edit ð Edit Movie from the application menu or use the shortcut keys — z/Ctrl+E.

• Double-click in any empty area of the Edit Stage.

• Click the Return arrow at the left edge of the Edit bar to step back through any nested timelines until you reach the Main Timeline.

• Select the scene name in the left corner above the Stage view in the Document window, as shown in Figure 6-7.

Figure 6-7: The location label in the Document window Edit bar is used to identify the current edit space and to return to the Main Timeline of the current scene.

Working with Timeline Effect Symbols

Timeline Effects were a new addition to Flash MX 2004. They offer some shortcuts to making animation and effects on the Timeline. Although you can still create your own animation and effects by manually altering graphics and creating custom tweens, you may be able to get the result you want faster and more easily with Timeline Effects.

Cross-Reference 

We discuss the application of various Timeline Effects and settings in detail in Chapter 9, "Modifying Graphics."

Editing and Developing

Development in Flash occurs in one of two places: in the Main Timeline and on the Stage; or within a symbol, which has its own edit space and timeline. But how do you know when you are on the Scene Stage or when you are in Edit mode? Here's one clue: At the top of the Document window is the Edit bar. If you're working on the Scene Stage, you'll see a single tab with the name of the scene. Unless you name your scenes, this tab should simply say, Scene 1 (or Scene 2). However, in Edit mode, a second tab appears to the right of the scene name: This tab displays the name and icon of the current group or symbol (Movie Clip, Graphic symbol, or Button symbol). If you're editing a nested symbol, more tabs may appear. In this manner, you have convenient access to the hierarchy of your assets, no matter how deeply they are nested.

The Edit bar appears above the (docked) Timeline by default, but you can move it below the Timeline by holding down Shift+z (Mac) or Shift+Alt (Windows) and double-clicking the Edit bar. Use the same command again to move the Edit bar back to the default location.

Edit mode is much like working on the regular Stage. You can draw with any of the drawing tools, add text, place symbols, import graphics and sound, and use ActionScript. When you're done working with a symbol, you have an encapsulated element, whether it is a static Graphic, a Movie Clip, or a Button. You can place this element as many times as needed on your Stage or within other symbols. Each time you place it, the symbol's entire contents and timeline (if it is a Button or a Movie Clip) will be placed as well, identical to the original symbol stored in the Library. Remember that even if you access Edit mode from an instance on the Stage, all changes that you make will propagate to every other instance derived from the original symbol in the Library. The only color changes that you can make to one instance at a time without affecting the other instances of the same symbol are those you apply using the Color menu on the Property inspector, or by applying Filters and blend modes to instances as we explain in the following section, "Modifying Instance Properties."

The Stage (if it is not zoomed to fill the screen) is surrounded by a gray area. This is the Work area or Pasteboard, and it indicates the visible edges of the final movie as defined in the Document properties. The dimensions of any symbol, however, are not limited to the size of the Stage. If you make your symbols too large, when you place them on the Stage, portions that fall outside of the Stage will not be visible in the final movie (.swf), but they will still be exported and will add to the file size. Remember that it is always possible to scale a symbol instance to make it smaller than the original symbol if necessary.

New Feature 

Flash 8 filters and blend modes are an improvement over Timeline Effects for modifying graphics because they are rendered dynamically at run time and don't clutter up the Library with extra symbols or break when you try to combine them with other symbols or effects. However, animated effects are easier to create using Timeline Effects, so they still serve a purpose.

In most production workflows in this book, we advise you to use Movie Clip symbols to contain animation. However, you will find that Timeline Effects automatically create a Graphic symbol to hold the visual effect or animation. We refer to these animated Graphic symbols as Timeline Effect symbols.

You can apply Timeline Effects to raw shapes or to any of the native Flash symbol types — Flash auto-generates symbols as needed to render the applied effect. Where possible, Macromedia chose to make Graphic symbols the default symbol type for Timeline Effects because it enables you to view the animation in the authoring environment just by scrubbing the Timeline. Timeline Effects are rendered based on the options chosen in various Timeline Effects dialog boxes, rather than on the basic tween settings available in the Property inspector.

After you apply a Timeline Effect to an item, you have the option of going back and changing the settings to modify and re-render the Effect so long as the Timeline Effect symbol is not opened in Edit mode. If you try to open a Timeline Effect symbol in Edit mode from the Document window, you will get a warning box. As shown in Figure 6-8, directly editing a Timeline Effect symbol will disable the Timeline Effect Settings option.

Figure 6-8: The warning box triggered by trying to open a Graphic symbol in Edit mode from the Document window after a Timeline Effect is applied

It is possible to change the contents of the nested symbols in an animation or effect created with a Timeline Effect, but the only way to access these symbols, while preserving the settings option, is through the project Library. Rather than selecting the symbol with the visible Timeline Effect applied on the Stage, look in the Library for the folder that contains the nested Graphic symbols and open these static symbols in Edit mode to make changes that will be applied to the instances used in the Timeline Effect. Any changes you make will be visible in the Main Timeline Effect symbol in the root of the Library folder (and on the Main Timeline).