Creating symbols

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

Using symbols that have animation, you can create movies with lots 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.

To create a new symbol with selected elements:

1	Select elements on the Stage and choose Insert > Create Symbol.
2	In the Symbol Properties dialog box, type the name of the symbol and choose either Graphic, Button, or Movie Clip as the behavior.
	The selected elements become a single object that is an instance of the symbol. The elements are also copied to a new symbol in the Library. To edit the symbol itself, open it as described in 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 > Create Symbol.
	Click the New Symbol button at the bottom of the Library window.
	Choose New Symbol from the Options menu in the Library window.
2	In the Symbol Properties dialog box, type the name of the symbol and choose either Graphic, Button, or Movie Clip as the behavior.
	Flash switches to symbol-editing mode. The name of the symbol appears above the top left corner of the Stage. The window contains a crosshair that represents the symbol's registration point. If you don't see the registration point, choose View > Show Frame.
3	To create the symbol content, use the Timeline, draw with the drawing tools, import media, or create instances of other symbols.
4	When you have finished creating the symbol content, choose Edit > Edit Movie to exit symbol-editing mode.