Flash Text Scroll

This lesson will show you how to do two types of Text Scrolling in Macromedia Flash 8: Text Symbol Scrolling and Form Text Scrolling. Text Symbol Scrolling will show you a proven strategy for making scrollable Text created with the Text Tool, while the Form Text Scrolling section will show you how to add a scroll bar to your Flash Textbox.

Flash Static Text Scrolling

To create effect of scrolling text we are going to use a Flash Motion Tween of a text symbol. We will take the text at one point in frame 1 to the end of our animation frame 350. Begin with a clean Stage and select the Text Tool from the Tools window. Choose static text, black text color, font size of 15 and a Verdana font from the Properties window.

We are going to be working with a lot of area that isn't on the stage, so it will make your life easier if you change the viewing area to 50% to shrink the Stage and show more of the "imaginary" Flash Stage.

With Frame 1 selected in the Timeline window create a new textbox by click-dragging the Text Tool just below the the viewable stage area. Your box should be about same size as we have.

Copy and paste the following text into this new textbox:
"In a tutorial far, far away there was a lesson that was so incomprehensible that not even the Great One could decipher its meanings and yet people still fussed over its text everyday in hopes of some revelation, but they were to be disappointed because the tutorial was written in jest by the Not So Great One to get back at the Great One for being less than great."

Move Text Field

Now you need to insert a KeyFrame at Frame 250. With frame 250 selected drag the text box above the stage's viewable area like we have:

While still in frame 250, drag the text field above the viewable Stage area.

All you need to do now is just right-click any frame from 2-249 and choose Create Motion Tween and you have finished creating Text Scrolling! Go to Control < Test Movie to view your masterpiece.
You may view our finished Flash project or download our Raw Flash file if you are having trouble doing it on your own.

Flash Textbox Input Scrolling

Creating a Textbox Input that scrolls is very easy in Flash because Macromedia has gone to the trouble to create everything for you. All you need to do is drag and drop the right components in the right place and Macromedia Flash Magic will do the rest.

Creating a Flash Textbox Input

With a clean Stage, select the Text Tool from the Tools window and choose the following from the Properties Window:

• Input Text from the Text Type drop down selector
• Enable - Show Border Around Text
• Multiline from the Line Type drop down selector

Now drag a Text Input Box like we have below. Note: We want to make it large enough so the scrollbar doesn't get squished inside this textbox.

To open up a list of the droppable interface components that Macromedia Flash has go to Window < Components. Inside the Components window, scroll down until you see User Interface and Expand this directory. Scroll to the very bottom of the User Interface directory until you get to UIScrollBar.

Drag and drop this scrollbar to the righthand inside area of the text input box. If you do not place it inside the input box then the ScrollBar will simply float and not function as we want it to. The scrollbar can be seen below, outlined in blue.

Next Control < Test Movie and type in a bunch of text until you need the scroll bar.

Posted in: Flash