Flash help tutorial problem

Question

I'm just getting started with Flash and thought I'd work
through the tutorials included in the programs help. The tutorial
I'm stuck on is called: Creating Graphics - Applying Gradients. The
section I'm stuck on is Create a transform gradient with a shape.
I'm having problems applying the radial gradient—either
it doesn't work at all or applies to the fill but not the stoke.
This leads me to the question of what stroke and fill settings I
should have set up—after all I don't really want a stroke! Is
this oval shape drawn with object drawing turn't on or something?
I've looked at the completed .fla file and this shadow oval
shape seems to be a group. Has the person who created it grouped
the stoke and the fill or what? Which ever way the shape is
created, it doesn't say anything in the tutorial about how it
should be selected to apply the radial gradient! Surely it needs to
be selected somehow? Because when I try to apply the radial
gradient nothing happens!
Please can somebody help me figure this out—it's really
bugging me!

Answer 1

rename your gallery to something other than galleryinprogress.swf, say gallery.swf.
in flash create a new fla named galleryinprogress.fla with the same stage size and background color as your previous galleryinprogress.swf and attached to frame one of your new galleryinprogress.fla add:
var tf:TextField = this.createTextField("tf",1,0,0,100,40);
tf.autoSize = "center";
tf._x = Stage.width/2;
tf._y = Stage.height/2;
this.createEmptyMovieClip("mc",1);
mc.loadMovie("http://homepage.mac.com/nakean/.Public/swf/gallery.swf");
preloadI=setInterval(preloadF,100);
function preloadF(){
tf.text=mc.getBytesLoaded() +" bytes loaded out of "+mc.getBytesTotal()+" bytes total.";
if(mc.getBytesLoaded()>0&&mc.getBytesLoaded()>=mc.getBytesTotal()){
clearInterval(preloadI);
tf.removeTextField();
publish your new galleryinprogress.swf and upload to the same directory as your previous (but now renamed) galleryinprogress.swf.