Tutorial: how to create and use FLA templates with SWF Scout library to create new flash movie

How to create and use FLA-based SWF template for use in SWF Scout programming library for the new flash movie generation

This tutorial will teach you how to create and prepare FLA flash templates in Macromedia Flash MX for further use with SWF Scout library.

So you can draw template with complex graphics in Flash MX and then use

SWF version of template with SWF Scout and replace shape objects with external images, replace text in text objects.

The procedure is the following:

Create flash document in Macromedia Flash MX
Add shapes and text objects
Export flash document as SWF file
Use this SWF file with SWF Scout library

Start Flash MX, go to File menu and click New... to create new flash document:

Default type is Flash Document. Click OK to create an empty flash document:

Flash MX will create new empty flash document project:

Now select Rectangle Tool on "Tools" toolbar by click on its icon or pressing R

Then draw rectangle using a mouse: click on the blank area, hold left mouse button and draw rectangle:

Now we have to convert this rectangle to the symbol.

To convert a shape to a symbol switch to Selection Tool by click on the appropriate icon on Tools toolbar in Flash MX:

Now click on the rectangle shape and right-click on it to show context menu and select Convert to Symbol command:

Context menu and Convert to Symbol command

Flash MX will show Convert To Symbol dialog.

Enter Image1 as name. Check Export for ActionScript and enter identifier: Image1 as shown on the screenshot below:

Click OK to close the dialog.

Now we will add the text box. Select Text Tool on "Tools" toolbar in Flash MX

Then draw the text box using a mouse:

Click inside the text box and type the new text: REPLACEME1 REPLACEME2

Later we will replace REPLACEME1 and REPLACEME2 keywords with another text using SWF Scout

Now save FLA project so you will be able to modify it if needed:

SWF Scout is capable of loading SWF templates so we should export our flash document template into SWF file.

To export SWF flash movie open File menu in Flash MX and click Export Movie command in Export sub-menu as shown below:

Export flash movie as MyTemplate.SWF file:

SWF export settings dialog will appear. Click OK to export to SWF:

Now we have MyTemplates.SWF file that we will use as template with SWF Scout library

Here is a screenshot of MyTemplates.SWF flash movie:

Now we will implement the code for use with SWF Scout library that will do the following replacements in the template:

Replace image1 shape with image from NewImage1.jpg file
Replace REPLACEME1 keyword with "SUCCESSFULLY REPLACE" text
Replace REPLACEME2 keyword with "SUCCESSFULLY REPLACED TOO" text

Content of ProcessSWFTemplate.vbs:

Set Movie = CreateObject("SWFScout.FlashMovie")

Movie.InitLibrary "demo","demo"

Movie.BeginMovieFromTemplate "MyTemplate.swf",true

Movie.AddTemplateRule_Text "REPLACEME1","SUCCESSFULLY REPLACED",true

Movie.AddTemplateRule_Text "REPLACEME2","SUCCESSFULLY REPLACED TOO",true

Movie.AddTemplateRule_Image "image1","NewImage1.jpg", 0

i = Movie.ProcessTemplateRules

Movie.EndMovie

Movie.SaveToFile "ProcessedTemplate.swf"

This script will process template file and will save result into ProcessedTemplate.swf file.

Screenshot of ProcessedTemplate.swf :

As you can see rectangle shape was replaced with image from NewImage1.jpg file and keywords REPLACEME1 and REPLACEME2 were replaced with "SUCCESSFULLY REPLACED" and "SUCCESSFULLY REPLACED TOO" accordingly.

That's all!

download ZIP with FLA, SWF, VBS and JPG files: swfscout_using_fla_templates.zip