Text Effect Problem

[Colin Campbell]

I'm a newcomer to Flash MX and flash in general, so I'm probably doing something wrong :P.

Anyway, my friend made this awesome text effect that he said I can use in my site. I open up the file, along with my sites .fla When I'm in the main timeline of the text effect file, I select all of the frames. Then I go into my sites file, and paste the frames/layers into my site file.

The first thing I do is create a symbol, because they're needed in the text effect. 2 things happen from here. Either when I'm done naming the symbol, I click "ok" and then for some wierd reason, it shuts down flash. The next thing happens when I do things a bit differently... I make the symbols before I actually paste the frames/layers in my timeline. This way works, until I try to test it, which then quits flash unexpectedly, just like before.

Is there any reason for this?? Anything i can do?

BTW: I'm on OS X, which might have something to do with it or not...

don't be scared to give me a shout on AIM/MSN.
AIM: colincampbell14
MSN: cambalony@hotmail.com

[Sualdam]

Have you tried copying and pasting the frames into a blank/new movie just to test it?

I've found that sometimes a FLA can become corrupted and it does strange things when you least expect it.

If that works, try saving your original movie with a different filename and then paste the frames again.

I'm not guaranteeing anything, but I've had similar problems before (recently, when creating movies with videos in them - large file sizes can sometimes cause problems).

How big is your main FLA? If it is huge, that might be something to start looking into.

If this doesn't help, can you provide more information - possibly even post the FLA with the text effect you are talking about? That way, other people can try it and maybe provide more assistance.

[Colin Campbell]

I forgot to put that, it works fine outside of the site file, basically, it works in its home file, and every where else but my site file... :P how unlucky

[Sualdam]

That's what I was getting at - it might be your main file that's the problem.

If you can cut and paste into a new movie with no problems, but you get the crash when you paste into the main movie, it shows where the problem is.

If it works when you paste into a new movie (you implied it does) then try saving your main movie with a new file name. Then try again.

If that doesn't work, and if the main movie is BIG, then try clearing out the library of any junk, then re-saving.

If it is a corrupted file, this is a tried and trusted way, believe me :)

[Colin Campbell]

we'll see :P Thanks for the help, I'll try that now

[Colin Campbell]

YOU ARE MY MESSIAH! Man, you a god :P It worked in the empty file, so theres a coruption somewhere in my main file, it just might take me a while to find that. Thanks alot

[Sualdam]

Now comes the painful part...

You MIGHT have to redo the main file by copying everything over into a new file.

Not definite... but I've been there :)

[Colin Campbell]

well, I got it so i can get the frames into the same timeline as the main stuff, and to be able to test the movie without flash shutting down. But all that happens in the movie is theres the main stuff but only the beginning of the text effect plays... which is basically nothing... I'll try copying and pasting everything. Man, I really appreciate your help. I was about ready to give up on Flash :P

[Sualdam]

Glad to be of help.

At least you'll know what to do if it happens again.

I make it a point with important projects to do 'save as' every now and then (or back up 'My Documents') so at least I have a working version to go back to if something goes wrong.

Sometimes it is easier to go back and try again from a working starting point than it is to sort out a problem - especially this particular one :)

[Colin Campbell]

ok, there is still the same problem happens. I can't get the text effect to play right... what can I do? Is there an actionscript?

[Sualdam]

Just to clarify:

If you import/copy the effect into a blank movie, it works, yes?

If you import/copy into your ORIGINAL movie, Flash crashes?

What exactly have you tried now? How is it different from importing/copying into a blank new movie? Is it correct to say that you aren't getting crashes anymore, just the animation doesn't work?

For example, have you copied it into a movie clip instead of the main stage (or some similar difference from the original)?

Have you copied everything that constitutes the effect? You didn't leave a layer behind or anything?

By the sounds of it you have cleared up the crashing problem and now it is a separate Flash usage thing.