Creating Components > Workflow for creating components |  |

Workflow for creating components

To create a component, you must complete the following required procedures:

| Create a movie clip that will serve as the basis for the component.
| Add ActionScript with the variables that correspond to the component parameters.
| Define the parameters for the component in the Component Definition dialog box.
| Make the component available for Flash documents.

In addition, you can complete the following optional procedures:

| Create a custom icon to display next to the component name in the Library panel, the Movie Explorer, and the Components panel. If you don't create a custom icon, you can use a component icon that is provided with Macromedia Flash MX.
| Add a text description of the component that describes the component for users. You can add the description as plain text or as an XML item. Descriptions appear in the Reference panel.
| Create a Live Preview movie for the component, to enable users to preview the effects of different parameter values while they work in the Flash MX authoring environment. If you don't provide a Live Preview, users can view the effects of parameter values by using the Test Movie feature.
| Create a custom interface (UI) for the component—a Flash MX movie that lets users enter values for the component parameters. If you don't create a custom interface, users enter parameter values in the default component Property inspector panel or the Component Parameters panel.