Using Type > Creating text boxes for user input or dynamically updating text

Input text boxes enable users to input text in forms or surveys. Dynamic text boxes display dynamically updating text, such as sport scores, stock quotes, or weather reports. You create both kinds of these editable text boxes using the Text Options panel. You choose options to determine the appearance of input or dynamic text in a Flash movie. You can preserve rich text formatting as HTML formatting. See About preserving rich text formatting.

When you create a text box, you assign a variable to it. A variable is a fixed name for a value that changes. The text box is like a window that displays the value for the variable. You can use actions to pass the variable to other parts of the movie, to a server-side application for storing in a database, and so on. You can also replace the value of a variable by reading it from a server-side application or by loading it from another part of the movie. For more information on using variables, see ActionScript Help.

To create an editable text box:

1	Do one of the following to create or select a text block:
	Select the Text tool and drag to create a text block of the desired width and height.
	Click inside an existing text block.
2	Choose Window > Panels > Text Options.
3	Choose an option from the Text Type pop-up menu:
	Choose Dynamic Text to create a text box that displays dynamically updating text.
	Choose Input Text to create a text box in which users can input text.