What Is a Flash SDK?

A Flash SDK is an application whose animation, programming, and digital painting tools enable Web developers to create Flash programs. An SDK's programming tools include an ActionScript editor, and animation tools include a timeline for selecting animation frames. You can create graphics by drawing on the SDK's Stage area with tools from the toolbar.

ActionScript Editor

The ActionScript editor is for writing programs that manipulate the graphical objects you've placed on the Flash stage. The editor has tools for checking the syntax of your ActionScript statements, compiling those statements into an executable program, and finding and replacing specific text within the statements. The editor also has tools for automatically entering the remainder of an ActionScript statement after you type the first few characters of the statement. This feature greatly speeds program entry.

Timeline Panel

The timeline panel of a Flash SDK is where you manage the animation sequences of a Flash program. The timeline's central window is a long set of columns, where each column refers to a frame number in an animation. By clicking a column, you can edit the content for the frame the column refers to. Right-clicking a column displays a list of commands you can execute on the frame, including the "Action" command for editing ActionScript statements that impact the frame.

Stage

The Stage area of a Flash SDK is where you add, create and edit all images for a Flash program. You can import existing graphics to the Stage with the "File" menu's "Import" command. Or you can draw new imagery with the "Paintbrush" or "Pencil" tools from the tool palette. To create keyframe animations for your Flash programs, you must first convert a Stage graphic to a Symbol, which you can initiate by right-clicking a graphic and clicking the "Make symbol" command.

Toolbar

A Flash SDK's toolbar holds the tools for editing the Stage's image content. One of the toolbar's most commonly used tools is "Select," which lets you select graphics for editing. Other tools on the toolbar let you paint on the Stage, add predefined shapes like rectangles and ovals, and rotate a graphic in 3-D space.

Previewing Tools

A Flash SDK's previewing tools let developers run a Flash program from within the SDK's programming environment. By doing so, they can quickly detect and correct program flaws such as endless loops, or unresolved references in an ActionScript statement linked to the program.

References

• "Flash Professional CS5 Bible"; Todd Perkins; 2010