Like ASP and PHP, Flash can access query strings supplied in the URL. This tutorial discusses how to pass data to a Flash movie (.swf) via the URL reference.

For Example:

http://www.mysite.com/mymovie.swf?var1=test1&var2=0

…will pass the values test1 and 0 to the variables var1 and var2. Note that the first variable is separated from the movie name via a ? character and each subsequent variable is then separated by the & character.

The sample link below allows you to experiment.

http://demos.swishspace.com/var1var2.swf?var1=test1&var2=0

Try reloading the page with different values for var1 and var2 by manually editing the browser reference. The reloaded page should show the revised values.

Read on to find out more about these variables, their advantages and some of the limitations.

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SWiSH Max3 and miniMax3 come with a number of animated banners. To use one of these banners simply go File | New Project and then choose from one of the available Vertical or Horizontal banners. We recently had an inquiry from a user who wanted to add a custom banner size. Although not obvious, this modification is reasonably easy to achieve. Below is the modified banner with a custom size of 220×180 pixels. Read on to find out how to make the modifications.

Note that authoring is not available in miniMax3.

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Have you ever wondered what the “D” button in the Text Properties panel in SWiSH Max does? It allows selection of Embedded or Device fonts. Selecting between Embedded and Device font can affect the clarity and accuracy of the displayed font as well as the size of the exported movie. As the choices, Embedded or Device may sound cryptic, I have described the differences, advantages and disadvantages of each of the font options below.

The ‘Use Device Fonts’ option is on the Typeface options shown in the Text object’s Properties panel.

 The examples below demonstrates the difference in clarity for different font options. (more…)

This is a continuation of the tutorial, Introducing the Timeline. Movie Clips are “mini movies”, they have independent timelines relative to the Scene and other MCs. However, the MC must exist in the scene for its timeline to exist and its timeline cannot extend beyond the scene’s timeline (i.e. not to the next scene).

Originally known as sprites in the first version of SWiSH Max, these objects are now referred to as Movie Clips . Movie Clips, abbreviated as MC in the remainder of this document, are a powerful tool that simplifies the creation of complex effects and assist in grouping complex sub assemblies into easily manageable objects.

To facilitate identification of a specific MC via script, all MC’s must be named. It is good practice to name all objects, even if they are not referenced by scripting as such naming can assist in identification of a particular object. e.g. instead of leaving the name of a shape as “Shape”, give it a name that helps identify the use of the shape within the movie. eg. “face”.

Example

With your text object selected, go to main menu and select Modify| Convert | Convert To Movie Clip.

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The aim of this tutorial is to give users a better understanding of the use of the timeline in a SWiSH Max movie. The timeline can be used to define when objects appear, disappear or have effects applied to them. It can also be used to define when various “Script Actions” occur.

Each Scene and each Movie Clip within your movie has its own independent timeline. The Scene timeline can be used to manipulate objects that are in a scene. Movie Clip timelines are used to manipulate objects within the specific Movie Clip. Scene timelines run when a specific scene is visible. Movie Clip timelines run while the object exists within the scene. For example, if you are using a ‘place’ effect, the Movie Clip timeline will not start running until the object has been placed. The independent nature of the timelines means that a movie clip timeline will contine to play even if the main scene timeline is stopped. Script commands explained later in this article can be used to synchronize the different timelines. (more…)

In many projects, you might have a need to disable a button or two.  In some projects, you might need to disable all buttons at once.  This process can be tedious if using the most common methods, but we’ll show you how to do it quickly and easily in this short tutorial. One practical example of this might be in something like an image “lightbox” – where you have an image opening on top of your movie and don’t want the buttons beneath it to be clickable.

This first example shows a standard image gallery.  Click on any of the thumbnails to open the larger image.  You can move your mouse around the movie and see that the cursor changes as you mouseover the buttons.  These are all still active and clickable while the image is open. (more…)