Creating Generator templates

You create Generator templates using the Generator authoring tools in Flash 4. Creating and deploying Generator templates consists of these general steps:

1 Create Generator objects. Generator objects include charts, tables, lists, graphs, and placeholders for Flash Player movies, symbol instances, and image files. You can also apply Generator symbol commands to symbol instances. See Using the Generator Objects palette and the Generator inspector.
2 Specify variables if you are using them in the template. Variables let you insert text into a Generator template when content is created. You can also use variables as parameters for Generator object properties, as parameters for most button and frame actions, or as frame labels. See Creating and using variables.
3 Create data sources and assign them to main timelines or to specific objects. A data source can define text or graphics that are inserted in the template, or it can contain values for generating objects such as a chart or a scrolling list. See Providing data sources to Generator.
4 Choose Generator output. In addition to Flash Player movies, you can create JPEG, PNG, QuickTime 4, or GIF files using Generator templates. See Using Data Sources overview.
5 Preview and debug the template. You can display a debugging report when you preview a Generator template to check for errors and determine where you might need to make corrections to the template. See Previewing, debugging, and exporting templates.
6 Deploy the template file for processing. After creating a Generator template with Flash 4, you copy it to a Web server along with any associated data sources and external media content. See Processing templates with Generator overview.