coordinate placement of level 2 flash layer

**Tallis** · 19 June 2007, 02:32 AM

hi guys,

just playing with some of the flash capabilities to create a simple menu, and small web site.

created an animation 850x550 pixels, with a thin menu line on top and bottom. i left a smaller space in the center of this to act as a receptacle for swf content, to be called by the menu buttons ( Web Address... _level2 etc)

created a separate animation of smaller size-- 850x500, attached is a representation. called newmain.swf this is the content.

on the main animation (with the labels), i created a text button called "test", I created a web address of target newmain.swf, so that when clicking on that, the second swf will be called to level2 and display.

unfortunately, when it's run, instead of displaying newmain.swf centered in the middle (grey area), it's displayed at the very top-- i.e., slid up the y axis by 25 pixels or so.

the end result is that the menu on top is totally covered, while the menu on the bottom, and some extra gray area ( which is supposed to be covered), is shown.

what determines the coordinated location when a flash file called by the Web Address _level command? i need to have it centered, and it's just plopping it too high...

thanks

ps- this is the kind of effect im after

http://www.mimmoandnaz.com/mimmo+naz...iographies.htm

**jamesmc** · 19 June 2007, 04:12 AM

"_X and _Y" are used I believe for placement.

Was the answer to the topic question here what you were trying to do?

http://board.flashkit.com/board/show...hreadid=587393

I use Swish a lot, so I get confused with Swish terms and those strictly Macromedia.

**Tallis** · 19 June 2007, 12:44 PM

Thank you.

... now where would I put all that code? does it fit on one line somewhere in the Web Address dialog box?

**Xhris** · 19 June 2007, 05:31 PM

Hmm, I don't know of any specific X Y placement in code. To get everything placed correctly, I use the same border on all involved flash files and design the flash file in the correct place at design time.

(I suspect you've probably read the tutorial in my name tag below, for more info.)

**Tallis** · 19 June 2007, 06:17 PM

you suspect correctly.

i need to have the second level flash on a smaller square, but still centered, so it's beginning to look like this will not be possible as a coordinate for the level2 can not be specified...

i wonder if there's a workaround

**Xhris** · 19 June 2007, 06:39 PM

There is: have the flash file you want to add, designed to be in the place you want it relative to the master frame. If the flash file is 3rd party (i.e. you didn't design it) then there may be no solution.

**Tallis** · 19 June 2007, 07:51 PM

i did.

the first file is 850 by 550 with a big white rectangle. the second is not as tall, 850x500, gray. to make the second "content file", i simply took the bigger one where i already had the gray rectangle, deleted the white bigger recangle from behind it, and saved it as a new name: newmain.xar, and also exported it as newmain.swf. so, ostensibly, there was no x,y movement of the "content" xar/swf at all...

(unless, i'm just not understanding this)

maybe I can just keep it all 850x550, except the smaller content swf will have some invisible top and bottom borders or something so it "looks" smaller, but is still centered as it will still be the same size... i hope that wont prevent someone from clicking on the menu in the layer below it...

EDit: PS: My workaround is to make the smaller content shape actually the same size as the master animation (white), but just have a no fill in the top 25 pixels, and bottom 25 pixels of the web page. i click the "test" menu item in the master frame, it brings up "content frame" on level2, and then i'm able to click on "home" on the master frame, and then that brings up a dummy file on level2, so that clears the "content" frame, and we're back to the begining. i didnt think to make a thin (or invisible ) border on content frame of the same size as the master so that it guarantees it will be centered, but then just make a smaller area that is visible to show the content.

if anyone thinks this is not how it should be done, let me know, otherwise thanks for listening!

**Egg Bramhill** · 20 June 2007, 04:42 AM

Hi Tallis,

This is exactly the way to do it. Keep all your swf the same size by either using transparent shapes or shapes that match the background. Transparent shapes are best. I seem to recall it might be a good idea to have the transparent shape 99% transparent rather than 100% transprarent. Viewing wise it makes no difference.