Summer 2010 week 3:—5/24/10: Mon. 9:00 - 12:00

Hi Everyone,
For everyone who was new this week in class, this is the home of the blog for this class. Please visit each week to find out what will be due the following week in class, and to help you recall what we covered in class.

Please review here what we did in class yesterday (Monday). Each week, I will post two things: (1) the files that we produced in class that week; and, (2) the homework that will be due the following week.

This week, you will have to complete what we began in class, and then read further for additional assignments.

WEEK 3

1. Syllabus
• LINK    class syllabus
2. Classwork
• LINK    This weeks class-files: read the text file included here for an explanation of the ActionScript
3. Homework
• exercise A:

In this week's class, you completed a very basic website in Flash, making an external file load when you clicked on your button, and then making another one load when you click on a second button.

1. What I would like you to do next, if you hadn't done so in class, is, first to create the external flash files for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th buttons. All you need to do is type some text, put a picture, or draw something in those files. Nothing more than that.
2. Next, make certain that you export the .swf file (ctrl-enter) for each of those new pages.
3. Also, make sure that all the files, both the .fla files AND the .swf files are all in the same folder.
4. Now, you'll have to go back to the index and give the other 3 buttons Instance Names.
5. Then, go to the actions panel, and type the new code to load those pages when you click on the proper buttons.



NEW CODE
1. You will need 3 more functions, and inside those 3 new functions, you will need the same actions that the other two functions have.
2. You will also need 3 more URLRequest objects, 3 more loader objects, and 3 more listeners.
3. For each of these new lines of code, make certain that you do NOT name the functions with the same names, and that you NOT name the request and loader objects with the same name.
4. HINTS:
1. name the functions with names such as loadOne, loadTwo, loadThree, loadFour, and loadFive
2. name the requests with names such as myReq_01, myReq_02, myReq_03, myReq_04, and myReq_05.
3. name the loaders with names such as myLoad_01, myLoad_02, myLoad_03, myLoad_04, and myLoad_05.



• exercise B:

  1. What you see now that you have completed the previous exercise is a bunch of code. You have 5 of everything, and that is VERY inefficient. It could be done in a much better way with less code.

     What I would like you to do, is to type somewhere in a blank page, in Microsoft Word or even in TextEdit on a Mac or Notepad on a PC, what you think could be done to make it more simple. You DON'T have to know how to do this, just what you think should be done. This could be one thing, or it could be several things. I just want to see how you're thinking about the code.

  
  
  
• extra credit:
  1. Make the code you typed for exercise 1 more simple by reducing the amount of code that is typed and still have it function properly.
  
  
  

Summer 2010 week 2:—5/17/10: Mon. 9:00 - 12:00

Hi Everyone,
For everyone who was new this week in class, this is the home of the blog for this class. Please visit each week to find out what will be due the following week in class, and to help you recall what we covered in class.

Please review here what we did in class yesterday (Monday). Each week, I will post two things: (1) the files that we produced in class that week; and, (2) the homework that will be due the following week.

This week, I am assigning the same homework as last week for the new students. Last week, it was for extra credit. This week, however, it is not for extra credit. It is required for EVERYONE! There is also additional work you must do.

WEEK 2

1. Syllabus
• LINK    class syllabus
2. Classwork
• LINK    This weeks classfiles (same as last week's)
3. Homework
• exercise 1:

  Today, in this week's class, you completed a very basic animation with a few small bits of interactivity, making the animation stop when you clicked on your button, making it resume when you click on the 2nd button, and making it skip to frame 100 when you click on the 3rd button.

  1. What I would like you to do next, if you hadn't done so in class, is to modify the actions for the 3rd button to the following: gotoAndStop(currentFrame + 10);
  2. Next, from your library, take 4 more instances of your button symbol and arrange them next to your others on the stage.
  3. Give them the instance names of pt1_btn, pt2_btn, pt3_btn, and pt4_btn.
  4. Using what you understand about the actionscript we have already typed, try to make the 1st new button go to frame 1 and start playing. Then, make the 2nd new button go to frame 51 and start playing, the 3rd go to frame 101 and start playing, and the 4th go to frame 151 and start playing.
  5. HINTS: you will need 4 more functions, 4 more listeners, and inside those 4 new functions, you will need gotoAndPlay(); actions.
  6. Oh, and remember, COPY & PASTE is your friend. Just make certain you don't copy and paste mistakes, because then you multiply your mistakes.

Summer 2010 week 1:—5/10/10: Mon. 9:00 - 12:00

Hi Everyone,
This is the home of the blog for this class. I've sent an email out to the person that has already reserved DMA205.blogspot.com to see if he'll allow me to take over that name, but until then, I will be using DMA-205.blogspot.com.

Regarding this week's work, please make certain you understand most of what we did in class today (Monday). Each week, I will post two things: (1) the files that we produced in class that week; and, (2) the homework that will be due the following week.

Since I was late to class today and some students left before I arrived, I will count as extra credit (one assignment's worth) anyone who completes this week's homework by our next class.

Next week, I will assign the same homework, but it will not be for extra credit, but required; and I will also assign additional work next week. Therefore, it's in your best interest to go ahead and give it a try. One person has already completed it!

Since I am just now starting this blog, it will take me some time to get it into shape. So, if you have any difficulties with it, please let me know.
Carter-

WEEK 1

1. Syllabus
• LINK    class syllabus
2. Classwork
• LINK    This weeks classfiles
3. Homework
• exercise 1:

  Today, in this week's class, you completed a very basic animation with one small bit of interactivity, making the animation stop when you clicked on your button.

  1. What I would like you to do next, is to add a 2nd button (you may use the same button from the library that you already created, just drag another instance onto the stage next to the first one.
  2. Select this 2nd button by clicking on it one time, and in the properties, give it an instance name of play_btn.
  3. Lock the buttons layer, and then click in frame one of the actions layer (make certain it is not locked). Then, here in the actions layer, open up the actions panel and look at the actionscript you already have. You have a function named stop_it with one action, the stop(); action, and you have a listener, the last line of the code.
     
     Those things make the button work, make it stop the animation from playing. What we need to add is a set of code that may make the animation play again. We want to do this with the 2nd button you just added to the stage.
  4. Highlight the lines of code that are already there and copy them. Then, click at the end of the code, hit enter a couple of times to add some space, and paste the code you copied. This will give you 2 bits of code that are exactly the same.
  5. To make the animation play again with the 2nd button, you will have to change a few things: the name of the function, the stop() action, and the name of the button.
     
     In the first line of code that you pasted, change the name of the function from stop_it to play_it first.
  6. Change the name of the function in the last line of code that you pasted too, from stop_it() to play_it().
  7. Next, change the stop() action to a play() action.
  8. And then, finally, change the instance name of the button in the code from stop_btn on the last line, to play_btn.
  9. If you have errors that appear, preventing it from working properly, try to read and see if you understand what the errors say. If you double-click on the text of the error, it will automatically take you too the line of code where you have the problem. Look at the code I have given you and see if you can identify any mistakes.






• exercise 2:

  Similar to this week's in-class exercise, I would like you to create a brief little animation. Please do not spend too much time on this animation, but at the same time it shouldn't be a big ugly mess. This animation should have 200 frames. Also like our in-class exercise, you should have two fully-functioning buttons, play & stop, which should similarly stop, and play the animation.
  
  In addition, however, you should have a 3rd button. This button should use what we call a gotoAndPlay(); action instead of stop(); or play();. Look in the book exactly how to use this action, and I would like you to make it go to frame 100 and start playing from there when you click on it.