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

Editing symbols

When you edit a symbol, Flash updates all the instances of that symbol in the movie. Flash provides three ways for you to edit symbols. You can edit the symbol in context with the other objects on the Stage using the Edit in Place command. Other objects are dimmed to distinguish them from the symbol you are editing. The name of the symbol you are editing is displayed in an information bar at the top of the Stage, to the right of to the current scene name.

You can also edit a symbol in a separate window, using the Edit in New Window command. Editing a symbol in a separate window lets you see both the symbol and the main Timeline at the same time. The name of the symbol you are editing is displayed in the information bar at the top of the Stage.

You edit the symbol by changing the window from the Stage view to a view of only the symbol, using symbol-editing mode. The name of the symbol you are editing is displayed in the information bar at the top of the Stage, to the right of the current scene name.

When you edit a symbol, all instances of the symbol throughout the movie are updated to reflect your edits. While editing a symbol, you can use any of the drawing tools, import media, or create instances of other symbols.

To edit a symbol in place:

1 | Do one of the following:
| Double-click an instance of the symbol on the Stage.
| Select an instance of the symbol on the Stage and right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh), and choose Edit in Place from the context menu.
| Select an instance of the symbol on the Stage and choose Edit > Edit in Place.
2 | Edit the symbol as needed.
3 | To exit Edit in Place mode and return to movie-editing mode, do one of the following:
| Click the Back button at the left side of the information bar at the top of the Stage.
| Choose the current scene name from the Scene pop-up menu in the information bar at the top of the Stage.
| Choose Edit > Edit Document.

To edit a symbol in a new window:

1 | Select an instance of the symbol on the Stage and right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh), and choose Edit in New Window from the context menu.
2 | Edit the symbol as needed.
3 | Click the Close box in the upper right corner (Windows) or upper left corner (Macintosh) to close the new window, and click in the main movie window to return to editing the main movie.

To edit a symbol in symbol-editing mode:

1 | Do one of the following
| Double-click the symbol's icon in the Library panel.
| Select an instance of the symbol on the Stage and right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) and choose Edit from the context menu.
| Select an instance of the symbol on the Stage and choose Edit > Edit Symbols.
| Select the symbol in the Library panel and choose Edit from the Library options menu, or right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the symbol in the Library panel and choose Edit from the context menu.
2 | Edit the symbol as needed on the Stage.
3 | To exit symbol-editing mode and return to editing the movie, do one of the following:
| Click the Back button at the left side of the information bar at the top of the Stage.
| Choose Edit > Edit Document.
| Click the scene name in the information bar at the top of the Stage.