Drop Down Menues In Flash

Lets start out by creating the root menu. This is where you are going to place your mouse to cause the menu to drop down. First select your rectangle tool and draw out a nice rectangle.

Then using your text tool we need to label the rectangle. For this case I’m just going to call it “Menu”. Now we need to select everything “edit” > “select all” then “insert” > “Convert to symbol”, when the symbol properties box comes up name it menu, select movie clip, and press ok. Once we have our movie clip, right click on it and select “edit in place”. After you get the movie clip open we need to select all again “edit” > “select all” then “insert” > “convert to symbol”, name this one “root menu”, and this time select button and press ok. Next right click on frame 10 at the top and select “insert key frame”. Frame 10 will be where we are going to be putting our menu buttons.

This part is making another layer to put all of our buttons that will be popping down from the menu. Click “insert” > “layer” then right click on frame 10 of your new layer and select “insert key frame”. Now while we are on this frame we need to make some buttons. Right under the menu draw out a rectangle and using the text tool label in button 1. Left click once on frame 10 of your new layer. This should select the entire new button you just created. Press “insert” > “convert to symbol” name your button, select button in the menu and press ok. Once you get that done you can open up the button and set what color you want it to be for all of it’s actions (up, over, down, hit) so Ill leave that up to you. You can also create as many buttons that you want under button 1, just make sure that they are all on the same layer as button 1.

Once you get all the buttons you want it’s time to make this thing work. But to do this we need one more object. We need to create another layer and drag it down to the bottom so that it is the first layer. Once its on the bottom right click on frame 10 and select “create key frame”. Now we need to create an invisible button. Click “insert” > “new symbol”. Name your button, select button, and then press ok. This takes you to a blank work space with the button menu at the top (up, over, down, hit) right click on “hit” and select “insert key frame” then using your rectangle tool draw out a box that fills most of the screen. When that is done we need to get back to the menu movie. Select “scene1” at the top left (right under view) right click on your menu button and select “edit in place”, then move to frame 10 on the bottom layer. Bring up our library by clicking “window” click on the plus sign “basic actions” > “on mouse event” in the mouse event selections uncheck “release” and put a check on “Rollover” then click plus sign “basic actions” > “goto”. In the goto options uncheck “goto and play”. With the actions box still open select frame 10 on the second layer up and in the actions box click plus > “basic actions” > “stop”. Then do the same for frame 1 of the same layer.

Keeping your actions box open and being on frame 1 click on the main menu button once and in the actions box click plus > “basic actions” > “on mouse event” uncheck “release” and put a check on “Rollover” then click plus > “basic actions” > “goto”. In the goto options make it frame 10 and uncheck “goto and play”

Now you have a dropdown menu. To check it out click “control” > “test movie”. Now you can make all of the menus you want. Happy Flashing.

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