Setting color and font

Question

I need a way to set the properties of a text box--color and
font of the text inside it--upon an event, wether it's in the
timeline or off a button release or even LoadMovie would work. Is
this possible?
woodbury

Answer 1

Hi Firstodd,
1. Try re-assigning the text after you set the format:
blackjack.onPress = function() {
var oldText=this._parent.field.text;
var myFormat = new TextFormat();
myFormat.font = "BlackJack";
this._parent.field.setTextFormat(myFormat);
this._parent.field.text=oldText;
I haven't played around with the AS3.0 enough yet but I know
that the
2.0 one applies changes to new text so you need to add "new"
text to the
field by recopying the existing text. Basically...rewrite the
text with
the new format.
2. Your formats are stored in the text field's format
property. You can
either keep a reference to the original format you created
('myFormat'
above), or use:
var myFormat=this._parent.field.getTextFormat();
The text format has a variety of properties you can read such
as font,
size, color, and so on. Have a look at the TextFormat class
reference in
the Flash help. Most of these are completely optional so you
can
set/read whatever you want.
About the text, you simply read or write to the field's text
property
like we did in example 1:
this._parent.field.text="This is new text";
var fieldText=this._parent.field.text;
If you want the user to be able to input text into the field,
make it an
input field:
this._parent.field.type='input';
Otherwise, it's just dynamic:
this._parent.field.type='dynamic';
Do you want it selectable?
this._parent.field.selectable=true;
If it's tall enough to support multiple lines, do you want
multiline
support?
this._parent.field.multiline=true;
Automatic line wrapping on lines?
this._parent.field.wordWrap=true;
You can get even lower-level if you want. You can monitor
what the user
types character by character (assuming this is AS2.0):
function onFieldChanged(fieldRef:TextField) {
trace ('Field now has text: '+fieldRef.text);
this._parent.field.onChanged=this.onFieldChanged;
A field can also cut off if you exceed the available area.
You can set
auto-sizing so that the field adjusts itself to what you
type:
this._parent.field.autoSize='left';
//Use 'center' to keep the text aligned to the center of the
field, and
'right' for right alignment.
Dimensions of the typed text, in pixels, can be obtained
through:
this._parent.field.textWidth;
and
this._parent.field.textHeight;
(You can get the dimensions of the field using _width and
_height but
this is the field size, including borders).
Speaking of borders:
this._parent.field.border=true;
And background...
this._parent.field.backgroundColor=0x00FF00; //green
backrgound
this._parent.field.background=true; //turn it on
I could go on for pages...have a look at the TextField class
to see
everything else you can grab.
The TextField class is the actual field...TextFormat is the
optional
format that's applied to the text.
Hope that helps,
patrick
Firstodd wrote:
> Actually, I did this to embed the fonts I wanted (they
are all non-standard):
>
> The buttons to pick the fonts are broken down, so
graphic and not text. Off
> the the side, out of the canvas, I made a text box for
each font I wanted, and
> put a letter in each, anything would work. I applied the
font to each of these
> letters/text boxes, and then on the properties, I
clicked the "Embed..."
> button, and ctrl-selected "uppercase" "lowercase"
"numerals" & "punctuation",
> for each font on each text box.
>
> Works great, the dynamic text that lets the user types
in changes fonts and
> colors correctly using the script you gave me, even on
computers that don't
> have those ornamental fonts installed.
>
> --
>
> However, I do have a couple questions that any advice
would be appreciated...
>
> 1. When the playing the .swf (which is just 1 frame
stopped), the buttons that
> change the font and color of the named dynamic box--they
have to be pressed
> twice the first time to apply it to the text. But after
it's been applied, and
> you change it, one click will do to get it back to that
color again. I can't
> figure out what would be causing this. My scripts are
all clones of this:
>
on (release) {
> blackjack.onPress = function() {
> var myFormat = new TextFormat();
> myFormat.font = "BlackJack";
> this._parent.field.setTextFormat(myFormat);
> };
> }
>
> changed accordingly for the color buttons.
>
> 2. My next step on this is to, upon the push of a
button, extract the
> information of the instanced text box. As you can see, I
named it "field". I
> don't know where to start with the script for these
kinds of things.
> Properties... I mean what the user has typed, it's
color, and it's font.
> Actually, this needs to go to some sort of check out
system, which I'm not
> familiar with at all, so I'm not expecting a walk
through setting it up, just
> some direction if you could =).
>
> Thanks again
>
> Woodbury
>
http://www.baynewmedia.com
Faster, easier, better...ActionScript development taken to
new heights.
Download the BNMAPI today. You'll wonder how you ever did
without it!
Available for ActionScript 2.0/3.0.