Advantages of Symbols in Flash

One of the key features of flash is the ability to create and modify symbols. Most of you are aware of the fact that designing web pages requires lots of hard work and dedication, particularly if it needs loads of graphics. But, if you are engaged in flash web pages design, you need not worry because flash has some unique tools and tricks to overcome many difficulties associated with designing.
One of the key abilities of flash is its symbol creation and manipulation techniques. A symbol is always placed in the library panel. The best part of symbol is its ability to generate duplicate copies of itself that can be used anywhere in a flash web site. There are various benefits of symbols in flash:

• If you are looking forward to make an object appear twice or even thrice in a flash movie, you must first convert it into a symbol. Then just place any number of copies of that symbol on the stage. This will certainly help to reduce file size.
  
• If you modify or manipulate a symbol, the changes get reflected in all copies of the symbol, thus making it much adaptable.
  
  
• You can embed a symbol into another symbol and that symbol can be embedded into another symbol. In this way you can create complex animations for your flash web page design project.
  
• Symbols have their own timeline and so an animated symbol plays independently off the main animated sequence of the main timeline.
  
• In your custom flash web design project, you can also harness the powers of ActionScript to control button and movie clip symbols. Movie clips have their own scripts that allow them to control other clips embedded in the same movie.

Converting an object to a symbol:

• An object can be converted into a symbol in three easy steps:
  
• Select an object or a group of elements
  
• Select modify>convert to symbol.
  
• In the dialog box type the symbol name and click okay. Your flash symbol is ready.