Adobe Flash Professional CC 2014 v.13.0 - Manual (Page 63)

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Create symbols
You can create a symbol from selected objects on the Stage, create an empty symbol and make or import the content in symbol-editing mode, and
create font symbols in Flash Professional. Symbols can contain all the functionality that Flash Professional can create, including animation.
Using symbols that contain animation lets you create Flash Professional applications with a lot of movement while minimizing file size. Consider
creating animation in a symbol that has a repetitive or cyclic action—the up-and-down motion of a bird’s wings, for example.
To add symbols to your document, use shared library assets during authoring or at runtime.
Convert selected elements to a symbol
1. Select an element or several elements on the Stage. Do one of the following:
Select Modify > Convert To Symbol.
Drag the selection to the Library panel.
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) and select Convert To Symbol from the context menu.
2. In the Convert To Symbol dialog box, type the name of the symbol and select the behavior.
3. Click in the registration grid to position the registration point for the symbol.
4. Click OK.
Flash Professional adds the symbol to the library. The selection on the Stage becomes an instance of the symbol. Once you have created a
symbol, you can edit it in symbol edit mode by choosing Edit > Edit Symbols, or you can edit it in the context of the Stage by choosing
Edit > Edit In Place. You can also change the registration point of a symbol.
Create an empty symbol
1. Do one of the following:
Select Insert > New Symbol.
Click the New Symbol button at the lower left of the Library panel.
Select New Symbol from the Library Panel menu in the upper-right corner of the Library panel.
2. In the Create New Symbol dialog box, type the name of the symbol and select the behavior.
3. Click OK.
Flash Professional adds the symbol to the library and switches to symbol-editing mode. In symbol-editing mode, the name of the symbol
appears above the upper-left corner of the Stage, and a cross hair indicates the symbol’s registration point.
4. To create the symbol content, use the Timeline, draw with the drawing tools, import media, or create instances of other symbols.
5. To return to document-editing mode, do one of the following:
Click the Back button.
Select Edit > Edit Document.
Click the scene name in the Edit bar.
When you create a symbol, the registration point is placed at the center of the window in symbol-editing mode. You can place the
symbol contents in the window in relation to the registration point. To change the registration point, when you edit a symbol, move the
symbol contents in relation to the registration point.
6. In the ActionScript Linkage section, you can choose to export for ActionScript by selecting the Export for ActionScript checkbox. The Class
and Base Class are automatically displayed (you can choose to rename the class names). Flash Pro searches for class definitions in an
external AS file or a linked SWC file. If the class definitions are not found in these locations, Flash Pro automatically generates class files.
For more information, see
this article .
(Flash Professional CC only) Swapping multiple symbols
The Swap Symbol option allows you to swap symbols with a selected symbol or bitmaps.
1. In Flash Pro CC, select multiple symbols on the stage.
2. On the Properties panel, click SWAP.
3. On the Swap Symbol dialog, select the symbol you want to replace all selected symbols/bitmaps with.
4. Click OK.
Convert animation on the Stage into a movie clip symbol
To reuse an animated sequence on the Stage, or to manipulate it as an instance, select it and save it as a movie clip symbol.
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