New to ActionScript

programming flash
1

Hi all,

I need your help.

I have 8 flash movies to create. All of them are simple picture movies, in fact I created the opening movie and two of the small movies already.

However, those three movies had 13 or fewer photos and no real interactive capabilities (except that the opening movie has 4 inset links on which someone may click, in order to get to the html I am currently creating), whereas these other movies have as many as 130 pictures (one has 40+, another has 60+ and the complete set movie contains 130+).

For the first movies I gave each picture its own layer and simply edited each layer to achieve my goals; specifically: 30fps, fade in one sec., display 6 secs.,fade out 1 sec. while new picture fades in 1 sec., then loop to beginning).

Clearly I cannot do this for the 130+, 60+ and 40+ and 30+ picture movies or it will take forever. So, I need to know how to do this using ActionScript (2 or 3, as I am using Flash CS3).

Here’s what I have done thus far in preparation:

  1. organized the pictures manually in Bridge and renamed them using a numeric reference at the end of the filenames, to set the sequence of each of the movies.
  2. imported them as a series onto the stage (and into the library as a result)
  3. created an actions layer and a buttons layer.
  4. created a numeric navigation bar graphic along the bottom (without the dynamic numbers or functionality, that I refer to below)
  5. created the buttons for “forward” and “back” and “forward to end” and “return to beginning” for the navigation bar.

Tried to work with ActionScript to create the movie as spec’ed above. No joy. Also, these movies have the added functionality of user interactivity.

Goal:

Action Script 1 (runs continuously in background)

  1. 30fps
  2. fade in one sec.
  3. display 6 secs.
  4. fade out 1 sec. while new picture fades in 1 sec.
  5. then loop to beginning
  6. upon interactive input, always resumes it’s script run from the last picture shown prior to displaying the clicked photo
    OR
    6a. upon interactive input, always resumes it’s script run from the last picture clicked during the interaction

Action Script 2 (user interactive control)

  1. insert a dynamic number line into my previously created navigation bar, whose numbers are individually addressable and associated with a specific photo, and which scrolls horizontally as the buttons (fwd., back, etc.) are clicked, where necessary (because there is not enough room to show 30+ to 130+ numbers -so the bar will have to scroll)
  2. highlight the respective numbers and show thumbnails of the respective photos on mouse-over of the numbers in the navigation bar (show pictures just above the number on the number-line, inset on the nav bar)
  3. display the respective pictures in the larger stage area when the mouse is clicked on each number or thumbnail.

I’ve worked hard to learn this over the past couple of months, with research, etc., but I am running into a time constraint (read: deadline) and I really need some help. I can get back to the research with the next project, right now I need to deliver.

Thank you for all of your help.

dh