Rollover effects in flash 8?

Question

I am creating a website in flash for my hometown high school band. We have three bands: beginner, intermediate, and varsity. I created three buttons on my main page using flash professional 8, and when you rollover these buttons, text appears at the top which will contain updates, information, etc.

I have two problems with this text though. When you rollover the buttons, it works fine, but when you rollover in the area where the text is supposed to appear, it appears. How can I fix this?

Here is what I have so far, and shows you what I am talking about. Rollover one of the buttons and look at the text. Then, rollover where the text appears and you will see the problem.

http://www.freewebs.com/jeremyctestinggrounds/sample.swf

My other question is this. How can I make the text that appears on rollover to be editable by an external xml file?

I am creating this for my band, and it will need to be easily editable by my band director...who knows very little about flash, xml, etc.

I really do appreciate all the help I can get, and 10 points goes to whoever helps solve my problem!

Answer 1

Dude, I can't really help you on the first one without the .fla file. What I would think is the problem is that the .swf file keeps on playing when you rollover the button when it should stop on one frame...but then again I'm not sure how you make that rollover effect.

As for XML files, I worked with them a bit, but in Flash CS3, you might think of upgrading. Anyhow this is how some code should look to get the columns out of the xml file. Would work better with just a text file though. I don't think you need a file like .xml for simple things like just a couple of column names.

var xmlLoader:URLLoader = new URLLoader(columnsURL);

//new URLLoader class

xmlLoader.addEventListener(Event.COMPL... xmlLoaded);

//adding events when the loading of .xml file is complete

var columnsXML:XML = new XML();

//new xml object in ActionScript3

columnsXML.ignoreWhitespace = true;

//general safety thing just to make sure it ignores extra whitespaces

function xmlLoaded(evt:Event):void{

columnsXML = XML(xmlLoader.data);

trace(columnsXML);



     //I don't know what form your XML file will have, but here you extract the data

}

Other than that, try posting this problem on the forum from actionscript.org and follow some tutorials. One good one that deals with XML is TotalTraining Flash CS3.

Answer 2

Well I am not to good with flash but.... You could try Dynamic drive. They have many things like this but use dhtml. Check them out.

http://www.dynamicdrive.com/

Sorry I could not help more but I don't use flash.

Answer 3

There should be four frames when you go into the button itself.  I forget their names but a lot of people don't use the fourth one.  What it does is set the size of the area that is rolloverable, like actually part of the button.  Make this a frame, the one with the black circle (terminology escapes me right now) and copy and paste the exact button, but not the rollover state, to this frame.  That should fix it if i remember correctly.

ADDED:

I now have some more time.  It looks like what you want is the first website (only with multiple buttons and laid out well etc...just a quick exercise.  Also there will be some words that are for explanation of the fla file that may make it a little odd and also unclear at first, but when you open the fla it should make sense).  The second link should allow you to download the file so that you can see how it was done.