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Create symbols

You can create a symbol from selected objects on the Stage, create an empty symbol and make or import the content in symbol-editing mode, and create font symbols in Flash. Symbols can contain all the functionality that Flash can create, including animation.

Using symbols that contain animation lets you create Flash applications with a lot of movement while minimizing file size. Consider creating animation in a symbol that has a repetitive or cyclic action—the up‑and‑down motion of a bird’s wings, for example.

To add symbols to your document, use shared library assets during authoring or at runtime.

A tutorial entitled Create Symbols and Instances is available on the Flash Tutorials web page at www.adobe.com/go/learn_fl_tutorials. Download and decompress the Tutorials zip file and navigate to the Basic Tasks\Create Symbols and Instances directory.

Convert selected elements to a symbol

  1. Select an element or several elements on the Stage. Do one of the following:

    • Select Modify > Convert To Symbol.

    • Drag the selection to the Library panel.

    • Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) and select Convert To Symbol from the context menu.

  2. In the Convert To Symbol dialog box, type the name of the symbol and select the behavior.
  3. Click in the registration grid to position the registration point for the symbol.
  4. Click OK.

    Flash adds the symbol to the library. The selection on the Stage becomes an instance of the symbol. Once you have created a symbol, you can edit it in symbol edit mode by choosing Edit > Edit Symbols, or you can edit it in the context of the Stage by choosing Edit > Edit In Place. You can also change the registration point of a symbol.

Create an empty symbol

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Select Insert > New Symbol.

    • Click the New Symbol button at the lower left of the Library panel.

    • Select New Symbol from the Library Panel menu in the upper-right corner of the Library panel.

  2. In the Create New Symbol dialog box, type the name of the symbol and select the behavior.
  3. Click OK.

    Flash adds the symbol to the library and switches to symbol-editing mode. In symbol-editing mode, the name of the symbol appears above the upper left corner of the Stage, and a cross hair indicates the symbol’s registration point.

  4. To create the symbol content, use the Timeline, draw with the drawing tools, import media, or create instances of other symbols.
  5. To return to document-editing mode, do one of the following:

    • Click the Back button.

    • Select Edit > Edit Document.

    • Click the scene name in the Edit bar.

      When you create a symbol, the registration point is placed at the center of the window in symbol-editing mode. You can place the symbol contents in the window in relation to the registration point. To change the registration point, when you edit a symbol, move the symbol contents in relation to the registration point.



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