Flash glossary: Graphic symbol
Graphic symbols are one of the three types of symbols you can create in Adobe Flash Professional, in addition to button and movie clip symbols.
Use graphic symbols for static images and to create reusable pieces of animation that are tied to the main Timeline. Graphic symbols operate in sync with the main Timeline. Interactive controls and sounds won't work in a graphic symbol's animation sequence. Graphic symbols add less to the FLA file size than buttons or movie clips because they do not have their own timeline.
To create a graphic symbol, select the desired artwork on the Stage. Choose Modify > Convert to Symbol (or press F8). In the Convert to Symbol dialog box that appears, enter the name for the symbol, set the type to Graphic, and click OK.
The graphic symbol will appear in the Library. Drag an instance of the graphic symbol to the Stage to use it in your project.
Note: When you select an instance of a graphic symbol and access the Property inspector, you'll notice that unlike other types of symbols, graphic symbols do not have an Instance Name field. This means they cannot be identified and manipulated using ActionScript. If you want to control the graphic with ActionScript, convert the graphic to a movie clip symbol instead.
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