About the Component
===================

Thank you for considering our component.We hope youll find it useful.

The Plasmaplugs Progress Bar component monitors the progress of loading content from multiple sources.

The source can be any flash object that loads data (eg: movie clip, XML, sound object, loader object). 

This component is available for:
Flash MX 2004, Flash Mx Professional 2004 and Flash 8.


(i) This document refers to the full retail version of the component.
    The demo version functionality and feature set can be reduced.


Features
========

- Multiple source objects support of different types (eg. movie clip, XML, sound, loader)

- Choice of fill direction

- Custom text for label and label position adjustment

- Choice and adjustment of progress bar fill easing types

- Automatic/Manual progress 

- Choice of different display modes

- Customizable skins on a per instance or global basis

- Skin elements color overlays

- Dynamic control through Actionscript API

- Built in Help Book that can be accessed via the Flash Help Panel



Installation
============

Follow the steps below to setup your component.

(i) Plasmaplugs Flash Components are installed by using the Macromedia Extension Manager. You need to have this software installed before continuing with the component setup.
    You can download the Extension Manager from http://www.adobe.com/exchange/em_download/

(1) Extract the contents of the .ZIP pack you received to a location on your hard drive.

(2) Start the Macromedia Extension Manager using one of these methods:

    - Double-click the component (.MXP) file in Windows Explorer (Windows) or in the Finder (Macintosh).
    - In Flash, select (m) Help / Manage Extensions.
    - In Windows, select (m) Macromedia / Macromedia Extension Manager from the Start menu.
    - On the Macintosh, double-click the Extension Manager icon in the Applications/Macromedia Extension Manager folder.

(3) From the Product pop-up menu in the Extension Manager toolbar, select Flash.

(4) Select (m) File / Install Extension in the Extension Manager.

(5) In the file-selection dialog box that appears, select the component (.MXP) file and click Install.

(6) Read the component license and select Accept to continue with the installation, or select Decline to cancel the installation.

(7) If you have a trial or previous version of the component already installed, youll be asked if you would like to replace one or more existing files, select Yes or Yes to All to accept the version or version included in the component file, or No to keep the existing version of the component.
    If you click Cancel, the installation will be cancelled and no files will be installed or replaced.



Getting started
===============

Your component should now be installed and ready to use in Flash. Outlined below is a simple, generic use scenario that you may wish to perform to get familiarized with the component.
The goal for the following example is to set up the progressbar with two objects.


1 Start Macromedia Flash, open a new document and set a 30 fps in the Document Properties Panel.

2 Open the Components Panel ( (m) Window/Components). You will find the component in the Plasmaplugs folder.

3 Drag the component (PlasmaplugsProgressBar) from the Components Panel to the stage. The component graphic symbol should now be displayed on the stage.

4 Drag a a Loader component from the Components Panel / User Interface to the Stage.

  - Give the loader component an unique instance name (in the Properties Panel) like: loader1. 
  - Set the loader component contentPath property to an image or swf file.

5 Repeat step 4 again giving the second Loader component an unique instance name like: loader2.
 
6 Select the progressbar component on the stage and configure its parameters in the Parameters Panel or in the Component Inspector Panel ( (m) Window/Component Inspector):
  - Instruct the component to count the loading progress for the Loader instances as the (I) progress bar target seppareted with a comma (loader1,loader2).
  - Set the (I) easeDelay value to 0.
  - Leave the rest of the parameters unchanged unless you want to adjust some values, as they are already populated with default settings.

7 Test the scene (Control/Test Movie). 


  (W) The progress bar fill animation is tween based. The progress bar data is synchronized with the easing and easing duration you choose.

      To prevent the loading content display before the actual progress bar completes loading hide the visual objects by default and implement the onProgress and onLoadComplete progress bar events to handle the loading objects status and perform various actions.

      Check the Sample 1 in the component's trial version Samples directory for a better understanding on how the progress bar works.



FAQ
===


How can I access the component's Flash Help Book ?

The component comes with a built in Help Book with all the supported methods/properties and events explained and you can access the files via the Flash Help Panel. You will find the book under the name Plasmaplugs Progress Bar or you can perform a search under the plasmaplugs or adjacent keyword and the documentation files will be automatically displayed. 



How can I change and where the skin elements? Where can I find them ?

The skin elements can be found in the trial package / assets folder. You will find how you can change the skin elements in the Help Book / Customizing the PlasmaplugsProgressBar section. 



What does dynamic/run-time customization means ?

The customization of the component is either skin or color based and you can dynamically alter the look of the components at runtime using these properties to get one or more component instances having a different look.
If you are using the skin properties you need to have the progressbar assets symbols in the library exported for Actionscript. You can find what skin and color properties are supported in the Help Book / Customizing the PlasmaplugsProgressBar component section.



Why does the content load before the Progress Bar displays a completed progress ?


The Progress Bar fill animation is tween based (each progressbar step fill animation duration depends on the value set for the easeDelay parameter).
To prevent the loading content being displayed before the actual Progress Bar completes the fill animation hide the visual objects by default and implement the onProgress and onLoadComplete Progress Bar events to handle the loading objects status and perform various actions.
Check Sample 1 included in the trial package for a better understanding on how the progress bar works.


What kind of objects can be set as targets for the Progress Bar ?

The Progress Bar supports any kind of object that states the amount of current loaded data and total data (eg: movie clip, XML, sound, loader, Plasmaplugs Table Renderer). 



Further Reference
=================

This Guide offers limited information. To learn more about the component, for the complete list of features, capabilities and more detailed guides, please consult the full documentation.
For further reference you can check the built in documentation files that are automatically installed with the product. You can access the embeded component's help files directly in Flash via the Flash Help Panel/Plasmaplugs Progress Bar folder.
You can also check the available online samples that can be found in the Plasmaplugs Progress Bar trial package and the FAQ area of the site. These section are constantly updated with new samples and answers.