Creating web designs and site content in Macromedia Flash MX can be a lot of fun, but there are always tasks that you'll want to do again and again. It's always a bit of a hassle to have to keep recreating and tweaking the same old content or functionality in different projects, so why can't you just reuse what you've created? With components, you can do just that! Flash MX Components enable the creation of self-contained design building blocks that can be simply dragged and dropped into any Flash movie. They are flexible enough to be easily customized to take care of many different tasks. No fuss, no bother - you can repurpose the standard elements of your design, application, or game, and use them over and over again.

But wait, it gets better! Components can be used by anyone, not just the person who created them. So in this book, we've done all the hard work for you and collected together the Most Wanted components that will make your life easier. In this book (and on the CD) you'll find a perfect combination of creative and functional components from some of today's leading Flash designers and developers. Just look at the fantastic components you get:

• Event Calendar
• Text Editor
• News Feed
• Tool Tip
• Sketch Pad
• Video Player
• Image Scroller
• Pattern Generators
• Tab Control
• Sliding Panel
• Color Picker
• Game Player Selector
• Particle Emitter
• Layout Manager
• Data Grid
• Movie Loader
• Image Modulators
• XML-to-ActionScript Converter
• Virtual 3D Trackball
• Text Animation
• Dynamic Text Manager

Each of these components is included on the accompanying CD, ready to incorporate within your designs, along with plenty of example files giving practical demonstrations of their use. On top of that, each chapter in this book presents a comprehensive designer-oriented guide that will help you to get the most out of using all of the featured components. If you're a Flash designer, of any ability from novice to professional, this book will increase the power of your Flash designs and enhance your project workflow - instantly!

Contents

• Introduction
• Component 1 Event Calendar
• Component 2 Text Editor
• Component 3 XML News Ticker
• Component 4 Tool Tip
• Components Sketch Pad
• Component 6 Video Player
• Component 7 Image Scroller
• Component 8 Pattern Generators
• Component 9 TabControl
• Component 10 Sliding Panel
• Component 11 ColorPicker
• Component 12 Game Player Selector
• Component 13 Particle Emitter
• Component 14 Layout Manager
• Component 15 Data Grid
• Component 16 Tornado Movie Loader
• Component 17 Image Modulation
• Component 18 XML-to-ActionScript Parser
• Component 19 Virtual Trackball
• Component 20 Text Animations
• Component 21 StringThing