Start Flash and arrange the panes as
you like them.
Remember that it is handy to see object properties. You will also
need the actions pane quite a bit.
Rename Layer 1 as text and create a static text
box on the stage. Select a suitable font name and
size for your text.
Type your passage into the box including all the words that you
intend to hide. |
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Now create a new layer and call it boxes.
This will hold the targets for the words that the user is dropping.
The targets will also hide the "missing" words so make
sure that the layer is higher up in the layers list than text. |
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Insert a new symbol (File - Insert
Symbol...). Call it box and select the
Movie Clip behavior.
When the symbol editor appears, use the rectangle
tool to make a rectangular box filled with white (or whatever colour
you intend to use as the background) and with either a black hairline
border or a white border depending upon if you want it to be visible
to the user.
Close the symbol editor and then press F11 to
show the library - box should be listed.
You can then drag an instance of it onto the stage in the boxes
layer and use the Free Transform tool to adjust
its size so it eactly fits over the first of the "missing"
words. |
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Carry on dragging instances of box
onto the stage and resizing until all the "missing" words
are hidden. Remember to keep checking that these objects really
are being placed on the boxes layer.
Now click on each box and add a name in the properties pane. It
seems logical to call them box1, box2
etc. This is necessary as we will be adding code to the boxes and
referring to them in the code. Flash needs a sort of handle for
each object so that the code makes sense. |
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Note that this method of hiding the
missing words creates differently sized targets and therefore helps
the user place the words. A more demanding activity could be made
by typing the text in a set of separate text boxes, missing out
the words so that they don't have to be hidden. The text can then
be arranged so that same sized boxes are placed in the gaps. This
sort of activity can have several "red herring" words
e.g. opposites as well. |
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Create a new layer and call it words.
Use the Text tool to create a static text box
on the words layer on the stage. It would be sensible
if you selected a different text colour but make sure that the text
size is the same as for the original text.
Enter the first word you hid in the
text box. The user will drag this into
the correct place to fill the gap.
Now select the text and tap the F8 key to convert
it to a new Movie Clip symbol called word1.
Finish by naming this instance word1 so that we
can refer to it in code later on. |
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Unfortunately, the word symbols don't automatically
have a background. This means that the user has to position the
mouse over the letters very precisely when they want to drag them.
The answer is to load each symbol up in the editor by selecting
it and then pressing Ctrl and E.
You can then use the Rectangle tool to draw a white
box with a white border around the text. Leave the editor with Ctrl
E to finish editing each word. |
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Create the rest of the missing words in the same
way, naming them word2, word3
etc and arranging them, suitably mixed-up on the stage. If you are
having trouble getting them lined up neatly, try the Modify
and then Arrange options (but make sure that to
stage is not selected).
Add a suitable instruction to the stage in its own, new, named
layer.
This finishes most of the design part of the lesson. Its time to
add some code. |
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