get url in Flash 5!

[James Maher]

I have created a .fla with a number of buttons which currently are created with the default graphic and a graphic for over.

I am trying to link this buttons to url's - which is proving difficult. I have created a new keyframe in the 4th box (sorry - no lash on this PC) when i click on actions and try to double click on geturl - nothing happens. Can anyone explain this or give me a way to get it working??

Thank you for any help you can give!!

[pea3698]

yep this one got me too. Ok what you need to do is get your button to act like you want it to. Then drag it onto the stage. Then, with it selected add your actions. And thatll do it.
hope this helps

Patrick

[James Maher]

Thanks for that but it won't fix my problem!

All my buttons are on the stage - they do what I want except let me add geturl - I double clcik - then insert the keyframe and it won't let me double click on the geturl option.

[pea3698]

ok either im not understanding you or your not understanding me. It sounds like you are putting your buttons on the stage and the double clicking on them. This access the frame by frame of the button. This is not what you want to do. you want the button on the stage and click on it once so it is selected, do not double click. And then you add the action. Try that.

[James Maher]

Patrick,

That is exactly what I am doing - double clicking - so I thank you for your help - I will try your method as soon as I get out of work!

Cross your fingers - I really need this to work!

Just to be clear - I click once - then right click the button - how do I access the target frame!

James

[pea3698]

What is going to happen is you click once on the button. press ctrl alt a . that will open the actions pallate. Then double click the get url script in the window some code that looks like this will show up:
on (release) {
getURL ("");
}

so you dont have to worry about putting it on the buttons actual frames. You will be telling the button what to do. This is good for using the same button more than once so if you have 5 targets you dont have to make 5 separat buttons you just have to drag the button from your library 5 separate times. then you assign the actions.
If you were to double click then you would be changing all five of the buttons not just the one.

[James Maher]

I have tried this now but still have problems!

In Edit Movie - I select a button - then hold ctrl alt a to get action menu - yet when I double clcik geturl - nothing happens - help me please!!!

[FatalisticSoul]

Ok. Hide ALL your layers. Create a new one. In the first frame (which is a keyframe) drag on button of yours from your library.

Right-click on it. Select instance properties. Panels>instance. Be sure to check out wether it is a button or a mc or a graphic.

Noe, go to the stage again, and right-click it again. Select Actions. On the actions panel choose the plus button, choose getUrl from Basic Actions. That's it.

If that doesn't work...

[James Maher]

OK - I FOLLOWED FATALISTIC SOULS INSTRUCTIONS.

In instance it is definitely a button - when I right click and select actions I see no plus symbol straightaway - I have to change to expert mode - then i can go to geturl - but double clicking it does nothing - can anyone help me!!

[bodoni]

okay, hold on. i think i know what the problem is—maybe, maybe.

as pea said above, it's important to get your button to work the way you want it to in symbol editing mode, etc.

now, position your button where you want it on the stage. note: the appropriate layer & keyframe should be selected. double click to open the frame actions panel. and NOW—this is where things are going awry, i think—click (just one click) on your button on the stage to select it, and this will also make the frame actions panel change into the OBJECT actions panel, which is where you want to be for this. now double click on "on" and go with the default, which is Release. now double click on getURL and insert whatever URL you want.

try this.

[pea3698]

Originally posted by bodoni
okay, hold on. i think i know what the problem is—maybe, maybe.

as pea said above, it's important to get your button to work the way you want it to in symbol editing mode, etc.

now, position your button where you want it on the stage. note: the appropriate layer & keyframe should be selected. double click to open the frame actions panel. and NOW—this is where things are going awry, i think—click (just one click) on your button on the stage to select it, and this will also make the frame actions panel change into the OBJECT actions panel, which is where you want to be for this. now double click on "on" and go with the default, which is Release. now double click on getURL and insert whatever URL you want.

try this.

This is exactly what I was saying. It sounds like your just going to far into the button when adding actions. One click thats all. Have the actions panel open and your mouse events should work.

[James Maher]

Thx 4 the help once again - I will try this after work. I need help with understanding your information.

I have 27 buttons in all on my stage - this is viewable when I go to edit - edit movie.

If I click on one of them once - they are all still viewed as before. If I double click one it fades the other buttons.

I have 1 layer and 1 keyframe - this is not a movie - just a lot of buttons.

Where do I "double click to open the frame actions panel." - is it anywhere!

After that I understand to click once on the button - never seend the "on" to double click. And then I'll try double clicking to insert geturl - so I need a few blanks filled in - please help.

[bodoni]

Originally posted by James Maher


Where do I "double click to open the frame actions panel." - is it anywhere!

on the frame!

[pea3698]

Originally posted by James Maher
Thx 4 the help once again - I will try this after work. I need help with understanding your information.

I have 27 buttons in all on my stage - this is viewable when I go to edit - edit movie.

If I click on one of them once - they are all still viewed as before. If I double click one it fades the other buttons.

I have 1 layer and 1 keyframe - this is not a movie - just a lot of buttons.

Where do I "double click to open the frame actions panel." - is it anywhere!

After that I understand to click once on the button - never seend the "on" to double click. And then I'll try double clicking to insert geturl - so I need a few blanks filled in - please help.

Ok when you select your button you dont want everything else to fade. If this happens you've gone to deep. To get your actions pallate up you can: double click up in the time line(I do this when adding and action to the time line), you cant hit ctrl alt a (this is what i do), you can have the button selected and right click and choose it from the menu, Or you can get it from the Window>actions.

[palstation]

I'm having the exact same problem.

I have it much simpler though one graphic as a button on the stage.
I have selected it and added my action code for geturl

on (release) {
getURL ("www.palstation.com");
}

Now when I publish it to Flash 5 and HTML my graphic appears to act as a button
When I move the mouse over it, the icon changes from pointer to the finger, but when I click nothing happens.

I am putting the files test .fla test.swf and test.html online at http://www.palstation.com/flash/

Whatare we doing wrong?

- palstation

[James Maher]

Patrick,

I don't folow the following:

"now double click on "on" and go with the default, which is Release."

Can you explain. I double click the frame - brings up actions - select one button - get actions - go to geturl - double click - nothing happens.

Can you explain this other part you mentioned.

I tried opening palstations file and got an error - unexpected file format. I also though my install of Flash was faulty somehow - tried file on another PC - still can't geturl.

Please Help!!

[Sualdam]

Palstation - you need to put 'http://www.name.com' in the getURL action.

If you don't, Flash looks for a **file** called 'www.name.com' - which it won't find.

[James Maher]

Can anyone help with the below - I would really appreciate it!!

Originally posted by James Maher
Patrick,

I don't folow the following:

"now double click on "on" and go with the default, which is Release."

Can you explain. I double click the frame - brings up actions - select one button - get actions - go to geturl - double click - nothing happens.

Can you explain this other part you mentioned.

I tried opening palstations file and got an error - unexpected file format. I also though my install of Flash was faulty somehow - tried file on another PC - still can't geturl.

Please Help!!

[FatalisticSoul]

Ok James Maher and Palstation

Here's the thing:

As Palstation published his/her FLA on a server, I could see the LITTLE problem: You palstation had 2 symbols grouped. And even when the Tween1 on the library is a graphic, on the stage you have it like a button. SO, you have 2 buttons on the same area !!! And with flash, 2 buttons on the same area won't work at all.

So, what I did, was to press control+b when selected to ungroup them, deselect, press over them to select just ONE of them, and pressed delete to remove one of them.

Now, check on the instance panel which is the one that was left on the stage. When I did this, the Tween1 graphic was the one on the stage, but acting as a button. You can click on the Swap Symbol on the instance panel to switch it to the palhome button.

After just putting one instance on the stage ( which obviously will be a button right now) select it and you will be able to instert to it the action(s) you want.

<b>James Maher</b>: If this instructions for you didn't apply at all, then just publish the fla you have somewhere so I can help. I will answer asap. And if you are afraid of anybody stealing what you just created on that fla, like the graphics or some, publish a fla with no images and sounds, just replace the graphics for some squares and circles of different colors.

Be well.
___________________________
Creator of karlfilms.com

[palstation]

Thanks guys. Using Flash 5

I have the file working now. I didn't understand exactly how the button that I originally used ended up being grouped, but here's how I ended up fixing the problem. Thanks for helping me look in the right place.

I opened my library. CTRL_L
I dragged the gif (not the button) onto the stage.
I scaled the image to the size that I wanted. Right Click, select scale.
Then I converted the instance to a symbol. Menubar>Insert>Convert to Symbol
and selected the button option.
Then I added my Action. Right Click the button, select Action.
Basic Action>getURL

I entered my information to get the script.
on (release) {
getURL ("http://www.palstation.com", "_blank");
}

Then I closed and Published the file and it worked.
I hope this help anyone else with this problem.

I have posted the files to http://www.palstation.com/flash/
testwork.html testwork.fla and testwork.swf