Feedback

Insert a new layer and call it feedback.

Insert a new Symbol and call it correct.

In the edit window for the new symbol, use the Text Tool to create a suitable message.

In the symbol's timeline, create a Keyframe in frame 10. Use the Free Transform Tool to enlarge the message. Select the Arrow Tool and click in a frame between the two Keyframes. Use the properties pane to create a motion tween. This will make the message grow when it appears.

Now insert a Keyframe in frame 20 and copy frame 1 onto it so that the text goes back to being small again. Create a motion tween between frames 10 and 20. The message will then grow and shrink when it appears.

Finally click on Keyframe 1 and press F9 to enter an action that will take place when the symbol enters the frame. Enter stop(); in the action pane.

Now move to Keyframe 20 and enter this._visible = false; into its action pane. All of this means that when the symbol appears, the message will grow and then shrink and then disappear.

Hold down Ctrl and E to go back to the movie and drag the new correct symbol onto the feedback layer.

All you have to do now is to edit the code attached to the word so that the correct symbol appears and runs rather like a mini movie when the word is dropped in the right place.

Select the word and bring up its action pane. Edit the functions so that they look like this with the changed instructions in blue.

on (press){
startDrag (this,false);
}

on (release){
stopDrag();
if (this.hitTest(_root.box1) == true){
_root.correct._visible = true;
_root.correct.play();
}
else _root.correct._visible = false;
}

Finish the job by attaching the code to each word. It is probably easier to copy the code and then use it to replace the existing instructions for each word rather than editing them. Remember that if (this.hitTest(_root.box1) == true){ will have to be altered so the correct target is checked for each time e.g. box2 etc.

When you test the movie all should be well apart from the fact that the message starts off visible and only disappears after the user has got a word right.

In the main movie timeline, create a scripts layer right at the top of the list and add the following line of code to the actions pane for Keyframe 1 in the layer.

correct._visible = false;

This hides the message as the movie starts.

Hopefully the finished movie works a bit like this. You can download the .fla file here to compare it with your own!

This solution to this type of activity is fairly simple in that it doesn't allow the user to score their efforts or reset the words for another go. The next part of the lesson is all about taking a ready-made Flash movie that does these things and shows you how to adapt it for your own activity.