Adobe Flash

If you are a Flash developer, use Adobe Captivate to record a SWF file. Then use the features of Flash to edit the file. Adobe Captivate 5 supports Flash Professional CS5.

    Export from Adobe Captivate to Flash

    You can export a project from Adobe Captivate to Flash. You can enhance it or integrate it into a larger project.

    Note: You need not have Adobe Flash installed to perform this task.

    When you export an Adobe Captivate project into Adobe Flash, the project is imported directly to the Stage. The imported project contains layers for each type of object. Appropriate Flash methods are used to enable any Adobe Captivate special effects (for example, tweens to move the mouse pointer). The Flash Library panel shows all objects created for the Adobe Captivate project, organized logically into folders.

    Import of the following slide elements are supported: highlight box, captions, animation, click box, text entry box, and rollover caption.

    Most elements in your projects are converted so they look and operate the same in Flash as in Adobe Captivate, but here are a few exceptions:

    • Question slides

    • Imported mouse paths are linear, and not curved like in Adobe Captivate.

    • Advanced compression

    • Playback controller

    • 508 compliance

    • Drawing objects

    • Interactive objects are not completely supported.

    • Slide transitions (fade between slides)

    1. In an open project, select File > Export > To Flash CS5.

    2. In the Export To Flash Options dialog box, specify the location and select the elements to export. These options are self-explanatory, but note that Hints are a Flash feature, not an Adobe Captivate element that is imported into Flash. Hints are not included in the project SWF file.

    3. Click Export. If you have installed Flash Professional CS5, the exported file opens in Flash Professional CS5.

    Modifying Adobe Captivate projects in Flash

    Use the Flash Library and movie clip objects to create reusable elements from the original project.

    When you become familiar with the structure of the project in Flash, you can easily change your entire project or place Adobe Captivate elements in it. All the Adobe Captivate project elements are stored in the Flash Library and organized into folders. Navigate through these folders to select elements for editing.

    The following layers are seen in the Timeline when you open an Adobe Captivate project in Flash.

    Preloader
    This is the file that plays until the movie is downloaded to the user’s computer. For example, you could have a GIF file that informs the player that the movie is being downloaded until the download is complete.

    Actions
    The global actions defined in a movie. You can define global variables and declarations using the Actions layer in the Timeline.

    Slides
    Contains the imported slides in the order in which they appear in the movie.

    When you double-click the slide, the Timeline in the next view contains objects corresponding to that slide. Use the Timeline to edit the various objects on the slide. Keep double-clicking an object to edit its different parts. The Timeline changes to reflect the various parts of the object.

    Navigating through projects in Flash

    Remember these points when you navigate:

    • In the Library panel, a folder named Adobe Captivate Objects contains all slides and objects in the project. (You can ignore the objects listed with the prefix “xrd”; these objects are images and sounds that are used in other objects.) To edit your project, double-click a library item and edit it. The “xrd” files are shown in a folder in the library.

    • Another way to navigate is to double-click elements on the Stage (in Flash). For example, to edit a movie, double-click the movie on the Stage. To navigate to an element on a slide, click in the Timeline. Position the playhead to show an object on the slide (such as a caption or highlight box). Then double-click the object to edit it. This method has the advantage of showing each element and object in the context in which it is used.

    • Unlike Adobe Captivate, Flash does not show all objects at one time; Flash uses the Timeline to represent when different objects are shown. Click in the Timeline or drag the playhead to preview the project.

    • The Library panel organizes your project and all of the elements it contains, such as slides, captions, and sounds, into a hierarchy of folders.

    Record application in Adobe Flash

    You can now record applications in all Adobe Captivate recording modes from within the Adobe Flash workspace (without launching Adobe Captivate). For infomation on recording, see Recording Projects.

    1. In Adobe Flash Professional CS5, select Command > Record Application.

    2. Click the recording icon and then start recording.

    Note: This feature is available only in Adobe Captivate that is installed as a part of Adobe eLearning Suite.

    Adobe Flash round-tripping

    You can instantly update the SWF files in Adobe Captivate by editing the source FLA files in Adobe Flash. You can launch Adobe Flash from within Adobe Captivate.
    Note: This feature is available only in Adobe Captivate that is installed as a part of Adobe eLearning Suite.

    Using Adobe Flash to edit animation objects and widgets

    1. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the animation or the widget and then select Edit With Flash. The FLA file that is associated with the SWF file is opened for editing in Adobe Flash.

    2. Edit the FLA file, generate a SWF file output, and then save the file in the same location where the original SWF file was saved. Also, use the same name for the new SWF file.

    All instances of the SWF file used in the Adobe Captivate project get automatically updated.

    You can also open Adobe Flash manually and edit the FLA file associated with the SWF file. However, you can manually synchronize the files by selecting Update in the right-click menu. at the corner of the object or widget indicates that the SWF file is not synchronized with its source. indicates that the SWF file is up-to-date and indicates that the SWF file is not available.

    Replacing animation SWF files

    Do one of the following in the Properties panel:

    • Click the hyperlinked SWF file, browse to the location where the replacement SWF file is located, and click Open.

    • Click Swap. In the Select Animation From the Library dialog box, select the replacement SWF file in the project’s library. Using this dialog box, you can also import SWF files saved in other locations and then select the file to replace the current one.