# Can Dynamic Text be a Mask?
**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687
**Category:** flash
**Created:** [August 11, 2004, 4:50pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687 "2004-08-11T16:50:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@sirtimbly](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/sirtimbly)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2004, 4:50pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/1 "2004-08-11T16:50:47Z")
I’ve read the tutorial on how to mask Dynamic Text, but cannot find any solution for making a MC with dynamic text in it be mask for another MC.
For background: I’m trying to create a reusable component to display a line of text and have the flashing effect fly across the letters, only lighting them up. Easy to do with static text, having troubles with dynamic text boxs.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/2 "2004-08-11T20:47:47Z")
nope, can’t be done.
make it, break it and mc it.
then you can use it as a mask
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/3 "2004-08-11T20:55:19Z")
Yes if you break the text apart you can, but then I guess that would defeat the purpose of having dynamic text :lol:
I don’t hae flash here when I get home from work, I’ll play around with it but I highly doubt you can
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2004, 5:56am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/4 "2004-08-12T05:56:13Z")
It works, if you embed the font;)
scotty(-:
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/5 "2004-08-12T13:29:03Z")
Holy crap, embedding the font did work! You rock scotty!:love:
Thanks a bunch.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/6 "2004-08-12T14:41:21Z")
welcome:lol:
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/7 "2004-08-12T15:02:27Z")
Sometimes embedding the font won’t fix it. However if you have your dynamic content and mask in movie clips you can use [color=seagreen]dynamictext\_mc.setMask(yourmask\_mc);[/color] in some instances I found this to be increadibly helpful, so keep it in mind for the future.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/8 "2004-08-12T15:04:45Z")
alrigth, thanks
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/9 "2004-08-12T15:19:05Z")
wanyo, you’re completely right, works much better for small fonts. However in this case if you want to use the text as mask, even if you use setMask(), you’ll have to embed the font. At least i did:lol:
scotty(-:
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2004, 4:32pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/10 "2004-08-12T16:32:20Z")
haha, oops! I misread it. 😊
I just woke up and I’m without coffee. :drool:
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/11 "2004-08-12T19:56:33Z")
I don’t know what is wrong becasue i did embedd the fonts but still it doesn’t seem to mask
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2004, 6:14am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/12 "2004-08-13T06:14:12Z")
Have a look here:)
scotty(-:
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2004, 6:37am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/13 "2004-08-13T06:37:53Z")
wanyo, blaster master rocked when i used to play the nintendo way back. are you seriously remaking a flash version? I still remember the pause while grenade trick =)
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/14 "2004-08-13T13:32:42Z")
hi scotty, thanks for the fla. I never used it like that only used it with the layers and masking it. Is it possible to mask a gradient where by it mask the fades as in photoshop.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2004, 1:34pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/15 "2004-08-13T13:34:34Z")
oh just to let you know i tried changing the alpha to 0 on one colour and solid the other becasue i assume it would act how photoshop masking works but it doesn’t do that. Is there a solution that does a similar thing.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-dynamic-text-be-a-mask/60687/16 "2004-08-13T13:52:15Z")
No you can’t use masks like in Photoshop. One trick, if you have solid background colour, is to a gradient with that colour and let it fade from alpha 0 to alpha 100:)
scotty(-: