Question

Hey guys, I need to display a message in a flash project I’m working on. The message needs to be centered on screen, and can only be created using code.

Normally I could just put a dynamic text box on and hide it, but I can’t this time.

Thanks,
Max

Answer 1

I would create a class that has a textfield centered within it. Then create a new instance when you need to display a message and add it to the stage. Here is a very simplified example:

package
{
     import flash.display.Sprite;
     import flash.text.TextField;
     import flash.text.TextFieldAutoSize;

     public class Message extends Sprite {

          private var tf:TextField;
          private var s:Sprite;

          public function Message(msg:String) {
               s = new Sprite();
               s.graphics.beginFill(0,0);
               s.graphics.drawRect(0,0,800,600);
               s.graphics.endFill();
               addChild(s);

               tf = new TextField();
               tf.autoSize = TextFieldAutoSize.CENTER;
               tf.width = 400;
               tf.text = msg;
               tf.x = (s.width-tf.textWidth)*0.5;
               tf.y = (s.height-tf.textHeight)*0.5;
               addChild(tf);
          }
     }
}

I would add other functions to this and maybe even add a resize listener to keep it centered. You could also add a few buttons to close the message. The sprite is added only to disable any mouse clicks beneath the message. Does that help?