Creating Your Own FlashHelp Skins (Part 1): The Structure of FlashHelp Skins

Elements of a FlashHelp Skin

To get a better understanding of exactly what elements comprise a FlashHelp skin, take a look at the contents of the Standard template folder. You'll find the following:

• Skin File (FHS): Look for the file titled "Template.fhs"
• Flash Skin Files (FLA): Twenty-one different FLA files
• Published Skin Flash Files (SWF): One for each FLA file
• Start Page (.HTM): The HTML page used to launch and view the skin runtime
• A collection of other HTML files, SWF files, JavaScript files, and XML files that make up the FlashHelp runtime

Customizing FlashHelp Skins

The customizable elements of a FlashHelp skin are the Flash Skin Files (FLA) and the XML Skin File (FHS). Each of the elements of the Toolbar, Navigation Bar, and Navigation Pane, including the backgrounds, buttons, and so forth, has a corresponding FLA file which you can customize using Macromedia Flash.

You can only customize certain elements of the skin, such as the skin frame layout and audio volume, in the XML Skin File (FHS), a special XML file.

Next, you will learn how to customize some of the simpler elements in a skin. In a subsequent article, you will learn about customizing the other elements and the XML Skin File (FHS).

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