swf slideshow navigation help

[mrcountry]

I posted a question asking where to find help on adding navigation buttons to my swf slideshow. I have had many views but no comments. I dont want someone to do the work for me. I just want to know if it's possible and where I may be able to find documentation or tutorial on how to achieve this. Can someone please help and point me in the right direction.

[Nig 13]

it all depends on your structure of the slideshow, can you post the FLA file?

[mrcountry]

Thanks for the reply. I'm just trying to learn this and it's a little overwhelming. I'm trying so hard to be able to get navigation set in the slideshow and just no luck so far. If you could point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated. Can you also give me some advice on the best readable text to use in these slideshows. Once again thanks so much.

I'm sorry but it wont let me upload the file, what other options do I have, thanks in advance.

[Nig 13]

Upload at TinyUpload

[mrcountry]

Ok, I have uploaded the file here. Thanks so much for your patience. I greatly apprecicate and advice or help you can give. Once again, thanks for the help. http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php...71&gk=transfer

[Nig 13]

what in the what of the what, Framerate 0,30 O_O_O???? Now that's cheap

Make 4 buttons, Next Slide, Prev Slide, Play and Stop, with the instance names, next_btn, prev_btn, play_btn and stop_btn, and then use this code on your Frame replacing your old one:

stop();

function autoSlide(){
    if(currentFrame == totalFrames){
        gotoAndStop(1);
    } else {
        nextFrame();
    }
}

var timer = setInterval(autoSlide, 3000);
var pause = false;

function playBtn(e:MouseEvent){
    clearInterval(timer);
    timer = setInterval(autoSlide, 3000);
    pause = false;
}

function stopBtn(e:MouseEvent){
    clearInterval(timer);
    pause = true;
}

function nextBtn(e:MouseEvent){
    clearInterval(timer);
    if(currentFrame == totalFrames){
        gotoAndStop(1);
    } else {
        nextFrame();
    }
    if(pause == false){
        timer = setInterval(autoSlide, 3000);
    }
}

function prevBtn(e:MouseEvent){
    clearInterval(timer);
    if(currentFrame == 1){
        gotoAndStop(totalFrames);
    } else {
        prevFrame();
    }
    if(pause == false){
        timer = setInterval(autoSlide, 3000);
    }
}

play_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, playBtn);
stop_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, stopBtn);
next_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, nextBtn);
prev_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, prevBtn);

the key for this slide, is setInterval, which executes a function after a specified amount of milliseconds. This function goes to the next frame. With the play button, we clear the interval and set a new one, just in case people press the play button twice, making two intervals, and so on, which would mess up the whole slideshow. The stop button clears the interval, nothing else. The next button clears the interval, checks if the current frame on the timeline is equals to the last one, if it is, then go to the first frame, to make the slideshow loop, but if it's not, go to the next frame, and lastly, it checks if the boolean variable, pause, is equals to false, which it is when we press the play button, but not when we press the stop button, so if it's false, then start the interval again. Same goes for the prev button, the only modification is that we check if it's on the first frame, and then redirect to the last frame, and we go to the previous frame instead of the next one.

Hope this helps

DOWNLOAD FLA FILE ( press GREY download button, TinyUpload was down for some reason )

[mrcountry]

what do you my that the framerate is cheap

[Nig 13]

no, I was just implying that it was a cheap trick to make the Flash look like a slideshow by going to the next frame (aka playing) with a framerate of 0.30, 'cause that would make it play slowly :P

WOW, 1000th POST!!!!!!

[mrcountry]

Im just new to this and trying to learn, not trying to cheat and decieve, just new and learning. I appreciate all help, believe me. Thanks again

[Nig 13]

oh, you're new, in that case, that was actually a pretty clever way to make a slideshow - have never seen this method before, so props for that

[mrcountry]

i'm definitly new and I was just playing around with it. Like I said I really appreciate any and all help. It's tough but I will get it together one day. I tried what you supplied me with, I created the 4 additional buttons and swapped the code out, but for some reason it kept causing issues. I'm about to start over and hopefully it was just a rookie mistake. Thanks again and I greatly appreciate the help. I would also appreciate it if you could point me to some good tutorial sites.

[mrcountry]

I'm sorry but I also wanted to ask if you might know why my text is getting cut off in some places on the flash. I have tried resizing and different fonts and still get the issues here and there.

[Nig 13]

by cutting off, if you mean continues off-screen, then click on your Textfield, open Properties Panel (CTRL+F3), under Paragraph section, change Single Line to Multiline (Multiline without anything, NOT Multiline no wrap)

Kirupa is definitely the best Actionscript tutorials website, just be aware of which Actionscript version's tutorial you are reading

[mrcountry]

thanks so much, I will check Kirupa out tonight and try and learn a few things. I created the pics with text using photoshop cs3 and I would guess that is what you are referring to with changing single to multiple. I will get right on that. Thanks for all the help and have a great evening.

[mrcountry]

Here is a pic that i snipped that shows what i'm referring to. Just to give you an idea.

[Nig 13]

Don't know what you exactly mean, but that was targeted for Flash. If you're making it in Photoshop, then it should be even easier :P

[mrcountry]

Yes I created all the pictures with the text using photoshop cs3 and then I put it all together with flash cs5 for the slideshow effect.