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Create custom behaviors

To write custom behaviors, create an XML file that contains the ActionScript 2.0 code to perform the desired behavior, and save the file in the Behaviors folder of your local computer. Behaviors are stored in the following location:

  • Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\Flash CS3\language\Configuration\Behaviors

  • Windows Vista: C:\Users\user name\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\Flash CS3\language\Configuration\Behaviors

  • Macintosh: Macintosh HD/Users/user name/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Flash CS3/language/Configuration/Behaviors/

    Before you create your own behaviors, examine the Behavior XML files to develop an understanding of the syntax of the XML files, as well as the ActionScript code used to create behaviors. If you are new to writing behaviors, familiarize yourself with the XML tags used to create user interface elements (such as dialog boxes), and with ActionScript, the coding language used to create behaviors. To learn about the XML used to create interface elements, see Extending Flash. To learn about ActionScript, see Programming ActionScript 3.0 or Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash.

    You can also download behaviors that other Flash users have created from the Adobe Flash Exchange website. You can visit the Adobe Exchange at: www.adobe.com/go/flash_exchange.

  1. Using an XML editor, open an existing behavior’s XML file, and rename the file appropriately for the behavior you intend to create.
  2. Enter a new value for the category attribute of the behavior_devinition tag in the XML file.

    The following XML code creates a category named myCategory in the Flash Behaviors panel under which the behavior will be listed.

    <behavior_definition dialogID="Trigger-dialog" category="myCategory"
    authoringEdition="pro" name="behaviorName">
  3. Enter a new value for the name attribute of the behavior_definition tag. This will be the name of the behavior as it will appear in the Flash authoring environment.
  4. (Optional) If your custom behavior requires a dialog box, enter parameters using the <properties> and <dialog> tags.

    To learn about the tags and parameters used to create your own custom dialog boxes, see Extending Flash.

  5. In the <actionscript> tag, insert the ActionScript code to create the behavior.

    If you are new to ActionScript, see Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash or Programming ActionScript 3.0.

    For example (from the Movieclip_loadMovie.xml behavior file) (ActionScript 2.0):

    <actionscript>
      <![CDATA[ 	//load Movie Behavior
    	if($target$ == Number($target$)){
    		loadMovieNum($clip$,$target$);
    	} else {
    		$target$.loadMovie($clip$);
    	}
    	//End Behavior
      ]]> 
    </actionscript>
  6. Save the file and test the behavior.


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