Screen instance names, class names, and registration points

The screen name automatically generates the instance name and class name of the screen. You need these identifying labels when you manipulate screens with ActionScript in various ways. To adjust how the screen behaves, change a screen’s registration point. You can work with these features in the following ways:

• The instance name is a unique name assigned to a screen, used when you target the screen in ActionScript. Change the instance name in the Property inspector. The instance name is identical to the screen name in the Screen Outline pane and the linkage identifier for the screen. If you update the instance name, the screen name and the linkage identifier also update.

  Note: Symbol instances, including movie clips, buttons, and graphics, also have instance names.

• The class name identifies the ActionScript class to which the screen is assigned. By default, a slide screen is assigned to the mx.screens.Slide class, and a form screen is assigned to the mx.screens.Form class. To modify the methods and properties that are available for the screen, assign the screen to a different class. For more information on ActionScript classes, see Classes in Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash.

• The Property inspector indicates the registration point in the x and y coordinate fields and in the registration grid. You might want to move the registration point for greater control in manipulating screen content. For example, to create a spinning shape in the center of a screen, reposition the screen registration point at the center of the screen and rotate the screen around its registration point.