ptg 430 Chapter 18 The power of a component is its ability to change. Components can be modified directly in the Component Inspector panel, or they can be modified dynamically, as the Flash movie runs. The Component Inspector panel has three areas to modify a component— Parameters, Bindings, and Schema. These three tabs allow you to attach components to data files, change or modify the text on a but- ton, or create drop-down menus and lists. Setting Parameters Options After adding an instance of a component to a Flash document, you can name the instance at the top of the Property Inspector, and then specify the parameters for the instance using the options and fields under Component Parameters in the Property Inspector ( New! ). Each component has parameters that you can set to change the instance’s appearance and behavior. A parameter is a property or method that appears in the Property Inspector. The most commonly used proper- ties and methods appear as authoring param- eters; others can be set using ActionScript. Authoring parameters represent common things such as the label attached to a Button component, or items displayed when using the List component. If you set a parameter using ActionScript, it will override any value set while authoring. Understand that each component will have its own unique parameters, and changing parameters in the Property Inspector only changes the selected instance. Parameters include the ability to change an instance's Working with the Component Inspector Component Parameters in the Property Inspector Bindings tab From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 18 Adding and Modifying Components 431 that the Bindings tab needs in order to handle your data correctly. For example, you can click the Schema tab, define the binding compo- nent (DataGrid), and then use the Bindings tab to link the DataGrid component to the external XML file. The top portion of the Schema tab dis- plays bindable properties associated with the selected component, while the bottom portion of the Schema tab displays detailed informa- tion about the selected schema item (selected from the top portion of the Schema tab), and gives you the ability to view or edit them. font, color, and size. You can add additional parameters by selecting the instance on the Stage and typing the script into the Actions panel. If you add the script to Frame 1 in the Timeline, you can create global changes to instance parameters. Setting Binding Options Data Binding is a concept where the property of one component can be bound to the property of another component: if the prop- erty of the one component changes, so will the property of the other component or com- ponents. The Bindings tab defines a link between two endpoints, a source (external data file, movie clip, graphic) and a destina- tion component (DataGrid, Loader, Label). It listens for changes to the source endpoint and copies the changed data to the destina- tion endpoint each time the source changes. Setting Schema Options Schemas are important because they help create a communication link between other components, using the Bindings tab. A com- ponent's schema simply represents the prop- erties and fields that are available for data binding. Each property or field contains set- tings that control validation, formatting, type conversion, and other features that affect how data binding and the data management com- ponents handle the data of a field. The Schema tab lets you view the schema for the selected component. Schema is basi- cally a list of the component's binding proper- ties, their data types, their internal structure, and other special attributes, depending on the selected component. This is the information Schema tab From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg 432 Chapter 18 The TextInput component works with the ActionScript TextField object. Once a TextInput component is added to the Stage, you can use styles to customize the font, size, and color. A TextInput component can be formatted using HTML, or even as a password field that disguises the text. When a TextInput field has focus, visitors can use the arrow keys to move through information in the field, and they can use the tab key to move the focus to the next object, or Shift+Tab to move to the previ- ous object. TextInput fields can be used to hold information. For exam- ple, you could use a group of TextInput components as the basis for creating an interactive form for fields such as: name, address, city, state, and zip code. Adding a Text Input Add a TextInput Component Open the Components panel. Click the User Interface arrow to expand the list. Drag the TextInput component onto the Stage, and then select the component. Open the Properties panel, and then click the Component Parameters arrow to expand it. Select from the following Text Input parameters: ◆ editable. When you select the check box, the field can be edited. If you select false, the field can be selected but not edited. ◆ password (2.0) or display AsPassword (3.0). When you select the check box, text entered into the field appears as dots. If you select false, text typed into the field appears as typed. ◆ text. Click the Value field, and then enter the text that will appear in the field when the Flash document opens. 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 18 Adding and Modifying Components 433 ◆ maxChars. Click the Value field, and then enter a numerical value indicating the max characters allowed in the TextInput field. ◆ restrict. Click the Value field, and then enter any characters that cannot be entered into the TextInput field. ◆ enabled. When you select the check box, the field can be edited. If you select false, the field appears grayed out and is not selectable or editable. ◆ visible. When you select the check box, the field can be viewed. If you select false, the field is invisible. ◆ minHeight (2.0). Click the Value field, and then enter a minimum height for the TextInput box. ◆ minWidth (2.0). Click the Value field, and then enter a minimum width for the TextInput box. Click the Control menu, point to Test Movie, and then click Test. IMPORTANT Although you can change the size of any component using the Free Transform tool, since the TextInput component is a single-line component, changing its height does not impact how many lines of text you can type. 6 TextInput component 5 4 From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg 434 Chapter 18 The ComboBox component creates a drop-down list of selectable options. They can be either static or editable. The static ComboBox component allows a user to make a single selection from a drop-down list. An editable ComboBox component lets users enter text into a text field located at the top of the list, as well as selecting an item from a drop-down list. A ComboBox component is composed of three subcom- ponents: Button, TextInput, and List components. When a visitor selects an item, the label of the selection is automatically copied to the text field at the top of the combo box. The ComboBox component is an excellent way to offer several choices to a user, without the necessity of them having to type in a response. For example, a ComboBox could be used to list all of the states in the union in a drop-down box, giving the user the chance to select his home state. When the ComboBox dis- plays in a Flash document, it appears as a single line; clicking the trian- gle to the right of the line expands the box and displays all the available options. Adding a Combo Text Box Add a ComboBox Component Open the Components panel. Click the User Interface arrow to expand the list. Drag the ComboBox component onto the Stage, and then select the component. Open the Properties panel, and then click the Component Parameters arrow to expand it. Select from the following ComboBox parameters: ◆ data (2.0) or dataProvider (3.0). Click the Edit button, and then enter an array in the Values dialog box. Click the plus (+) sign to add values and the minus sign (-) to remove a value. Data values are used to populate the drop-down list. ◆ editable. When you select the check box, the field can be edited. If you select false, the field can be selected but not edited. 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 ComboBox component From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 18 Adding and Modifying Components 435 ◆ labels (2.0). Click the Edit button, and then enter an array in the Values dialog box. Click the plus (+) sign to add values, and the minus sign (-) to remove a value. Data values are used as the selectable items in the list. ◆ rowCount. Click the Value field, and then enter a number to determine the maximum height of the drop-down list. ◆ enabled. When you select the check box, the items in the list can be selected. If you select false, the field appears grayed out and is not selectable. ◆ prompt (3.0). Click the Value field, and then enter a prompt message text. ◆ visible. When you select the check box, the field can be viewed. If you select false, the field is invisible. ◆ minHeight (2.0). Click the Value field, and then enter a minimum height for the ComboBox box. ◆ minWidth (2.0). Click the Value field, and then enter a minimum width for the ComboBox box. IMPORTANT If there is not enough room for the ComboBox to open without hitting the bottom of the document, it will open up instead of down. Click the Control menu, point to Test Movie, and then click Test. When you click the Select Your Country list arrow, the list will open, and a selection can be made by clicking on one of the available options. 6 6 Use to add, remove and order values Enter values 5 4 Click to add values From the Library of Wow! eBook . the Component Inspector panel, or they can be modified dynamically, as the Flash movie runs. The Component Inspector panel has three areas to modify a. lists. Setting Parameters Options After adding an instance of a component to a Flash document, you can name the instance at the top of the Property Inspector,