Create and manage projects

You use the Project panel (Window > Project) to create and manage projects. The panel displays the contents of a Flash project in a collapsible tree structure. The panel title bar displays the project name.

If a project file is missing (not in its specified location), a Missing File icon appears next to the filename. You can search for the missing file or delete the file from the project.

When you publish a project, each FLA file in the project is published with the publish profile specified for that file.

Only one project can be open at one time. If a project is open and you open or create another project, Flash automatically saves and closes the first file.

View the Project pop‑up menu

 When a project is open, click the Project button at the upper-left corner of the Project panel.

Create a new project

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Select File > New. On the General tab, select Flash Project.

    • Select New Project from the Project pop‑up menu in the Project panel (visible only if a project is open).

    • If no other project is open, open the Project panel and select Create A New Project in the panel window.

    • If no project is currently open, right-click (Windows) or Control‑click (Macintosh) in the Document window of a saved Flash document or ActionScript file and select Add To New Project from the context menu.

  2. In the New Project dialog box, enter a name for the project and click Save.

Open an existing project

 Do one of the following:

  • Select Open Project from the Project pop‑up menu in the Project panel. Navigate to the project and click Open.

  • Double-click the filename.

  • If no other project is open, open the Project panel and select Open An Existing Project in the panel window. Navigate to the project and click Open.

  • Select File > Open. Navigate to the project and click Open.

Add a file to a project

 Do one of the following:

  • Click the Add Files (+) button at the lower-right corner of the Project panel. Select one or more files and click Add.

  • Right-click (Windows) or Control‑click (Macintosh) in the Document window of an open FLA or AS file and select Add To Project from the context menu.

    Note: A file must be saved before you can add it to a project. You can add a file to a given project only once. If you attempt to add a file to the same project more than once, an error message appears.

Create a folder

  1. Click the Folder button at the lower-right corner of the Project panel.
  2. Enter a name for the folder and click OK.
    Note: Folders at the same level on the same branch of the project tree structure must have unique names. If there is a folder name conflict, an error message appears.

Move a file or folder

  Drag the file or folder to a new location in the project tree structure. When you move a folder, all of its contents are moved.
Note: If you drag a folder to a location with another folder of the same name, Flash merges the contents of the two folders in the new location.

Delete a file or folder

  1. Select the item in the Project panel.
  2. Do one of the following:

    • Click the Remove button at the lower-right corner of the Project panel.

    • Press the Delete key.

    • Right-click (Windows) or Control‑click (Macintosh) the file or folder and select Remove from the context menu.

Open a file from the Project panel in Flash

 Double-click the filename in the Project panel.

If the file is of a native file type (a type supported by the Flash authoring tool), the file opens in Flash. If the file is a nonnative file type, the file opens in the application used to create it.

Test a project

  1. Click Test Project in the Project panel.
  2. If the project contains no FLA, HTML, or HTM file, an error message appears. Click OK and add a file of the appropriate type.
  3. If no FLA, HTML, or HTM file is designated as the default document, an error message appears. Click OK. In the Select Default Document dialog box, select a document and click OK.

    When a default document is present, the Test Project feature publishes all FLA files in the document. If the default document is a FLA file, the Test Movie command is executed. If it is an HTML file, a browser is opened.

Specify a publish profile for a FLA file in a project

  1. Select the file in the Project panel and do one of the following:

    • Select Settings from the Project pop‑up menu.

    • Right-click (Windows) or Control‑click (Macintosh) and select Settings from the context menu.

  2. In the Project Settings dialog box, select the FLA file in the tree structure.
  3. Select a publish profile from the Profile menu.

Publish a project

  Select Publish Project from the Project pop‑up menu.
Note: Flash uses default publish profiles to publish FLA files in the project, unless you select other profiles.

Save files in a project when testing or publishing

  1. Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Flash > Preferences (Macintosh) and click General in the Category list.
  2. Under Project Preferences, click Save Files On Test or Publish Project.

    When this option is selected, Flash saves all open files in the current project before executing the Test Project or Publish Project operation.

Close a project

  Select Close Project from the Project pop‑up menu.

Set preferences to close all files or not close all files when you close a project

  1. Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Flash > Preferences (Macintosh) and click General in the Category list.
  2. Under Project Preferences, select or deselect Close Files with Project. When this option is selected, by default, Flash closes all files in a project when you close the project.

Rename a project or a folder

  1. Select the project name or folder name in the Project panel and do one of the following:

    • Select Rename from the Project pop‑up menu.

    • Right-click (Windows) or Control‑click (Macintosh) the item and select Rename from the context menu.

  2. Enter a new name and click OK.
    Note: By default, a project is given the same name as the first file added to the project. To rename a project, you must use the Rename menu item. Renaming the FLP file for a project does not rename the project.

Find a missing file in a project

A file that is part of a project can appear to be missing if it is moved from its original location relative to the other files in the project.

  1. Select the filename (designated by a Missing File icon) in the Project panel.
  2. Select Find Missing File from the Project pop‑up menu, or right-click (Windows) or Control‑click (Macintosh) and select Find Missing File from the context menu.
  3. Navigate to the file and click OK.
Related Information

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