Adobe Flash —

Select panel sets and arrange panels

The Default Workspace Layout panel set arranges your workspace in a way that facilitates taking lessons. You'll use this layout for all lessons that you take in Flash.

  • Select Window > Workspace Layout > Default.
    You can move panels around, and resize them, as follows:

    • You can undock a panel by clicking the upper-left corner of the panel, in the title bar, and dragging the panel to another location in the workspace.

      If the panel snaps against a border, it is docked in a new location (or docked in the same location, if you moved it back). Otherwise, the panel is undocked.

    • You can resize an undocked panel by dragging the lower-right edge out to enlarge the panel.

Use tools to create Flash content

The white rectangular Stage area is where you can arrange objects as you want them to appear in your published file.

Note: You can open several documents at once and use document tabs, above the Stage, to navigate between them.

The Tools panel, next to the Stage, offers a variety of controls that let you create text and vector art. To learn more about tools in the Tools panel, select Help > Flash Tutorials > Creating Graphics: Draw in Flash and Help > Flash Tutorials > Text: Add Text to a Document.

  1. Click the Pencil tool in the Tools panel. Click the Stroke color box in the Tools panel colors area, and select any color except white.

  2. Drag around the Stage, without releasing the mouse, to draw a line.
    You've created Flash content. Your finished document will be much more impressive.

Undo changes

Flash can undo a series of changes to your document. You'll undo the artwork that you just created.

  1. To see the undo feature in action, first open the History panel (Window > Other Panels > History).
    The Pencil tool appears in the panel, because using the tool was your last action.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Select Edit > Undo Pencil Tool.

    • Press Control+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Macintosh).


    Your scribbles disappear from the Stage. The History panel now shows a dimmed Pencil tool, which indicates the undo action was executed. Flash, by default, is set to undo 100 of your changes, in reverse order of execution. You can change the default setting in Preferences. To change your preferences, see "Setting preferences in Flash" in Flash Help.

  3. To close the History panel, click the pop-up menu in the upper-right corner of the panel and select Close Panel