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How in the hell does unloadClip actually work?
By: Jeremy Knight
The first few lines: Ok, so I'm not sure if I'm the only one but I have been deeply mystified by how you are supposed to use unloadClip with the MovieClipLoader class. I figured it out and now it's time to share. Let's say this is your MovieClip loader.
mc_loader.loadClip("a_swf_or_jpg_or_whatever.jpg", image_contai... + More.
getURL doesn\'t work in IE
By: Jeremy Knight
The first few lines: Recently discovered this irritating little IE gem. I built a site where you create a virtual button and then download it to your computer. I was using getURL to download a zip file but also using getURL to call a javascript function which tracked that a user had downloaded a button. I was using goog... + More.
Backing up files with Deja Vu - and solution to dissapearing files.
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: First, I have to say that I think Deja Vu is one of the best ways to keep your stuff backed up on a network. If you\'re on a mac using 10.5...I don\'t remember what cat name we\'re on anymore, have we all had enough of that cat names? Can\'t we just use numbers? And Adobe, same goes for you...
W... + More.
How to use a for loop and onRelease to create multiple buttons at once
By: Jeremy Knight
The first few lines: This is a problem I always have and it always takes me a while to remember the solution. Whenever you are creating a bunch of buttons at once, you typically create a for loop with an onRelease function within:
for(i=1 ; i < number_of_buttons ; i++) {
this[\"button\"+i].onRelease = function() {
... + More.
updateAfterEvent animation is smoother at LOWER frame rate.
By: Jeremy Knight
The first few lines: Just discovered this little tidbit. If you are using code such as this:
this.onMouseMove = function() {
finger_cursor._x = this._xmouse;
finger_cursor._y = this._ymouse;
updateAfterEvent();
};
Where the cursor is being replaced by a movieclip, or you are dragging a movieclip around, ... + More.
updateAfterEvent animation is smoother at LOWER frame rate.
By: Jeremy Knight
The first few lines: Just discovered this little tidbit. If you are using code such as this:
this.onMouseMove = function() {
finger_cursor._x = this._xmouse;
finger_cursor._y = this._ymouse;
updateAfterEvent();
};
Where the cursor is being replaced by a movieclip, or you are dragging a movieclip around, ... + More.
Happy 39th.
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: I'm not really sure there's a way to explain what this is. I mean, the inspiration for this was the fact that my grandmother is turning 90. But, that certainly doesn't explain why my brothers and I are wearing her clothes. Or, why - in gods name - I thought it would a good idea to record myself sing... + More.
Rename files and folders with a custom Finder Plugin
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: So, if you already know about this, can you just pretend that I'v shown you something new and amazingly efficient?
The Problem: I have a lot of them, one of them being just a bit obsessive about things. One of those things is naming conventions. I've decided that pretty much every file I work wit... + More.
XML line breaks and ampersands.
By: Jeremy Knight
The first few lines: Ok, so I'm perpetually stumbling when it comes to line breaks and ampersands in XML when being read into flash. Here's the deal:
Line breaks:
Use 
every where you want a line break. works perfectly in both html text fields and non-html text fields.
Ampersands:
Use & w... + More.
Create masks using alpha gradients
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: I have very little time, but I don't ever want to forget this. If you want to use an alpha gradient as a mask, here's what you have to do:
maskee.cacheAsBitmap = true;
mask.cacheAsBitmap = true;
maskee.setMask(mask);
Obviosuly, "maskee" is the instance name of t... + More.
Day 1?
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: It's 4:36 on a Thursday morning. I've been up for about an hour and a half. It's my usual routine. I wake up around 3:00 as if I have somehow just guzzled a pot of coffee in my sleep. I head to the bathroom, wander the kitchen, browse the internet for whatever obsession I choose to be obsessing abou... + More.
Hidden hit area for movie clips
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: This is more of a reminder for my self, than a tutorial or anything but, maybe it'll help someone. If you have a movie clip with an irregular shape, but you want the hit area to be a regular shape - like a square or a circle - try drawing a the shape you want for the hit area with a white fill. Then... + More.
Flash Errors and Explanations
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: Error #1046: Type was not found or was not a compile-time constant:
I didn't have the word "public" before the word "class" in a class definition. Here's another site which mentions some other possibilities.
One ... + More.
ScrollPane shrinks to default size
By: Jeremy Knight
The first few lines: Yesterday I was working on a ScrollPane component in flash. I had it about 90% done. This morning I came in, and it wasn't working. Nothing was loading into the pane, and it had shrunk down to the default size for the component. I literally did nothing to cause this. After swearing extensively, I de... + More.
Open JavaScript Window with Flash
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: Here's a quick download for anyone trying to open a JavaScript window using Flash. A couple of things to note:
1. Make sure you copy all of the JavaScript function in the html page.
2. Make sure you run the html file from a server - so, the url should start with http://, not file://.
3. Thi... + More.
List of Links
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines:
Some very flash-like JavaScript animation - very cool.
... + More.
A boat-filled non-party.
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: It's probably not a big surprise to anyone reading this that I'm living on a boat. It's not a big surprise because I talk about it constantly - some may say incessantly. Jeremy would say incessantly. It's certainly not a particularly glamorous way to live - and much less so after last night's rain -... + More.
3D in Photoshop
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: So, sorry this isn't too informative, but there's some cool stuff to check out in the Photoshop/3D world. As far as I can tell, it looks like you can bring in 3D models and manipulate them (including 3D rotation) with the usual photoshop tools. There are some demo links on + More.
Stripper Fishing
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: I’m not really sure how to start this…I was thinking I’d try to be witty or stingingly sarcastic, but it just wasn’t working out. So, I’ll get right to it.
We need to have a party for Jeremy. I suppose technically it’s a bachelor party, but it’s not going to be a bunch of guys with cigars stumbl... + More.
Install Multiple Versions of IE
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: Not really much to say here...check out this link:
http://tredosoft.com/Multiple_IE
I'd recommend reading through it, but the important thing is a link to an installer toward the bottom of the page. I've used it and it works. There are a few bugs... + More.
Flash Bug: getNextHighestDepth() and removeMovieClip()
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: I hope someone will find this sooner than I did.
There's a known Flash bug that breaks the functionality of the removeMovieClip() function in Flash when using getNextHighestDepth() function. Apparently, if you have an AS2 component on the stage and attempt to use these functions, they may not wo... + More.
Yesterday
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: I’m sitting here trying to convert the day I had yesterday into letters and words and having very little luck. I’m going to try to plow through this anyway because it’s something I definitely don’t want to forget. Since I have no idea where to start, I’ll start at the very beginning of my day – I pr... + More.
CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions
By: Cody Silva
The first few lines: For those trying to learn CSS I'd recommend picking up a copy of "CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions" by Andy Budd (also with contributions by Cameron Moll & Simon Collison). It's an excellent book for those with a bit of CSS knowledge already.
I figure if I can read this book and und... + More.
InDesign Page Spreads
By: Josh Knight
The first few lines: It always drives me crazy when InDesign groups my pages in spreads automatically. I like to edit my multi-page documents from top to bottom only - I end up doing way too much left and right scrolling otherwise. I mean, it's great if you're doing a book or magazine layout (and have a giant monitor) b... + More.
CS3 Photoshop and Flash
By: Jeremy Knight
The first few lines: Just tried out CS3 today. So far I am most impressed by the Photoshop and Flash integration. When you create a story board (or anything in Photoshop) you can import the entire Photoshop file into Flash. Upon import, you can select each layer in your photoshop and choose to bring it in as text, vecto... + More.
The Departed (2006)
By: Sarah Hatfield
The first few lines: "When I was your age they used to say you could become cops or criminals. What I'm saying to you is this...When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?"
Jack Nicholson's sadistic Irish mob boss Frank Costello poses this question to young Colin Sullivan in the early moments of Th... + More.