Components are movie clips with parameters that let you modify their appearance and behavior. A component can provide a wide range of functionality. A component can be a simple user interface control, such as a radio button or a check box, or it can be a complicated control element, such as a media controller or a scroll pane. A component can even be nonvisual, such as the focus manager that lets you control which object receives focus in an application.

Components let you separate coding and design. They also let you reuse code, and download components created by other developers.

You can use components created by Macromedia, download components created by other developers, or create your own components.

If you are less experienced with writing ActionScript, you can add components to a document, set their parameters in the Property inspector or Component inspector, and use the Behaviors panel to handle their events. For example, you could attach a Go To Web Page behavior to a Button component that opens a URL in a web browser when the button is clicked without writing any ActionScript code.

For a complete list of components included with Flash MX 2004 and Flash MX Professional 2004, see Installing components. You can also download components built by members of the Flash community at the Macromedia Exchange at

www.macromedia.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm

Where component files are stored?

Flash components are stored in the application-level Configuration folder.

Components are installed in the following locations:

-Windows 2000 or Windows XP: C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Flash MX2004\language\Configuration\Components

-Mac OS X: HD/Applications/Macromedia Flash MX 2004/Configuration/Components

You can also download components from the Macromedia Exchange at:

www.macromedia.com/exchange

To install components downloaded from the Exchange, download and install the Macromedia Extension Manager at

www.macromedia.com/exchange/em_download/

To install components on a Windows-based or a Macintosh computer:

Quit Flash.

Place the SWC or FLA file containing the component in the following folder on your hard disk:

\Program Files\Macromedia\Flash MX 2004\<language>\Configuration\Components (Windows)

HD/Applications/Macromedia Flash MX 2004/Configuration/Components (Macintosh)

Open Flash.

Select Window > Development Panels > Components to view the component in the Components panel if it isn’t already open.