Adobe Flash —

Add a stop() action

When a Flash application loads in Flash Player, it automatically plays in a continuous loop. You use ActionScript to control playhead movement in a timeline. You will add a stop() action in the first frame of your application so the user can make an entry in the input text field.

1.
In the Timeline, with the Input Text layer selected, add a new layer and name it Actions.
2.
Select Frame 1 of the Actions layer.
3.
In the Actions panel (Window > Actions), verify that Frame 1 is selected.
4.
Click in the Script pane of the Actions panel, and type the following comment:

// Stops the playhead at Frame 1.

Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh).
5.
Type stop(); to add the stop action.

Add frame labels for navigation

When the viewer presses the Submit button, you want Flash to jump to either the error message or the confirmation message, depending on what is entered in the text field. Labeling a frame helps you reference it in ActionScript easily. This is helpful for sending the playhead to a specific frame.

Next, you'll add frame labels to help you navigate your Flash application.

1.
Add a keyframe (Insert > Timeline > Keyframe) to Frame 5 of the Actions layer.
2.
In the Property inspector, type error in the Frame Label text box.

Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh). The label text and a flag appear in Frame 5 of the Timeline.
3.
Add a keyframe to Frame 10 of the Actions layer.

In the Property inspector, type confirm in the Frame Label text box. Press Enter or Return.