Flash CS3 Documentation

Using ActionScript 2.0 Components > Creating Components > Final steps in component development

Final steps in component development

After you create the component and prepare it for packaging, you can add an icon and a tool tip. To make sure you completed all the necessary steps, you can also refer to the Component development checklist.

This section contains the following topics:

• Adding an icon
• Adding a tooltip
• Component development checklist

Adding an icon

You can add an icon that represents your component in the Components panel of the Flash authoring environment.

To add an icon for your component:

1. Create a new image.

   The image must measure 18 pixels square, and you must save it in PNG format. It must be 8-bit with alpha transparency, and the upper left pixel must be transparent to support masking.

2. Add the following definition to your component's ActionScript class file before the class definition:

   [IconFile("component_name.png")]
   

3. Add the image to the same directory as the FLA file. When you export the SWC file, Flash includes the image at the root level of the archive.

Adding a tooltip

Tooltips appear when a user rolls the mouse over your component name or icon in the Components panel of the Flash authoring environment.

You define a tooltip in the Component Definition dialog box. You can access this dialog box from the Library options menu (Windows: Right-click, Mac: control-click) of the component's FLA file.

To add a tooltip in the Component Definition dialog box:

1. With the FLA file of your component open in Flash, make sure the Library is visible (Window > Library menu).
2. Click the Library options menu (Windows: Right-click, Mac: Control-click).

   The Library options menu is on the right side of the Library title bar, and appears as an icon of three lines and a down triangle.

3. Select the Component Definition option.
4. In the Component Definition dialog box, under Options, select Display in the Components Panel.

   The Tool tip text box becomes editable.

5. Enter the tooltip text for your component in the Tool tip text box.
6. Click OK to save the changes.

Flash CS3