Text Layout Framework (TLF)
TLF provides you with more sophisticated controls for formatting your text, compared to “Classic Text”.
TLF Text requires a specific external Action Script library to function properly (Text Layout SWZ).
You can merge the SWZ file into your project, but it will make the project larger. Not merging it keeps the initial download small, but it still must be loaded. Therefore, your overall project size is still larger. So only use TLF if necessary.
You can always edit your text inside of Flash. But you can change the way it behaves inside of the playback for the user by changing the different modes of the TLF text. Three modes for TLF text:
- Read Only – user cannot select or edit text
- Selectable – user can select and copy the text, but not edit it
- Editable – the user can select and edit
You can adjust numerous properties for your text (both classic and TLF) so that it is styled the way you desire:
- font size
- font
- orientation
- color
- line height
- etc
Text properties can sometimes be applied to just portions of the text element.
Creating Links
Under Advanced Character for properties, you can edit the text, to assign a link to a web page.
User Editable Text
Generally the user will not be able to edit text. An exception is when they need to fill out a form.
If you will have the Flash project do something, it will use Actionscript. This will require having an instance name for the text box.
In the Actionscript, you can access the contents of the text box by using <instance name>.text, where <instance name> is the name you gave the text box. The .text property is what stores the text you can see.
fName = firstName.text;
Embedding Fonts
You can choose to embed the fonts into your project. If the font you choose to use is not on the end user’s computer – then a default font will display. This may cause alignment and other issues. Therefore, it is highly recommended, for most text elements, if you are not using _sans, _serif, _typewriter, that you embed the font, or at least partially embed the font.
When you embed a font, it increases the file size. So only embed the characters you will need. This is best for static text which the user cannot change, so you make sure you are embedding the right characters. Otherwise, you might need to embed extra characters.
If you use dynamic text, you will need to embed more characters, or use one of the already built in fonts.
Adding Text to Flash File was originally found on Access 2 Learn
