Flash isn't just about moving pictures. Text is a big part of many projects, and with Flash you can do remarkable things with text and type. You can label buttons, boxes, and widgets with small, helpful text, and make page headlines pop with big, bold type. When you use large blocks of text—as in newspaper articles or how-to instructions—you can add scroll bars so your readers can see all the text in one place, or you can create hyperlinks that lead to other pages. And of course, Flash can do things to type that wouldn't enter Microsoft Word's wildest dreams: morphing paragraphs as they move across the screen; exploding words and letters into dozens of pieces. You can also create the same kind of effects that you see in the opening credits of TV shows. To handle all this variety, Flash provides different text tools. As with any craft, it's important to choose the right tool for the job.
Text handling is another feature that has grown and evolved with new versions of Flash. In fact, Flash Professional CS5 introduces a brand-new and powerful way of handling text, officially named Text Layout Framework, but usually called TLF text. If you're comfortable working with Flash's tried-and-true text tools, don't panic. Flash provides backward compatibility with Classic text, too. You can even mix and match text in the same document, layer, and frame. So, each time you click the Text tool, you need to choose which text engine you want to use.
How do you know which to use? That's what you'll learn in this chapter. First, you'll get tips on choosing the right tools. Then you'll learn how to work with text and create special effects. Finally, at the end of the chapter (Text Properties by Subpanel) you'll find a subpanel-by-subpanel description of text properties, including which properties work with which text engines and text types. (Interested in using ActionScript to make text jump through hoops? Turn to Chapter 17.)
When you add text to your Flash animation, you have a specific job in mind. You may want to put a headline at the top of the page, label a widget on the screen, or provide instructions. If you're creating the next great eBook reader, your needs are different than if you're creating a splashy intro sequence like the ones on The Daily Show or American Idol. Because these text jobs vary so much, ask yourself a few questions before you click the Text tool:
Is the text a single line or a paragraph?
If the block of text is several lines, should it have scroll bars?
Should the text be selectable by the audience, or is it read-only?
Will the audience be able to change or add to the text?
Do I want to animate the text?
Do I want to make changes to the text using ActionScript?
Do I need to provide text in multiple languages?
As you'll see in the following section, the answers to these questions help you choose the right text engine and text type. Flash designers have always had to consider these questions, and even with a new way of handling text (TLF), the questions are still valid. Read on to learn which text tools best accomplish these jobs.