# Creating a custom pointer

A standard pointer is the operating system's onscreen representation of the position of the user's mouse. By replacing the standard pointer with one you design in Flash, you can integrate the user's mouse movement within the movie environment more closely. The sample in this section uses a custom pointer that looks like a large arrow. The power of this feature, however, lies in your ability to make the custom pointer look like anything—for example, a football to be carried to the goal line or a swatch of fabric pulled over a couch to change its color.

To create a custom pointer, you design the pointer movie clip on the stage. Then in ActionScript you hide the standard pointer and track the movement of the custom pointer. To hide the standard pointer, you use the Mouse.hide() method of the built-in Mouse object. To use a movie clip as the custom pointer, you use the startDrag() action. To see an animated demonstration of a custom pointer, move your mouse pointer over the movie below.

To create a custom pointer:

1. Create a movie clip to use as a custom pointer.
2. Select the movie clip instance on the Stage.
3. Choose Window > Actions to open the Actions panel if it is not already visible.
4. Type the following in the Actions panel:

    onClipEvent(load){
    	Mouse.hide();
    }

5. To apply the new pointer, type the following in the Actions panel:

    onClipEvent (load) {
    	Mouse.hide();
    	startDrag(this, true, 0, 46, 400, 280);
    }

6. Choose Control > Test Movie to test your custom pointer.

Buttons still function when you use a custom pointer. It's a good idea to put the custom pointer on the top layer of the Timeline so that it moves in front of buttons and other objects as you move the mouse in the movie.

For more information about the methods of the Mouse object, see Mouse object.