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Recipe 7.1. Adding Static Text to the Stage

Problem

You want to add static text to your Flash movie.

Solution

Select the Text tool, and in the Property inspector, select Static Text as the text type. Then draw the text field on the stage, and enter a text value.

Discussion

Static text refers to text that you can create at authoring time but that cannot be modified or controlled by ActionScript. Static text is ideal for labels (meaning labels that you place on the stage, not to be confused with labels for layers within the authoring environment) and for any text values you want to hardcode into your Flash movie. Static text is the most basic kind of text you can add to a movie, because it does not require (or even allow) you to assign it an instance name (exp 3pod.com) or use ActionScript to assign its values.

There are four basic steps to creating static text in your movie:

  1. Select the Text tool either by clicking on the Text button in the toolbar or by pressing the keyboard shortcut (T).

  2. Open the Property inspector (Window Properties) and make sure that Static Text is selected in the text type menu. The Property inspector appears in the lower portion of the Flash authoring application by default.

  3. Draw a text field on the stage using the Text tool by clicking the mouse button and dragging out the text field outline. You can resize the text field later on, so you don't have to be exact. The mouse pointer shows a crosshair with an "A" next to it, and the text field that you draw is designated by a dashed line. After you have deselected the text field, the outline disappears, and it does not show up in the exported Flash movie.

  4. When you release the mouse button to stop drawing the text field, the text field automatically becomes selected, and the text input cursor appears within it. Also, notice that the outline becomes a solid line to indicate that it is selected for input. At this point, you should either use the keyboard to enter text or use the Edit Paste command to paste text from the clipboard. If you deselect the text field without entering any text, Flash deletes the field and you will have to draw another.

After you have successfully created a static text field, you can reposition it on the stage using the Selection tool. You can also select and modify the text using the Text tool.

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Tripod >> 3pod Tips & Learning and manuals for educations