Creating a Radar Screen Movie with Xara X and Flash

This month we go for the complete Flash experience as we create a XaraXone radar screen. Complete with sonar blips.

NOTE: You will need Xara X and a recent edition of Macromedia Flash, to do the following tutorial. (I will be using Flash 5). If you don't have Xara X, click here to go to the Xara home page where you can download a Free 30-day trial copy. Click here to download a free 30-day trial of Flash 5.

You know, Xara has never asked, let alone required me to place banner ads on this site or the XaraXone for that matter. I think this is pretty terrific. Because I hate the distraction of a bunch of ad banners (especially those stupid punch the monkey ones, or the ones that look like a Windows error message telling you your Internet connection is not optimized). Arrg!

So while what follows, may look like an ad, believe me, it is no snow job. It is my personal endorsement of a really neat product from Xara that I think you will love.

CLICK HERE
to download a Zipped HTML version of this tutorial

No, there is nothing wrong with your monitor! The falling snow effect is one of dozens of really cool effects available at the new Xara Modules page. Now you can add wizzy new elements (like snow) to your web site, even if you are not an artist or can't write a line of JavaScript. Some of the cool Xara Modules include: password protection, visitor counter and visitor tracking (get the poop on who is visiting your site!), button bars (if you still haven't mastered Xara's new Nav Bar Tool), Smart Photo, which automatically color corrects, optimizes and resizes JPEG and GIF photos, banners, a host of awesome JavaFX effects like the snow shown here, and a lot more.

The best part is it's easy. No kidding. Go to the site. Sign up. (It doesn't cost you a dime—not that I could determine at any rate). Check out the nifty samples of the different modules. And then upload an image or images into your online personal folder, and do all the tweaking on Xara's site. The interface couldn't be easier. And when you love the effect you have created, or have selected the perfect module for your site, press a button and Publish the effect.

You will be presented a one or two line script, which you copy and paste to your HTML document, and when you upload your Web page to your server, the script points to Xara Online and displays your cool effect.

And that is all there is to it. Try it out and let me know what you think.