Distributing to layers in Java

Generating Code 39 Full ASCII in Java Distributing to layers

In one of Flash 8 s great features, you can distribute all objects on a layer to separate layers For example, to animate each letter of a word, you can put each letter on a separate layer You may want to animate the letters of the word now so that each letter flies onto the Stage separately Follow these steps to distribute objects to separate layers: 1 Select the text or objects by using the Selection tool For the purposes of this example, select the Text tool from the Tools section of the Tools panel, type now in a single frame, and then select the text

2 If you re working with text, choose Modify Break Apart Otherwise, skip to Step 3 You see a separate box around each letter Each letter is now a separate object 3 Choose Modify Timeline Distribute to Layers Each object or letter is now on a separate layer Macromedia Flash automatically creates the layers for you In the now example, Macromedia Flash creates three layers, named n, o, and w, for each of the three letters The objects also remain on their original layer Because you won t be needing the entire object any longer, you generally want to delete the original layer and keep only the copies on the individual layers

If the content of a layer changes, you probably want to rename the layer to something appropriate to its new content To rename a layer, double-click the layer name in the Layer list, type the new name, and press Enter

To delete a layer, select the layer in the Layer list and click the Delete button (it looks like a trash can) at the bottom of the list (Refer to Figure 4-1) Deleting a layer deletes everything on that layer You may not be able to see everything on the layer because you see only what is on the Stage in the current frame To see everything on a layer throughout the Timeline, follow these steps: 1 Right-click the layer name in the Layer list and choose Hide Others from the contextual menu that appears 2 Click the first frame on the Timeline 3 Press Enter to run the animation

You can copy an entire layer, and if you do, all the objects on that layer are copied as well Follow these steps to copy a layer: 1 Select the layer by clicking the layer s name in the Layer list Selecting the layer selects all the objects on the layer 2 Choose Edit Copy

Macromedia Flash displays objects in the order of their layers, from the top down In other words, objects on the top layer appear in front of objects on the next layer You can reorder the Layer list to change what objects appear in front on the Stage See Figure 4-2 for an example

To move a layer to a different spot in the Layer list, click and drag the layer s name to the location that you want the layer to appear and then release the mouse button

A guide layer is a special type of layer that s invisible when you publish your Flash document and play it as a movie Guide layers have the following main purposes: Drawing guide: You can place gridlines on the Stage to help you lay out the objects on the Stage, or you can import a bitmap and use it as a guide to help you draw using the graphics tools The content on the guide layer is invisible when you publish the movie, but having the extra layer helps you draw Motion guide: You can place a path on a guide layer that controls the animation of an object You can read more about this process in Book IV, 5