SlideShow on the Way

A few months back I posted some open source ActionScript to create a dynamic, cross-fading image loader in Flash. Since then I've received countless emails (most from wanderers who typed "Flash slide show" into Google, which returns my post as the number one result) asking how to use, customize, and incorporate the code into existing content. Most were able to get it up and running (often times with a little assistance from my end), but after a while one point became clear -- it would be a whole lot easier for beginner / intermediate Flash developers to use if the slide show was a drag-and-drop component.

So that's what I did. I rebuilt the original code as an ActionScript 2 class, and compiled a drag-and-drop component named (originally) SlideShow. It has all the features of the first version -- dynamic image loading, cross-fading, etc -- but is now much easier to use. Just drag SlideShow to the stage, tweak the options however you like, and publish. And like the first go-round, it's free.

Once Macromedia gives it the QA green light, it'll be added to the Macromedia Exhange. I'll link to it here when that goes through.

Now that the free version of SlideShow is done, I plan on building a separate "Plus" version that will incorporate hyperlinks (for each image), user navigation, photo captions, and more. This one won't be free, but it'll be very affordable and just as easy to use. Stay tuned.