There are many websites in the Internet built using Macromedia Flash technology. You probably saw different types of scrolling on those websites. I would like to show you one of the easiest ways to create a scroll bar with the mask. It may be used not only for text scrolling but you may also put images into that scrolling. If you experience some difficulties while reading this tutorial it is recommended to read all the previous tutorials on http://www.metamorphozis.com written by me as some aspects might be discussed earlier.

1. Launch Flash MX 2004

2. Create new Flash file. Click File > New...

3. Select Flash Document in a new window

4. Create 2 blank layers. Name the first one "Buttons" and the second one "Mask and Content"

5. Select the "Mask and Content" layer and with the "Rectangle Tool" draw a simple rectangle shape. Set the shape color to black.

6. Select the "Buttons" layer and drag it to the top then with the "Pen Tool" draw up and down arrows.

7. Select the "Mask and Content" layer and with the "Rectangle Tool" draw a white rectangle within the black shape. Convert shape into the movie.

8. Type in the movie instance name to "text"

9. Above the "Buttons" layer create a new blank layer, call it "Control".

10. Press "Ctrl+F8" to create a new symbol. Call it "control". You will see the blank screen appear but do not worry. We will need this movie to hold an action script coding which will be used to calculate up and down the movement of our text layer.

11. Now create 2 blank layers in the "control" movie. Call them "Up" and "Down".

12. 12. Create 3 blank keyframes in the "Up" layer. Add the following action script code to the first frame of the "Up" layer:
stop();

13. Select the second frame and add action script code:
y = getProperty("_root.text.content", _y);
if (y>100) {
gotoAndStop(1);
} else {
setProperty("_root.text.content", _y, y+6);
}

14. Select the third frame and add the action script code:
gotoAndPlay(2);

15. Select the fourth frame of the "Down" layer and create a blank keyframe. Add the following action script code:
stop();

16. Create the fifth blank keyframe in the "Down" frame. Add the action script code:
y = getProperty("_root.text.content", _y);
if (y<-1600) {
gotoAndPlay(4);
} else {
setProperty("_root.text.content", _y, y-6);
}

17. Create 6th blank keyframe in the "Down" layer. Add the action script code:
gotoAndPlay(5);

18. Click the "Scene 1" label to return to the root scene of your movie. Select the blank keyframe in the "Control" layer and drag the "control" movie to the working area from the "Library" panel. Set the "control" movie instance name to "control"(pic.2)


Pic.2

19. Convert the up arrow in the "Buttons" layer to the button symbol. Do not forget the set up the "Hit" area! Add the following action script code to the new button in the "Action" panel:
on (rollOver) {
tellTarget ("control") {
gotoAndPlay(2);
}
}
on (rollOut, dragOut) {
tellTarget ("control") {
gotoAndStop(1);
}
}

20. Convert the down arrow to the button symbol and add the action script code:
on (rollOver) {
tellTarget ("control") {
gotoAndPlay(5);
}
}
on (rollOut, dragOut) {
tellTarget ("control") {
gotoAndStop(4);
}
}

21. Double click "text" movie in the "Mask and Content" layer to enter it. Rename the default layer with shape to the "Mask" layer.

22. Create the new blank layer, call it "Text". Place it under the "Mask" layer. Add some text to the "Text" layer. The text must be located so that text layer began right from the starting of the "Mask" layer. As you can see the text is not visible behind the "Mask" layer but we fix that in our next step.

23. Convert the "Text" layer to the movie clip and change the instance name to "content"

24. Select the "Mask" layer, make a right mouse click and select "Mask" option form the menu. After the option was applied the layers will look like pic.2


Pic.2

That’s it! We are done with this lo-o-o-o-ong tutorial! Press “Ctrl+Enter” As you may see the arrows functional but you need to adjust numbers mentioned in the step 13 and 16(100 and 1600) to achieve smooth scrolling.
On the example you can see adjusted scrolling.

Click here to download source fla file.

About the Author: Oleg Lazarenko
Production manager of
Metamorphosis Website Design Studio -
Custom design, Website Templates,
Web design Articles and Tutorials.

You may reprint this tutorial for free as long as the content, About the Author sections and all links remain unchanged.