Text in Flash

Your text in flash can slide in, fade in and out, grow or shrink or even explode

Flash allows you to set numerous text formatting options

You can even display HTML formatted text that has been loaded from an external file

When you type in text you can rotate it, edit it, resize and move it

But if you break it apart, you can no longer edit it, because each letter becomes a shape

3 Types of text elements

1. static text
2. input text
3. dynamic text

Static Text

Static text cannot change outside the authoring environment

To create a static text label:

• choose text tool
• on property inspector, select static text from dropdown list
• click on stage
• enter your text
• The text stays on the same line until you hit the enter key.
• When finished click on an empty part of the stage

To change text click the text with the text tool again or double click it with the select tool

To create a static text block:

• Select the text tool
• T is keyboard shortcut
• Click on the stage and drag out a box
• Type in the box
• Click somewhere else on the stage to deselect

You can change the size of a textbox

• Select the textbox
• Drag the small circle or square to resize

Font type, color, size

You can change the font properties by selecting the text and using the property inspector

Font Type

• Select the text
• Click the font dropdown and select the font you want to use
• A preview of the font is shown

Font Size

• Select the text
• Click the font size arrow and drag up or down or type a new font size in the box

Font Color

Select the text

Click on the color box in the property inspector

Kerning and Tracking

Tracking is the space between the characters and words on a line of text. Tracking affects the entire line.

Kerning is the space between two specific characters

Most fonts contain info about problem characters pairs. This info is used when you select Auto Kern.

Setting Auto kern

• Select the text
• Click in the Auto Kern checkbox

 

Adjust Tracking

• Select text
• Select the text menu
• Select Tracking
• Click increase or decrease
• 0.5 increments

Adjust kerning

• Place your cursor between two characters
• Click the text menu
• Select tracking
• Increase or decrease

Text Direction and Orientation

Flash allows you to display text vertically

 

• Select the text tool
• Click the change direction button on the property inspector
• Select from
• Vertical ,Left to right
• Vertical, Right to left
• Click the stage and start typing
• Click elsewhere on the stage to deselect

You can also convert text to vertical text the same way

You can rotate the vertical text using the rotate button

Text Alignment

1. Align Left
2. Align Right
3. Align Center
4. Justify

Margin and Spacing

• Indent
• Indent first line of paragraph
• Line Spacing
• Adjust the space between lines
• Left Margin
• Space between left of textbox and left side of text
• Right Margin
• Space between right of textbox and right of text

Click the format button

Add a filter effect to text

• Using the text tool add some text
• Select the text
• Select the filters tab

• Click the plus button

• Select a filter
• You can adjust the filter as well

 

Break Text Apart

Text can be broken apart two levels

• Breaks text apart by each character
• Break text apart and converts it back to a shape

• Add some text to the stage
• Click the modify menu
• Select Break Apart

Now each character is a separate item that can be move, rotated or more

To convert the text into a shape

Break apart the text twice

Dynamic Text

Dynamic text is used when you want to add or change text dynamically through Actionscripting.

In the property inspector you can change the text type

 

• Change the text type to Dynamic
• Draw out a textbox

There are now several additional properties in the property inspector

• Instance Name
• Line Type
• Character Position
• Selectable
• Render Text as HTML
• Show Border
• Variable Name

Instance Name

Name for this text that you can use in code to reference it

Line Type

Allows you to select a single line or multiline for your dynamic text

Selectable

Allows the user to select the text in the box

Render Text as HTML

allows you to include hyperlinks and HTML tags

Show Border

Shows a border around the textbox so it can be seen

Variable Name

Variable name to use in Actionscript code

Example1 (using instance name)

• Add a dynamic text box to the stage
• Give it an instance name of myText (all one word)

• Click the F9 button to open the actions panel
• Add this code

myText.text=”Hello World”;

• Test your movie

 

Example2 (using variable)

• Add a dynamic text box to the stage
• Give it a variable name of myVariable (all one word)

• Click the F9 button
• Add this code:

myVariable=”Goodbye”

 

• Test your movie

Input Text

Input text allows you to retrieve data from the user

It has the save properties as the dynamic text with the addition of Maximum Characters.

 

Maximum Characters allows you to limit the amount of characters a user can enter

Spell Checking

Flash allows you to check spelling, but first it must be set up.

 

• Click the text menu
• Select Spelling setup

• Select document options
• Select Dictionaries
• You can add a personal dictionary if you like
• Select your options
• Click OK

• Click the Text menu
• Select Check Spelling