I was busy at the time the User Manual was released, or I would have done a better job explaining the contents of the manual. I'm still relatively busy, but I've noticed a few posts in the last week where the answers are addressed in the manual, so I'll take some time to cover the contents of the manual.
Before I forget, the attached zip file has two pdf files, KM_Manual-0.2-Index.pdf and KM_Manual-0.2-TOC.pdf, containing the Index and Table of Contents for the manual.
The manual is very light in the ActionScript department. I felt that the highest priority was to educate new users on available features and capabilities. From there they could experiment or check out the examples and online tutorials.
Part I – KoolMoves Environment: covers the KoolMoves Environment. A must read for all new users.
Chapter 1 – KoolMoves User Interface: Updated for 5.1, very similar to the coverage in the User Guide. Addresses the Configuation Wizard, User Interface settings, and has descriptions of the Interface components.
Chapter 2 - Preferences and Options: Describes all the menus that control P&Os, including movie preferences and export settings.
Chapter 3 – Help Features & Tutorials: Where to find help within KoolMoves and online, including Wizards, Tutorials, and context sensitive help.
Part II – Menu Toolbar and Menu Commands: Following the design of the Menu toolbar, these chapter cover these buttons and related menu commands. Major expansion in coverage over the original User Guide.
Chapter 4 – File Operations: File Menu commands, Working w/ Website editing tools, and working w/ Midi Sound Files.
Chapter 5 – Data Views: One of the most useful chapters for non Action Scripters, because so much is done through the Data View dialogs/windows (like renaming frames). Properties, Score Data, Movie Overview, Actions and Sounds, List of Shapes and List of Frames.
Chapter 6 - Modifying the Canvas: The last of the menu toolbar commands are covered here, along w/ related menu features. Undo/Redo/History, Pan Canvas, Zoom, and Magnification.
Part III – Tools Toolbar (Toolbox): These chapters cover the functions addressed by the Toolbox. Some chapters include guides/examples that were in the KoolMoves help files.
Chapter 7 – Selections and Selection Scope: Explains how objects are selected, and effect of the change scope on objects in the authoring environment.
Chapter 8 – Drawing Tools: Lines, pre-defined shapes, moving/adding/deleting shape points, "bones", tracing images and selecting the same color.
Chapter 9 – Buttons: Creating, adding, adding sounds, adding actions, getURL, printing from within a movie, and Tell Target actions.
Chapter 10 – Toolbox Libraries: Screenshots of the interfaces with explanations of the various libraries contents. Web Interfaces, Text Effect Templates, Clip Art, Animated Clip Art and Button Gallery.
Chapter 11 – Importing Images: Static images, vector graphics, SWFs, FLVs and animated gifs are covered. Where an image type can't be imported, work arounds or acknowledgment that it can't be done are noted.
Chapter 12 - Text: Static and Dynamic. All interfaces, properties and related menu items are covered, but this chapter could have benefitted from some solid examples - sorry, time constraints. There are plenty of related posts and examples in the FlashKit forum and on the KoolMoves support page.
Chapter 13 - Movie Clips: ditto Chapter 12. Good coverage of MC interfaces et.al., but no coverage of ActionScript aspect. There are plenty of related posts and examples in the FlashKit forum and on the KoolMoves support page.
Chapter 14 – Tranforms: An introduction to the simple techniques that go into making transitions.
Part IV – Advanced/Additional Features: The complicated stuff, and a listing of shortcut keystrokes.
Chapter 15 - Action Scripting: Where and how to create/edit/find ActionScript.
Chapter 16 – KoolMoves Components: All interfaces, properties and related author time actions covered. APIs from the Examples folder included. Due to time constraints, examples/guides not included.
Chapter 17 – Symbols and Sounds: Symbol and Sound libraries covered.
Chapter 18 – Shortcuts: Shortcut keystrokes
Appendices: Useful additional info, some relating to topics covered in prior chapters, but not essential to getting started with KoolMoves.
Appendix A – Known Issues and Error Messages: Largely Flash Player issues.
Appendix B – Unimplemented ActionScript: A listing of the AS1 commands that don't work (mostly Flash 4 deprecated commands). Thanks Wilbert!
Appendix C – Programming / Coding Advice et.al.: Culled from forum threads and help files; thanks Senior forum members!
Appendix D – Useful 3rd Party Software: Culled from forum threads and help files; thanks Senior forum members!
Appendix E – Toolbar Library Listings: Text listing of available Motion Scripts, Text Effect Templates, Web Interfaces, Clip Art, Animated Clip Art, and images of the available Buttons.
Appendix F – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) : About 25 FAQs, from the forum and gusmus (Thanks William and other senior members!).
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Peter
