5

Previous to XaraX, to export to Flash you had to use .AI or .WMF format which was a very much a hit or miss affair.

XaraX can now export to .SWF which is Flash's native format. This has come in for some very unfair (IMHO) criticism over the past few months. I think part of the problem was due to XaraX beta versions, but they were BETA versions after all.

I now find the export via .swf excellent and extremely stable.

Two gripes still seem emerge.

Layers aren't exported. This is true but I can accept this and work around it.

The second criticism is that all features in XaraX aren't exported. This is not of Xara's making, but Macromedia's lagging vector capabilities.

I still prefer to produce all my vectors in Xara (even rectangles!) and import them into Flash, than use Flash's native drawing features which I find quirky, to say the least!

With the limitations mentioned above I'll now end this SONG OF PRAISE for XaraX.

TIP: When any shape or group is imported into Flash it is placed in the top left hand corner. You are going to import in excess of 8 layers. To ensure all layers maintain there relative positions to each other I use the following method:

On the bottom layer (10SEA) at the extreme left, extreme top create a small square. Ctrl-C (to place a copy of the square on the clipboard). Select all (on this layer only) and group.


	Go to layer above: Ctrl-shift-V (pastes a copy in exactly the same position) / Ctrl-A (selects all) / Ctrl-G (groups all)

	Repeat for each and every layer.

	Now when you import into Flash this square is placed at the top left corner and the all layers and therefore objects retain there relative positions in relation to each other. I mentioned earlier my strict layer naming. I would like to explain this in more detail now. I name each layer in Xara from 10+"name" upwards when I want to export to Flash.

Before going further, open your layers gallery in Xara and provided you're happy with the layers structure, give each layer name a prefix number from 10 upwards. i.e.

13OTHER RDS

12COAST

11BEACH

10SEA

This will help greatly in exporting each layer.

Now select layer 10SEA. Ctrl-A / File / Export / .swf and export as 10SEA.swf

Next layer 11BEACH. Ctrl-A / File / Export / .swf and export as 11BEACH.swf

Repeat for each layer.

Now open Flash

Import 10SEA.swf into layer 1 / Rename this layer 10SEA / Ctrl-A / CtrlG / F8 (convert to symbol) "Graphic" named 10SEA.

Create new layer in Flash and repeat above.

Continue repeating until all layers are imported.

I hope you can see the need to number each layer now, as it becomes immediately obvious which is the next layer to import.

(numbers less than 10 don't follow in numerical order in files!) You also ensure each layer in Xara and Flash are named the same, as well as ensuring each symbol is named the same as the layer in which it resides.

All the above may appear picky, but if you don't follow a strict cross program naming convention you will soon get lost in a spaghetti of objects and layers. If you need to return to Xara and adjust an object, without this cross naming convention, you could waste hours!.

I'm not going to any greater detail regarding producing the final Flash movie, but I must mention that when you import into Flash even if the object are a single group in Xara they are imported as ungrouped objects. As soon as you've imported anything select all and group. I always use this opportunity to convert them into a graphic.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and found it of some use.

Kindly e-mail me with your comments or use the form on the next page.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

— Egg Bramhill
eggbram@globalnet.co.uk