TechNote (Archived)

What is the difference between "Track as Button" and "Track as Menu Item"?

When creating an instance of a button, the button instance's properties can be set to either "Track as Button" or "Track as Menu Item." The default Track as Button setting means the button's events are independent of other buttons. With this setting, the button cannot be affected by a mouse event while mouse activity is going on which was started, but not finished on another button event. The Track as Menu Item setting will allow the button instance to be influenced by a mouse event which started on another button. Seeing these concepts in action will further demonstrate the distinction between the two settings.

Example of Track as Button
The default setting in Macromedia Flash is Track as Button. All of the buttons in this first example are set to Track as Button.

To see how Track as Button works, do the following:

1	Click and hold the mouse button down over button 1.
2	With the mouse still pressed, drag the mouse over buttons 2 or 3 and then release the button.
3	Notice that buttons 2 or 3 do not respond to the mouse over. Even if the mouse is released over button 2 or 3 the button will not trigger a change until it is actually clicked.

Example of Track as Menu Item
All of the buttons in this second example are set to Track as Menu Item.

To see how Track as Menu Item works, do the following:

1	Click and hold the mouse button down over button 1.
2	With the mouse still pressed, drag the mouse over buttons 2 or 3 and then release the button.
3	Notice that buttons 2 or 3 change colors as the mouse rolls over them. The release of the mouse over the button triggers the change to happen as if that button had been clicked.

Setting the Button Instance
To set the button instance to one of the above settings, do the following:

1	In Flash, select the button with the arrow tool.
2	Open the Instance panel by selecting Window > Panels > Instance (CTRL+I on PC or Command+I on MAC).
3	Choose the desired setting in the Options drop-down menu.