Creating buttons

A button is a type of symbol that can display a different image for each of the button's possible states and carry out a specific action when your audience interacts with the button using the mouse. You specify the different states of a button by creating keyframes in a four-frame Timeline.

For an interactive lesson on creating buttons in Flash, choose Help > Lessons > 6 Buttons.

To make a button interactive in a movie, place an instance of the button symbol on the Stage and assign actions to the instance.

Each frame in the Timeline of a button symbol has a specific function:

	The first frame—the Up state—represents the button whenever the pointer is not over the button.
	The second frame—the Over state—represents the button's appearance when the pointer is over it.
	The third frame—the Down state—represents the button's appearance as it is clicked.
	The fourth frame—the Hit state—defines the area that will respond to the mouse. This area is invisible in the movie.
	Typical contents of the Up, Over, Down, and Hit frames

To create a button:

1	Make sure that nothing is selected on the Stage and choose Insert > New Symbol, or press Control+F8 (Windows) or Command+F8 (Macintosh).
2	In the Symbol Properties dialog box, enter a name for the new button symbol and choose Button as the Behavior option.
	Flash switches to symbol-editing mode. The Timeline header changes to display four consecutive frames labeled Up, Over, Down, and Hit. The first frame, Up, is a blank keyframe.
3	To create the Up state button image, use the drawing tools, import a graphic, or place an instance of another symbol on the Stage.
	You can use either a movie clip or graphic symbol in a button, but you cannot use another button in a button. Use movie clip symbols if you want to create an animated button.
4	Click the second frame, labeled Over, and choose Insert > Keyframe.
	The button image from the first frame appears on the Stage.
5	Change the button image for the Over state; repeat steps 4 and 5 for the Down frame and the Hit frame.
	The Hit frame is not visible on the Stage, but it defines the area of the button that responds when clicked. Make sure that the graphic for the Hit frame is a solid area large enough to encompass all the graphic elements of the Up, Down, and Over frames. It can also be larger than the visible button. If you do not specify a hit frame, the objects in the Up state are used as the hit frame.
6	To assign a sound to the Down state of the button, select the Down frame in the Timeline, choose Modify > Frame, and then click the Sound tab in the Frame Properties dialog box. See Adding sounds to buttons.
7	When you've finished, choose Edit > Edit Movie, and then drag the button symbol out of the Library to create an instance of it in the movie.