Editing a flash template from templatemonsters?

DarkStar02 · February 5th, 2006, 12:55 AM

I have a template from templatemonsters.com (the .fla) but I do not know how to go about changing the text/pictures. Can anybody give me a hand? My AIM screen name is iSnowboard209.

pc-grafix · February 5th, 2006, 01:15 AM

Do you own the authoring tool Flash? If not, you wont' be doing any editing. The authoring tool is required for editing FLA files. So let us know if you have it, then explain to us what you need to do and how much you know about Flash. I am sure we can help. Just give us more to go on.

DarkStar02 · February 5th, 2006, 02:52 AM

I can make simple animations and voice overs to go along with them in flash but I can't do anything extreme. I have Flash MX Pro if that helps.

pc-grafix · February 5th, 2006, 09:53 AM

OK, cool. You know your way around a bit. Is your template also from MX Pro? And - maybe I'm mistaken, but do you mean MX 2004 Pro? There was MX, which was V.6, then MX2004 and MX2004Pro, which was V.7. Now we are on Flash8. I use the pro version - the video capabilites are awesome!

FIRST, always make a back-up copy of your file and edit the backup. KEEP the original one and dont' mess with it.

Anway - back to the subject. Have you been able to open the FLA in your version and look around at all? If so, then check the library. If you can't find it, press the F11 key once you have the file open, the library will pop up in a new window within Flash. From there, you can open any of the library items, for instance, an image you want to change. Double click on an image item and it will open in the place of the stage (or work area) From there, you can import a new image to replace that one. Hit the CTRL and the R keys together to open a dialog box to bring in your new image. Once you have the new image on the stage, THEN delete your old one. Center or size it as the old one was. Now look at the upper left area just above the stage and you will see the level you are editing at. Click the first one and that will take you back to the main stage, also called the root timeline. Check and see if it has turned out the way you want.

Here is what you have done, just so you understand it better. The actual image that WAS showing up, is called an instance. It is an instance of either a movie clip, called an MC, a graphic, or some text. You can open any of those things and change the contents, and when the instance, or instances of those library items show up on the stage, they will reflect the changes you have made. The more you play with it, the better you will understand it.

Hope I haven't confused you. Keep us posted on how it's going.

DarkStar02 · February 5th, 2006, 04:49 PM

I'm using Macromedia Flash MX 2004. I get for the most part what you're saying and I am able to edit most of it.

This is the flash template I am editing:
http://www.templatemonster.com/flash...ates/8513.html

The only thing I haven't been able to do so far is edit the main text, but I'm only about halfway through the million and a half symbols in the library!

EXreaction · February 5th, 2006, 05:19 PM

Try this out
http://www.sothink.com/product/flashdecompiler/

I have not used it much, but it worked very nicely when I did need it.

DarkStar02 · February 5th, 2006, 05:27 PM

Ex: I have tried that without success.

Now what I want to do is be able to insert hyperlinks, textboxes, etc. (This is going to be used as a myspace layout). Is there any way I can insert html into a flash document?

pc-grafix · February 5th, 2006, 06:29 PM

The Decomplier is only needed IF you dont have the FLA. The FLA is the editable work. Once you edit it, THEN you publish, or "compile" it. You dont need a decompiler to do what you are doing.

DarkStar02 - If you get stuck, I will be happy to help you out. If you need to, contact me, and we can make arrangment for you to send me the FLA. I will edit, and explain what I did so you can follow and learn it. Just let me know.

Oh, and no, you cannot embed an HTML document into a Flash movie. You can render some text with HTML tags, but very very limited. You do that through the dynamic text options, but it will not embed an HTML doc into your flash. Can't be done. You CAN however, through design, create Flash content that you can blend into HTML seemlessly, I do it all the time. Your dimensions have to be exact, and you have to set up your tables with exact dimensions, but it works quite nice when you need to do it.

DarkStar02 · February 5th, 2006, 07:13 PM

I couldn't find a set of text in the .fla but I exported the fla to a .swf and I was able to see where it was located, but I don't know exactly which symbol it would be. It just shows me all the information. Ex, do you know how I can tell where the text would be in Flash if I can find it in SoThink?

EXreaction · February 5th, 2006, 08:18 PM

Oh, you have the .fla...I was thinking you had a .swf. :s

I have no idea...I never used the decompiler much...I only really used it to get a password for this site:
http://www.try2hack.nl/

I haven't played with flash in a while...I did take a class on it a year ago though...

I am kinda lost at what you are trying to do...any way you could get msn messenger so I could help you in real time?