Using Symbols, Instances, and Library Assets > Creating symbols |  |

Creating symbols

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

By using symbols that contain animation, you can create movies with a lot of movement while minimizing file size. Consider creating animation in a symbol when there is a repetitive or cyclic action—the up-and-down motion of a bird's wings, for example.

You can also add symbols to your movie by using runtime or author-time shared library assets. See Using shared library assets.

Symbol Properties dialog box in basic and advanced views. The dialog box is titled Create New Symbol if you are creating a new symbol, and Convert to Symbol if you are converting a graphic to a symbol.

To convert selected elements to a symbol:

1 | Select an element or several elements on the Stage and do one of the following:
| Choose Insert > Convert to Symbol.
| Drag the selection to the Library panel.
| Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) and choose Convert to Symbol from the context menu.
2 | In the Convert to Symbol dialog box, type the name of the symbol and choose the behavior—Graphic, Button, or Movie Clip. See Types of symbol behavior.
3 | For Registration, click on a square in the diagram to place 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. You cannot edit an instance directly on the Stage—you must open it in symbol-editing mode; see Editing symbols.

To create a new empty symbol:

1 | Make sure that nothing is selected on the Stage and do one of the following:
| Choose Insert > New Symbol.
| Click the New Symbol button at the bottom left of the Library panel.
| Choose New Symbol from the Library options 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 choose the behavior—Graphic, Button, or Movie Clip. See Types of symbol 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 | When you have finished creating the symbol content, do one of the following to return to movie-editing mode:
| Click the Back button at the left side of the information bar above the Stage.
| Choose Edit > Edit Document.
| Click the scene name in the information bar above the Stage.