Exercise 7: Duplicate + Swap Symbols

the Flash Symbol 101 series

Duplicating a symbol is NOT like copy and paste!
Duplicating a Flash symbol is a one-step-way to:

• Take the contents of an existing symbol
• Create a new, empty Flash symbol and give it a name
• Put this old content inside the new symbol.

A duplicated symbol is not an instance.
It is a brand new symbol.

There are three, slightly different ways to do this:

Duplicate Symbol on the Stage

1. Select an existing symbol on the Stage.
   
   
2. Right click the object and select Duplicate Symbol from the context menu.
   
   
3. For this exercise, let’s leave the default name for the duplicate – “yourSymbol copy”.
   
   
4. Click OK.

Two things happened now:

One - the new symbol appeared in the Library,
And two – the instance on the stage has become an instance of the new duplicate.

Select it and check the Properties window to see.

Editing this symbol will not affect the original – they are two separate entities now.
Double click the new symbol and edit it – change something in it – and see that nothing happens to the other instances of the original.

Method 2: Through the Library Pane

This way you get a new symbol in the Library.
It doesn’t have an instance on the Stage yet–
drag and drop from the Library to the Stage to give it an instance (see exercise 3).

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