Director Example 4:Controlling Navigation with Lingo

We begin we a preassembled Director movie:

example2.dcr

Download This Example

• Shockwave Movie
• Director Movie

• Open lingo_ex.3.1.dir
• Play the movie and to see it does.

We are first going to create a loop the frame script:

• The scripting window appears. Change the text so it now reads.

   on exitFrame
      go the frame
   end
  

  This frame script tells Director to keep playing the same frame.

• Pressing down Alt, drag the frame script to frame 24.

Now We will create some markers

As we have mentioned in above Director allows you to mark certain frames in your movie so they can be identified by buttons and links.

• Click in the marking channel in frame 1, as soon as you click a marker is created with text naming it as New Marker. Type in scene1 over this text.
• Create markers at frame 10 and 20, naming them scene2 and scene3 respectively. You can delete a marker by clicking the triangle and dragging it below the marker channel.
• Create a cast member script for the next button which reads:

   on mouseUp
       go to next
   end
  

  The go to next command tells Director to go to the next consecutive marker in the score.
• Create a cast member script for the back button which reads:

   on mouseUp
       go to previous
   end
  

  The go to previous command tells Director to go to the previous marker in the score.
• Right click on the next button cast member, go to cast member properties, then check the Highlight when Clicked option. Do the same for the back button.
• Play the movie, click on the buttons and see how they work.
• Save the movie.

Now We will create some sprite scripts:

Sometimes a button will behave one way in one part of the movie and another way in a different part of the movie. That's when we use sprite scripts.

• Click on frame 10 of channel 6 (the next button) this sprite and choose Modify > Split Sprite. Do the same at frame 20.
• Select the first sprite sequence in channel 6 and select new behaviour from the behaviour pull-down in the score.
• A script window will pop up. Type go to "scene2" in the command area. This command tells Director to send the movie to marker "scene2".

Using the Behaviour Inspector (Fig. 3.20):

Another way to write a sprite script - using the Behaviour Inspector.

• elect the second sprite sequence in channel 6.
• Open the Behaviour Inspector window - click the diamond shaped icon next to the behaviour pull-down menu.
  

  Macromedia Director Behaviour Inspector Window

• Expand the behaviour inspector window, so you can see events and actions. Click on the little triangle pointing to the right, when the window expands the triangle will point down.
• Click the + icon at the top left of the window and select new behaviour from the pull-down.
• Give the behaviour a name, I called mine next2.
• Under Events click the + icon and choose mouseUp from the menu.
• Under Actions click the + icon and choose Navigation > Go to marker then find scene3 on the list (Fig. 3.20)

You may realise that we now have 2 scripts attached to a single object - a cast member script as well as a sprite script. Sprite scripts take priority over cast member scripts so in our case the cast member script will be ignored.

Using Lingo play/ play do to record actions:

Sometimes you may want only part an image to be linked instead of the whole object. That's when we use invisible buttons. Invisible buttons aren't magical objects, they are just shape cast members with an invisible border.

• Click on frame 1 of channel 8.
• Open the Tool palette window.
• Click on the no line button.
• Click on the rectangle button and draw a rectangle on the stage around the 1 button.
• Attach a sprite script to this shape with the command play "scene1".
• Extend the sprite sequence so it covers frame 1 to 24.
• Drag the invisible shape from the cast to the score and place it over the 2 button.
• Attach a sprite script to this sprite with the command play "scene2".
• Extend the sprite sequence so it covers frame 1 to 24.
• Repeat the steps placing the sprite over the 3 button and adding the command play "scene3".

We used a different command for the above scripts. The play command is similar to the go to command but with play,

• Director records every time a play is initiated,
• keeping track of the users' path through the movie.
• You can move back on along this path by using the play done command.

• Select the sprite sequence in channel 5.
• Attach a sprite script reading

   on mouseUp
      play done
   end
  

• Rewind, play the movie, click all the 1, 2, 3 buttons in various orders, click the back button also and observe the
• Save your movie.

You can see the completed example in lingo_ex3.2.dir

• Shockwave Movie
• Director Movie