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IntroductionThe Text tool is used to place text on the stage. In Fash, text can be static (always the same), input (changed by a user), or dynamic (changed by a program). Text has the normal fonts used in word processing, including different styles, colors, and sizes.
Select the Text tool as shown in the figure.
Click on the Stage and the text entry option appears. See the figure.
Then, enter the text by typing. The figure shows an example of text on the stage.
Text properties are controlled by the Character panel. This is displayed by pressing CTRL-T.
Select the Text tool, click on the stage, and press CTRL-T. The figure shows the Character panel.
Notice that the are three tab options, and several options for font and color.
The font options work exactly like those in MS Word or other word processing programs. You can select the options for new text, or highlight text and apply the new options to the highlighted text. Similarly, color can be changed on text.
The URL option allows text to be used in a hyperlink, just as HTML uses hyperlink. Select some text on stage, and then enter a http://www.logicians.com. Save your movie, and run it using CTRL-ENTER. When you move the mouse cursor over the text with the URL, then a small hand pointing appears. Click the text and notice that the logicians.com site is displayed in a browser (you need an Internet connection for this example).
Flash has paragraph justification facilities, as do word processors. I have shown these in the following figure.
Enter some text, and the select the text. The justify options can then be used, as with word processors.
Flash text can be static, input, or dynamic. Input and dynamic text is controlled by Actionscript, Flash's programming language. I have covered Actionscript elsewhere.
The figure below shows the text options.
The Selectable option checked means that the text can be selected by the user when the flash movie is running.
The Device Font check option indicates whether the fonts is embedded in the flash movie, or installed fonts on the user's PC are used.
Text on the stage can be moved with the arrow tool. Select the arrow tool and move the cursor over the text. When the cursor shape has cross hairs, then the text can be moved with a click and drag movement.
This tutorial introduced the Text tool in Flash. Only static text is considered, dynamic text and input text is considered with Actionscript. Text fonts work similarly as in word processing, fonts can be embedded in a flash movie, or the user's computer can use its own fonts.