Inserting Media > Setting Flash object properties

Setting Flash object properties

The Property inspector for Flash objects initially displays the most commonly used properties. Click the expander arrow in the lower right corner to see more properties.

The Property inspector also contains a Play button that lets you preview the Flash object in the Document window. When you click the green Play button, you'll see what the object will look like in a browser.

Name specifies the name to identify the button for scripting. Enter a name in the unlabeled field on the far left side of the Property inspector.

W and H specify the width and height of the object in pixels. You can also specify the following units: pc (picas), pt (points), in (inches), mm (millimeters), cm (centimeters), or % (percentage of the parent object's width or height). The abbreviations must follow the value without a space: for example, 3mm.

File specifies the path to the Flash object file. Click the folder icon to browse to a file, or type a path.

Align determines how the object is aligned on the page. For a description of each option, see Aligning elements.

Bg specifies a background color for the object.

Edit accesses the Flash object dialog box.

Reset Size resets the selected button to the original movie size.

Play/Stop lets you preview the Flash object in the Document window. Click the green Play button to see the object in Play mode; click the red Stop button to stop the movie and be able to edit the object.

ID defines the optional ActiveX ID parameter. This parameter is most often used to pass information between ActiveX controls.

V Space and H Space specify the number of pixels of white space above, below, and on both sides of the button.

Quality sets the quality parameter for the object and embed tags that define the button. A movie looks better with a high setting, but it requires a faster processor to render correctly on the screen. Low emphasizes speed over appearance, whereas High favors appearance over speed. Auto Low emphasizes speed to begin with, but improves appearance when possible. Auto High emphasizes both qualities at first, but sacrifices appearance for speed if necessary.

Scale sets the scale parameter for the object and embed tags that defines the button or text object. This parameter defines how the movie displays within the area defined for the movie by the width and height values. The choices are Default (Show All), No Border, and Exact Fit. Show All makes the entire movie visible in the specified area, maintaining the aspect ratio of the movie and preventing distortion; borders may appear on two sides of the movie. No Border is similar to Show All, except portions of the movie may be cropped. With Exact Fit, the entire movie fills the specified area, but the aspect ratio of the movie is not maintained and distortion may occur.

Parameters opens a dialog box for entering additional parameters. See Using parameters.