Animated menus are integral parts of dynamic
web design with Flash animation . Like the animated SWFs and Flash movies, animated pull-down menus enhance the aesthetic aspects of a website. There are simple ActionScript techniques, which can be used to create such pull-down menus. The ActionScript techniques use timeline control actions, frame labels, use of button event handlers, and motion tweens to create the animation in the menus.
For any designer working in
flash web design in India or elsewhere, would like to divide the menu timeline into two states: closed and open. The first frame should have a stop action to keep the menu in the original closed position and the second frame of the Control Actions layer should contain a flag to indicate a frame label. The script should move the playback head back and forth between the open and closed state of the timeline and thereby animate open and closed action in the process. Next, the ResourcesGraphic movie clip timeline which is composed of a series of tween animations, should be used for each menu item, that fade in the text at the bottom of the menu.
Now, the individual menu items should be created by setting the trigger events. The menu item should get activated the moment the mouse pointer is rolled over it. The Press event should be set here with a tween for the closed and open action with proper timeline settings.
Finally, in this process of
development of flash animation, secondary menu animation should be set for each link. The secondary menu animation acts with a series of rollover events triggered by moving the mouse pointer over each button in the menu. The playback head should be set with the timeline so that colors of menu items change and the descriptive text fades. The script should contain a rollover event and a press event. The press event should control the action when the menu button is pressed (calling get URL action for the associated hyperlink).
