Starting and stopping timelines
A timeline only starts playing when some event, such as the user clicking a particular image in the document, triggers a script that starts the timeline. If you want a timeline to start playing as soon as the document has been loaded, you can use an OnLoad event attached to the document itself. Selecting the Auto start check box on the Timeline panel does this for you. If you want a timeline to be started by some other event, you can use a Play Timeline action and trigger it with, for example, an OnClick event attached to a button image.
Once a timeline is started, it will play through to its end unless stopped by a script. If started again by another event, the timeline will resume at the point where it was stopped.
You can choose to have a timeline play just once or repeat endlessly.
To make a timeline start when the document loads
- On the Timeline panel, select the desired timeline (if there is more than one) and then select the Auto start check box.
To make another event start a timeline
- Select the hyperlink, image, form control, or other element to which to attach the action that starts the timeline.
- On the Actions panel, click (Add). (To reveal the Actions panel, press Alt+7.)
- Click the Event box and select the event you want to start the timeline.
- Click the Action box and select Play Timeline.
- Under Parameters, click the Timeline box and select the desired timeline.
- Click OK.
To make an event stop a timeline
- Select the hyperlink, image, form control, or other element to which to attach the action that stops the timeline.
- On the Actions panel, click (Add). (To reveal the Actions panel, press Alt+7.)
- Click the Event box and select the event you want to stop the timeline.
- Click the Action box and select Stop Timeline.
- Under Parameters, click the Timeline box and select the desired timeline.
- Click OK.
To make a timeline repeat indefinitely
- On the Timeline panel, select the desired timeline (if there is more than one) and then select the Repeat check box.