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Flash Tutorial - Sub-Menus

303 InterAction
Flash Compatibility: MX 2004 (Principles and ActionScript are the same in Flash MX / Flash 5)

Written by: Phil

Length: 4300 words

Assumed Knowledge: Some experience of creating Symbols, Buttons and simple ActionScript.

Level: Medium

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Sub menus are a standard part of any designers arsenal. They can be a bit tricky, but once you get the idea you will never look back. The key to Sub Menus is to nest sets of buttons inside Movie Clips so that one button can switch on (or off) the sets of Sub Menu buttons. As with so many things in Flash - nesting is at the heart of sub-menus. Many people learning Flash find nesting difficult. For that reason I have taken particular care in explaining each step. I have also included many illustration of what you should expect to see as you are creating your menu. Every step of the way you have the visual reassurance that you are on the right track. As a consequence of the detail that I have included this is one of the longer tutorials on this site - so take your time and I hope you will find the tutorial easy to follow.

Here is the example of what you will learn to make:

Example: Download the Flash file IntAct 303a

Example of a button that has two Sub Menus.

Note: If you have never made your own buttons in Flash you may wish to look at one of the following tutorials. Both the tutorials below could be considered stepping stones to this Tutorial although that is not essential:

Cross Ref: Beginners tutorial on creating standard Flash Buttons

Cross Ref: Tutorial on Nested Buttons

Step one: Setting up the Movie

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1. Open a new: Flash Movie (Ctrl J)
2. Go to: Modify > Document
3. Set the size to: 550 x 160 pixels
4. If you wish select a: Background Colour
5. Click: OK

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