How to Create a Button in Flash

Arcade Button When Clicked Goes to Web Page

The software application Flash can do many things, such as make animated objects, advertising skyscrapers, mobile-device backgrounds, photo sideshows, presentations, videos and even make a quiz. Flash has several different styles of buttons available to choose from along with different options for the buttons to perform. In this tutorial, one will learn how to make a basic arcade button. Basic buttons can be used for creative web pages and many other things on the Internet.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Flash MX 2004

Instructions

1. 

   Open Flash, and select a new Flash document, modify the dimensions in the property panel or use the menu. Make the document be four inches by four inches to begin designing a button. Later, it can be adjusted to fit the actual button size, if needed. Create a folder, and save the button as button.fla. Choose "publish settings," and publish the HTML and .swf files to the same folder.

2. 

   Under the window menu option, choose other panels, common libraries and then buttons. A panel with button options contained in the library will be displayed. Nine folders with different types of buttons will be available.

3. 

   Choose the arcade-button folder, and double click on it. Choose an arcade button. Drag the button to the flash document. The property panel will display properties available to the button. Use track as button for this example.

4. 

   Click on the plus sign on the behavior panel. This will display a drop-down menu to add action to the button. Choose "go to web page" for the action on this button. A box will pop up, and it will give the option to enter the URL to open when the button is clicked. Enter the URL you want to use, and choose how you'd like the page to open. There are four options. The web page will open in a new window when the button is clicked.

5. 

   Publish and save the button. After you've made the selections, the properties for the event and action will be listed under the behavior panel. Publish the button, and save it to the folder created earlier. After the button has been saved, choose to preview it using the menu file drop-down option "preview HTML." Test the button. Everything works great, and you are now ready to use the new button.

Tips & Warnings

• Use action script when more settings are required.

• Save your work ofter.

• Keep files organized.

Resources

• Macromedia
• Flash Exchange