Flash CS3 Documentation

Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash > Animation, Filters, and Drawings > Drawing with ActionScript

Drawing with ActionScript

You can use methods of the MovieClip class to draw lines and fills on the Stage. This lets you create drawing tools for users and draw shapes in the SWF file in response to events. The following are the MovieClip class drawing methods:

• beginFill()
• beginGradientFill()
• clear()
• curveTo()
• endFill()
• lineTo()
• lineStyle()
• moveTo()

You can use the drawing methods with any movie clip. However, if you use the drawing methods with a movie clip that was created in authoring mode, the drawing methods execute before the clip is drawn. In other words, content that is created in authoring mode is drawn on top of content drawn with the drawing methods.

You can use movie clips with drawing methods as masks; however, as with all movie clip masks, strokes are ignored.

For more information on drawing with ActionScript, see the following topics:

• Using drawing methods to draw lines, curves, and shapes
• Drawing specific shapes
• Using complex gradient fills
• Using line styles
• Using Drawing API methods and scripting animation

For a sample source file which shows you how to use the Drawing API in a Flash application, drawingapi.fla, see the Flash Samples page at www.adobe.com/go/learn_fl_samples. Download the Samples zip file and navigate to the ActionScript2.0/DrawingAPI folder to access this sample.

Flash CS3