Button Effects

Button Effects Overview:

Button Effects are built-in animated effects that add real pizzaz to your menu. The effects are grouped into four area:

  • State Transitions: Effects that occur between state change.
  • States Effects: Are effects that are played whilst a button is in a particular state.
  • Display and Remove: There are effects that are used when a button is displayed or removed.
  • Menu Effects: These are more specialised effects that control how a menu expands and contracts to display all of the tiers in the menu.

State Transitions:

The following transitions can have button effects:

  • Up to Over
  • Over to Down
  • Down to Over
  • Over to Up

Button Effects include:

  • Cross-Fade (Flash only): A cross-fade with adjustable speed.
  • Fade Out & In(Flash only): The button fades out to the background and then back to the new state. The speed of the fade can be independantly set for both directions.
  • Pulse: A pulse of colour that will expand from the x and/or y axis. Any colour can be used and the speed of the pulse can be set for both the pulse out and pulse in.
  • Shrink & Expand: The button will shrink along the x and/or y axis to nothing and then expand back as the next button state. Shrink and expand speeds can be set independantly.
  • Spin (Flash only): The button will spin (clockwise or anti-clockwise) around the x,y or z axis. When the button is half way through its 360 degree rotation it will change to the next state. The spin speed is adjustable.

Note: Shrink and Expand work slightly differently in Flash and Java. In Flash the text size is shrunk along with the buttons. In Java, the text remains its original size.

State Effects:

The following states can have button effects:

  • Up State
  • Over State
  • Down State

Button Effects include:

  • Fade (Flash only): This effect will fade the button in and out. Both fade out and fade in speeds can be adjusted independantly.
  • Pulse: A pulse of colour that will expand from the x and/or y axis. Any colour can be used and the speed of the pulse can be set for both the pulse out and pulse in.
  • Sonar: Creates a circle of color originating from a set point on your button. Circle minimum and maximum radius, line thickness, sonar out and in speeds are all configurable. The Sonar effect tends to look far more effective in Flash than in Java due to the transparency used on the edges of the line itself.
  • Bounce: This effect shrinks the button by about 30% and expands it back to its full size - this creates a 'bouncing' effect when repeated. Bounce speed is fully adjustable.
  • Spin (Flash only): The button will spin (clockwise or anti-clockwise) around the x,y or z axis. When the button is half way through its 360 degree rotation it will change to the next state. The spin speed is adjustable.
  • Shake: Creates a shaking effect. The button can shake vertically, horizontally or randomly. The shake speed is adjustable.

Note: Bounce works slightly differently in Flash and Java. In Flash the text size is shrunk along with the buttons. In Java, the text remains its original size.

Display and Remove:

You can set display and remove effects for each button. These will be used whenever a button is displayed or hidden. This will occur on startup, hide and show actions (where the button is the target) as well as hide and show child buttons (where the button is a child).

Button Effects include:

  • Slide on/off: Will slide a button on or off the screen from/to: Left, Top, Right, Bottom, Top-left corner, Top-right corner, Bottom-right corner, Bottom-left corner or a specified angle (where 0 is top, 90 right, 180 down and 270 left). Slide in/off speed is adjustable.
  • Fade in/out (flash only): This effect will fade the button in or out. Fade speed is adjustable.
  • Expand/Shrink: The button will shrink along the x and/or y axis to/from nothing. Shrink/expand speed is adjustable.

Note: Expand/Shrink works slightly differently in Flash and Java. In Flash the text size is shrunk along with the buttons. In Java, the text remains its original size.

Show/hide Child Buttons:

This is a special button effect which sets the hierarchy animation for the expansion and contraction of menus and the display of child buttons. Menu expansion can be triggered by almost anything as it is activated by the Show Child Buttons / Hide Child Buttons / Toggle Child Buttons action.

There are really two effects being set here:

  • Child Button display
  • Menu Expansion/Contraction animation

Child Button display:
With the addition of immediate show/hide these work the same as the Display/Remove effects. Spefically, Slide on/off, Fade in/out and Expand/Shrink.

  • Immediate Show/hide: Will give the appearance of instantly appearing or disappearing on the screen
  • Slide on/off: Will slide a button on or off the screen from/to: Left, Top, Right, Bottom, Top-left corner, Top-right corner, Bottom-right corner, Bottom-left corner or a specified angle (where 0 is top, 90 right, 180 down and 270 left). Slide in/off speed is adjustable.
  • Fade in/out (flash only): This effect will fade the button in or out. Fade speed is adjustable.
  • Expand/Shrink: The button will shrink along the x and/or y axis to/from nothing. Shrink/expand speed is adjustable.

Menu Expansion Options:
The following options establish the initial status of your menu and if it is a static or dymanically expanding/contracting menu (and associated animation settings).

  • Hide child buttons of other buttons first - as the name suggests, this setting will create a contracting menu as it will force other buttons to hide their child buttons before it displays its children.
  • Child buttons of this button are initially hidden - this sets whether or not the child are initally visible.
  • Show all child buttons simultaneously - animates the child buttons as a group when displayed using the chosen display/hide effects.
  • Show child buttons one at a time -animates the child buttons individually when displayed using the chosen display/hide effects.
  • Move lower buttons to fit child buttons (all at once, one at a time, one top-level button at a time) - this setting determines how the menu is expanded the speed of expansion is completely adjustable.

Note: Expand/Shrink works slightly differently in Flash and Java. In Flash the text size is shrunk along with the buttons. In Java, the text remains its original size.

For related information see: Show Child Buttons / Hide Child Buttons / Toggle Child Buttons actions.