What is your Flash IDE Layout?
How do you use Flash? Specifically, how do you arrange the panels and timeline within Flash?
Here is the layout that I have been most comfortable with:
(Thanks to Kevin Lynch who gave me the idea of making the timeline thinner and moving it to the side).
So how is your environment laid out? Describe it in the comments, or post links to screenshots.
Comments
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Well I really wish you could dock the actions panel like I do at work on my windows machine. I have the properties and actions docked at the bottom of the stage, and the timeline usually set to short on the top. I find that the best way. I like the windows docking, gray background setup in windows much better than the floating, and no background in mac flash. Make it happen!
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I wish I could contribute but I just switched to using dual monitors and haven't found anything i really like yet.
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Wes Carr
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Properties Panel above shrunk Timeline, Adobe style, that way i can move my AS Panel down and out without missing anything :) Bummer it snaps back to within the screen when you switch focus with another app :\ http://www.mr10.net/stuff/mrtm_fmx_screenie.gif
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remote desktop connection is pretty cool isn't it? i use it all the time.
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basically, i don't dock my actions panel (I toggle it with F9)... and I like to seperate the Library panel from the rest of the design panels on the right. I have screenshots on my blog: http://blogs.okyere.org/resolve/archives/000032.htm
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On my desktop computer, where space is available, I everything at hand, like this: Small file: http://www.oscartrelles.com/assets/photos/flashmx2004_desktop_preview.gif Large file: http://www.oscartrelles.com/assets/photos/flashmx2004_desktop.gif (black empty space is due to the lower resolution on the 3rd monitor) On my laptop, I have the Actions and Help panels docked like this: Small file: http://www.oscartrelles.com/assets/photos/flashmx2004_laptop_preview.gif Large file: http://www.oscartrelles.com/assets/photos/flashmx2004_laptop.gif
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I love when everyone does this. Gives us a glimpse at how the pros work. I've been trying to figure out what half the programs on Mike's dock are. My layout is pretty simple. Although I do prefer to keep the actions window from being docked.
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Oh and a copy of Colin Moock's Definitive Guide is always right next to the keyboard. I consider that book a part of my IDE.
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That's funny, Right now I have 4 books sitting on top of my monitors, including a copy of ASDG2, which has been there almost since I got it. The other ones are: Flash MX for Interactive Simulation, Foundation Swift 3D and the PHP Cookbook. Now that we're sharing pictures, I figured I'd share this one too :) http://www.oscartrelles.com/assets/photos/monitor_top.jpg
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@Todd [quote] I've been trying to figure out what half the programs on Mike's dock are [/quote] Almost all of em look pretty standard to me. I am thinking "P4" is perforce, I run P4win... and "VPN" is a link to log into his VPN... but the rest seem pretty obvious
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i don't really have any flash books lying around anymore... i give them away once i'm done with them... i think i've still got generator/flash-alvarez, taylor, groch and mesh's generator demystified it's funny... the books i have handy hardly have anything to do with flash/as even though flash/as eat about 70% of my dev time now. http://blogs.okyere.org/resolve/pub/img/books.jpg
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mike chambers>what half the programs on Mike's dock are. from left to right: finder iChat (i dont use this, i use proteus) apple mail safari address book ical itunes kung tunes terminal system prefs macromedia vpn perforce protesus central fireworks flash dreamweaver contribute subethaedit (i use this as my AS editor) konfabulator (dont really use this) stickies grab activity monitor (in case stuff goes crazy) Central standalone debug panel remote desktop conenction (mostly so I can use MS exchange). garage band iphoto imovie idvd launch bar (i couldnt use os x without this. this is how i start and navigate between applications) netNewswire (another tool i couldnt do without) I am also using some program to make my launch bar background transparent (dont remeber the names). It also adds the hot spot graphics on the corners. most of it is pretty standard. At work, I have dual monitors. When I had a windows machine, I would have my AS editor on one monitor and flash on another, but I don't tend to do that on mac (not sure why). Btw, I would do just about anything for a good editor on OSX that had tabs (i.e. one window, multiple docs, verses tons of individual windows.) mike chambers mesh@macromedia.com
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I also normally have the Library panel undocked, but Flash MX/MX04 never remember the Library panel. Actually, the Timeline is never remembered when it's undocked either, but that's a little harder to go without. http://madebyderek.com/playground/MyPanel_1600_5.gif This is on my laptop 1600x1200 (scaled for the dl).
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DGuyLOVE Wes Carr's layout! Gotta get me monitor that supports portrait mode! I too keep only the actionscript panel and timeline (short and large) open, everything else stays closed most of the time. On my 2nd monitor I have only the help panel open almost fullscreen. BTW, a saved *.fla will remember the 'short' timeline property is set, but not the 'large' property: I always have to reset it when I reload. DGuy
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i use flash mx 2004on a mac at work and on a PC at home--the difference is enormous! At work i don't think i could possibly do with only one monitor (i use the second one for my actionscript and help windows), yet at home with the way things dock nicely on the pc and with how there are tabs at the top, everything fits nicely on one monitor. i really would love to see macromedia at least give the option of having the panels docked like they are on a pc on the mac version. after working on a pc for awhile, flash is the one app that makes it painful to go back to OSX--which otherwise i love. i also use subethaedit for actionscript editing. it's the best, i especially love the multi-user capabilities thru rondezvous (if that's how it's spelled :))
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For those of you running Dual Monitors on a Windows machine how do you do it? Every layout I start to like goes to hell when I minimize flash or test movie. I can't work for more then 10 mins without loosing a panel or it shifting on me due to another window I open or close. I hate fighting with my windows So i end up going back to a 1 monitor layout more time then not and use my second monitor to hold panels/windows temp.
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I use 3 monitors.. a 19" CRT and 2 17" LCDs.. all set at 1280x1040. I normally keep: -- Left monitor: actions panel maximized (or Scite) -- Center monitor: the stage, timeline, and other occasionally used panels docked (align, project, components, etc). I keep the timeline floating above the stage since I normally only use a few layers and a few frames. -- Right monitor: library, help, output, component inspector It would be nice If I could edit or delete the default panel layout so that each time Flash opens it opens with this layout. As it is I've had to save it as a panel layout and manually choose it. I have to choose the panel layout probably 20 - 30 times a day = a nuisance.
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Here is my layout for traditional flash development with a mixture of frames, components and code. Hoping that the reason for the post is for the usability and qa folk to get an idea of what could be improved. As alwasys, thanks for asking - too. http://www.notebookmargins.com/link_from_public/flash04_ide_layout.htm
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this is my working area at work. www.lazzuri.com.br/grillo/pics/ss_work_flash.jpg
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forgot to mention : my help files are open on firebird ( livedocs ), so it won't clutter the desktop and are just a alt+tab away :)
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Dual 17"s, with Toolbar, Properties, Timelines, and Panels moved to the secondary monitor. Took about a week to get used to, but I love it. http://www.alphanue.com/images/thisrocks2.jpg
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kareneliotI have 2 screens which helps things a lot, and about 5 different panel settings - for animation, 2x design, and 2x scripting versions. Works for me.
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I have to agree with Jay Contonio the panels should be able to 'dock' in a rigid frame like on a Windows OS, not just 'snap' as they do on OS X. I put this in a wish list as soon as MX came out as I cannot get to grips with it on a Mac but was over the moon on a PC. For a staunch Mac fan this really hard. It certainly shouldn't be that this fundamental difference should occur. I'm forever finding [or not as the case is] scrollbars hidden under pallettes so I can't navigate round the stage. Cinema 4D manages to lock all its pallettes in place just like the Flash Windows version, so why can't the Mac one do the same? As it was I used to have most of the pallettes on the right hand side, actions and properties at the bottom and the Library between the right palettes and the stage. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, make the pallettes lock in OS X!
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Just so you know you can ask them to put this feature into Flash MX here: http://www.macromedia.com/support/email/wishform/
