Creating Submenus Using submenuMaker Component

This installation of the textMenu component installs a second component called submenuMaker. The submenuMaker component is included with textMenu version 2.0.0. If you do not have this component, please visit our upgrades page to obtain the latest version. The submenuMaker component is currently released as a beta component.

This tutorial assumes that you have already worked through the basic tutorial and that you have an understanding of the basic textMenu functionality. The source file for this tutorial is called "submenumaker-demo.fla" and can be found in the demo files included with your download. The submenuMaker can only be used with the XML option and is used to create one level of submenus.

1. First create the XML file which will be used for the main menu as well as the submenus. See the section called Using XML for instructions on creating an XML file for use with the submenuMaker.

2. Open the components panel and locate the textMenu component. Drag and drop the textMenu component from the components panel onto the stage. The top left corner of the textMenu component will be the left most side and vertical center line for the first button for all layouts of the menu except the vertical-right alignment. The top left corner determines the right most side for vertical-right alignment.

3. Set the parameters for the main menu as desribed in the Basic Instructions. Ensure that you enter the name of the XML file which includes the submenus in the XML Filename parameter. You should also set the "Disable Current" parameter to "false" when using the submenuMaker.

4. Click once on the textMenu component that is on the stage, in order to select it, and give it an instance name of "tm".

5. Return to the components panel and locate the submenuMaker component in the textMenu component folder. Drag and drop the submenuMaker component anywhere on the stage. The component itself will be invisible when viewed so position the component wherever it is convenient for you.

6. Select the submenuMaker component that is on the stage and set the properties as described in the submenuMaker properties section.

That's it. The submenus should now work correctly. Before testing, ensure that you have saved the fla to the same folder as the XML file that you specified.