View

Lets you navigate Flash animations that are broken up into multiple scenes. The Go To command leads to a submenu where you can select scenes by name or choose First, Last, Previous, and Next options and specific scenes.

Windows: Ctrl+=

Mac: ⌘-=

Changes the view of the stage by zooming in twice as much. So, if the view is at 500%, zooming in changes the view to 1000%.

Windows: Ctrl+-

Mac: ⌘-hyphen (-)

Changes the view of the stage by zooming out twice as much. So, if the view is at 500%, zooming out changes the view to 250%.

Leads to a submenu where you can choose from several preset Zoom levels that range from 25% to 800%. In addition, there are options to Show All (zoom to show all the contents of the current frame), Show Frame (shows the entire stage), and Fit in Window (scale the entire stage to fit in the program window).

Leads to a submenu with several options related to previewing your animation with the Control→Play command. The options include the following:

Windows: Ctrl+Shift+W

Mac: Shift-⌘-W

Shows the workspace around the stage. Works in conjunction with the Magnification commands (Resize the Stage). A checkmark appears in the menu when this option is in force.

Windows: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+R

Mac: Option-Shift-⌘-R

Shows or hides the rulers that appear at the top and left of the program window. With rulers visible, you can drag guidelines to place on the stage. (Guides don't appear in your final animation; they're just visual aids to help you position items on the stage.) A checkmark appears in the menu when this option is turned on.

The grid is another visual aid to help you position and align objects on your stage. The grid appears as horizontal and vertical lines, similar to graph paper. The Grid command leads to a submenu where you can show or hide the grid and change the color and spacing of the lines. You can turn the grid's "snapping" behavior on and off (see Drawing a Shape).

Show, hide, and lock guides using the submenu under the Guides command. Use the Edit Guides command to adjust the appearance and behavior of your guides. The Clear Guides command removes all guides from the stage.

When Snapping is turned on, objects automatically line up with other objects. So, for example, if you turn on Snapping for Guides, then objects you drag snap into alignment with the nearest guide. You can turn Snapping on or off for the grid, guides, and objects. The Snapping submenu displays the following commands:

Windows: Ctrl+H

Mac: Shift-⌘-E

Toggles the highlight that appears on objects when you select them. If you want to see the object without the highlight, click Hide Edges; a checkmark appears on the menu.

Windows: Ctrl+Alt+H

Mac: Option-⌘-H

Shows and hides shape hints on the stage. Shape hints are used to control shapes that are being tweened. By positioning shape hints, you control the appearance of an object as it changes shape during a tween. Turn Show Shape Hints on to make adjustments, and then turn them off to see your objects as they'll appear in your animation.

Tab Order establishes keyboard navigation in forms and web pages. For example, if you create a form with the tab order Name = 1, Address = 2, and Phone number = 3, your visitors can fill in their name, press Tab key to move on to the Address field, and so on. Use Show Tab Order to see a visual representation of the Tab Order of items on your stage.