Symbols are reusable images
that reduce the file size of your Flash Movie. When you create
a symbol it automatically is stored into the Library. You can drag and
drop an instance of the symbol from the Library to the Stage
whenever needed. You can create three types of symbols - Graphics, Buttons
and Movie clips.
1. For static images you
can use graphic symbols.
2. To create interactive
buttons in the movie that respond to mouse clicks
or rollovers
you can use button symbols. To assign actions to buttons
go to
Adding
Actions section. Before that it is better to go through
this
section.
3. To create reusable pieces
of animation you can use movie clip
symbols.
To see movie clip animation you need to go to the Test
Scene
option as described in the Previewing Animation
section. You
can not
see the actual animation of the movie clip symbol in Flash
authoring
environment.
You
can use the steps written below to create symbols:
1. Go to
Insert > New Symbol
A window
will open as shown below.
2. Name the symbol and select
one of the Behaviors - Movie Clip,
Button
or Graphics.
A symbol
editing window will open as shown below.
The symbol editing
window can be identified by the icon shown by the
Scene
icon in the upper left hand corner above the layer. For different
symbol
type the icons will be like as shown below.
Graphics Symbol
Button Symbol
Movie Clip Symbol
3. Draw the desired symbol
on the stage of the editing window. The
image
will get placed in the Library and
you can use it whenever
needed.
For the Graphic symbol draw the desired object and for the
Movie
Clip symbol create any animation you will need more than
once.
When you select the symbol behavior as button the
editing
window
will look as shown below. When you are done with creating a
symbol,
you can go back to the Scene window by clicking the Scene 
icon. You can drag the desired symbols on the Stage from
the Library
whenever needed.
To create
the Button Symbol follow the steps below:
1. Draw the desired shape
of the Button on the Stage while the frame
named
as Up is selected. Up frame holds the image of the button
without
any mouse events on the Button.
2. Insert a Keyframe
in the frame showed as Over and change the
properties
of the object as desired. Here you can create the effect of
mouse
over i.e you can set the properties of the Button as it should
look
like when the user place the mouse over it.You can change
defferent
properties of an object. Click
to see the properties you can
change.
3. Insert a Keyframe in the
frame showed as Down and change the
Properties
of the object as desired on mouse click event.
4. You can define the part
of the Button which should be active i.e where
the user
should click the mouse. Insert a Keyframe on the Hit area
and draw
the desired shape on the button where you want the user to
click.
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