Help with URL Links

[danreynolds]

Hi,

I am fairly new to flash and I have started to attempt to modify a template that I found online to make it my own. The thing that I am having problems with is the URL Links. There are 5 different clickable tabs on the header that I have, and when you edit it in flash cs4, each one is the same image when you edit it. The only way in which you can change what each one of them says is by editing them in the library. This isn't the problem. I want to link these tabs to different pages on my website. When I edit one of them, all of them change to the same url link. Its so confusing and I'm getting confused just writing it here! If anybody knows what I mean or knows how to help, please let me know. If there is anything else I can do, then also let me know. The file is too large for me to upload I think.

Dan.

[danreynolds]

Ok, Ignore that last post, I've managed to sort that one out after dozens of trial and errors! My next problem.....

The flash header that I have has loads of movement at the beginning of it. How would I be able to do it that when someone clicks onto another page, the whole thing won't have to load up again, and just the last frame is repeated? Do I need to create another flash file for just the last frame and set it as that on all the other pages other than my home page? Or is there a way of keeping the header in a frame on the webpage so that it wont need to reload everytime some clicks onto another page? I have never used frames before neither, so don't know exactly how they work!

Dan.

[marshdabeachy]

Do you want the animation to (A) play only on your home page (each and every time you go there)? Or do you want it to (B) play on the first visit to your home page but never again? Or maybe (C) play once and then not again until a certain time-out is reached (like 24 hrs)?

If it's A, you can use embed code variables. You can pass a value into the SWF from HTML, and then inside the SWF go to the last frame if that value exists.

If it's B or C, you can use shared objects to store a little cookie on the user's machine. You can put whatever you want in that cookie (a boolean saying the animation's been played, or a date to say when it was last played). When the SWF loads next time, you can load the shared object and decide what to do based on the state it's in.

[danreynolds]

Thank you for your reply. Basically, I am a newbie web designer, and trying to get into it. My website is http://www.danreynoldsdsgns.com . If you look there, you will see what I mean. The main bit loads when you first load the page, and I would like it so that the whole bit doesn't have to reload again when someone clicks on another link. So that it just looks like what it does once it has loaded instead of all of the swirling part. Let me know if you can help me.

[sarsy]

Flash is part of my favorite too. I will try to learn more after my Illustrator. But please keep me up to date due to your tips.