spark.effects.Animate - Adobe® Flex® 4 Language Reference (Flex 4)

Package	spark.effects
Class	public class Animate
Inheritance	Animate Effect EventDispatcher Object
Subclasses	AnimateColor, AnimateFilter, AnimateTransform, AnimateTransitionShader, Fade, Resize

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 4

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 10, AIR 1.5

This Animate effect animates an arbitrary set of properties between values. Specify the properties and values to animate by setting the motionPaths property.

MXML Syntax expanded

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The <s:Animate> tag inherits all of the tag attributes of its superclass, and adds the following tag attributes:

  <s:Animate
    Properties
    id="ID"
    disableLayout="false"
    easer="{spark.effects.easing.Sine(.5)}"
    interpolator="NumberInterpolator"
    motionPaths="no default"
    repeatBehavior="loop"
  />

Default MXML PropertymotionPaths

View the examples

Public Properties

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	Property		Defined By
		className : String [read-only] The name of the effect class, such as "Fade".	Effect
		constructor : Object A reference to the class object or constructor function for a given object instance.	Object
		customFilter : mx.effects:EffectTargetFilter Specifies a custom filter object, of type EffectTargetFilter, used by the effect to determine the targets on which to play the effect.	Effect
		disableLayout : Boolean If true, the effect disables layout on its targets' parent containers, setting the containers autoLayout property to false, and also disables any layout constraints on the target objects.	Animate
		duration : Number Duration of the effect in milliseconds.	Effect
		easer : IEaser The easing behavior for this effect.	Animate
		effectTargetHost : mx.effects:IEffectTargetHost A property that lets you access the target list-based control of a data effect.	Effect
		filter : String Specifies an algorithm for filtering targets for an effect.	Effect
		hideFocusRing : Boolean Determines whether the effect should hide the focus ring when starting the effect.	Effect
		instanceClass : Class An object of type Class that specifies the effect instance class class for this effect class.	Effect
		interpolator : IInterpolator The interpolator used by this effect to calculate values between the start and end values of a property.	Animate
		isPlaying : Boolean [read-only] A read-only flag which is true if any instances of the effect are currently playing, and false if none are.	Effect
		motionPaths : Vector.<MotionPath> A Vector of MotionPath objects, each of which holds the name of a property being animated and the values that the property takes during the animation.	Animate
		perElementOffset : Number Additional delay, in milliseconds, for effect targets after the first target of the effect.	Effect
		playheadTime : Number Current time position of the effect.	Effect
		prototype : Object [static] A reference to the prototype object of a class or function object.	Object
		relevantProperties : Array An Array of property names to use when performing filtering.	Effect
		relevantStyles : Array An Array of style names to use when performing filtering.	Effect
		repeatBehavior : String The behavior of a repeating effect, which means an effect with repeatCount equal to either 0 or > 1.	Animate
		repeatCount : int = 1 Number of times to repeat the effect.	Effect
		repeatDelay : int = 0 Amount of time, in milliseconds, to wait before repeating the effect.	Effect
		startDelay : int = 0 Amount of time, in milliseconds, to wait before starting the effect.	Effect
		target : Object The object to which this effect is applied.	Effect
		targets : Array An Array of objects that are targets for the effect.	Effect
		triggerEvent : Event The Event object passed to this Effect by the EffectManager when an effect is triggered, or null if the effect is not being played by the EffectManager.	Effect

Protected Properties

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	Property		Defined By
		applyTransitionEndProperties : Boolean This flag controls whether the effect, when run in a transition, automatically applies the property values according to the end state, as opposed to leaving values as set by the effect itself.	Effect
		endValuesCaptured : Boolean = false A flag containing true if the end values of an effect have already been determined, or false if they should be acquired from the current properties of the effect targets when the effect runs.	Effect

Public Methods

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	Method		Defined By
		Animate(target:Object = null) Constructor.	Animate
		addEventListener(type:String, listener:Function, useCapture:Boolean = false, priority:int = 0, useWeakReference:Boolean = false):void Registers an event listener object with an EventDispatcher object so that the listener receives notification of an event.	EventDispatcher
		captureEndValues():void Captures the current values of the relevant properties on the effect's targets and saves them as end values.	Effect
		captureMoreStartValues(targets:Array):void Captures the current values of the relevant properties of an additional set of targets Flex uses this function when a data change effect is run.	Effect
		captureStartValues():void Captures the current values of the relevant properties on the effect's targets.	Effect
		createInstance(target:Object = null):IEffectInstance Creates a single effect instance and initializes it.	Effect
		createInstances(targets:Array = null):Array Takes an Array of target objects and invokes the createInstance() method on each target.	Effect
		deleteInstance(instance:IEffectInstance):void Removes event listeners from an instance and removes it from the list of instances.	Effect
		dispatchEvent(event:Event):Boolean Dispatches an event into the event flow.	EventDispatcher
		end(effectInstance:IEffectInstance = null):void Interrupts an effect that is currently playing, and jumps immediately to the end of the effect.	Effect
		getAffectedProperties():Array Returns an Array of Strings, where each String is the name of a property changed by this effect.	Effect
		hasEventListener(type:String):Boolean Checks whether the EventDispatcher object has any listeners registered for a specific type of event.	EventDispatcher
		hasOwnProperty(name:String):Boolean Indicates whether an object has a specified property defined.	Object
		isPrototypeOf(theClass:Object):Boolean Indicates whether an instance of the Object class is in the prototype chain of the object specified as the parameter.	Object
		pause():void Pauses the effect until you call the resume() method.	Effect
		play(targets:Array = null, playReversedFromEnd:Boolean = false):Array Begins playing the effect.	Effect
		propertyIsEnumerable(name:String):Boolean Indicates whether the specified property exists and is enumerable.	Object
		removeEventListener(type:String, listener:Function, useCapture:Boolean = false):void Removes a listener from the EventDispatcher object.	EventDispatcher
		resume():void Resumes the effect after it has been paused by a call to the pause() method.	Effect
		reverse():void Plays the effect in reverse, if the effect is currently playing, starting from the current position of the effect.	Effect
		setPropertyIsEnumerable(name:String, isEnum:Boolean = true):void Sets the availability of a dynamic property for loop operations.	Object
		stop():void Stops the effect, leaving the effect targets in their current state.	Effect
		toLocaleString():String Returns the string representation of this object, formatted according to locale-specific conventions.	Object
		toString():String Returns the string representation of the specified object.	Object
		valueOf():Object Returns the primitive value of the specified object.	Object
		willTrigger(type:String):Boolean Checks whether an event listener is registered with this EventDispatcher object or any of its ancestors for the specified event type.	EventDispatcher

Protected Methods

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	Method		Defined By
		applyValueToTarget(target:Object, property:String, value:*, props:Object):void Used internally by the Effect infrastructure.	Effect
		effectEndHandler(event:EffectEvent):void Called when an effect instance has finished playing.	Effect
		effectStartHandler(event:EffectEvent):void This method is called when the effect instance starts playing.	Effect
		effectStopHandler(event:EffectEvent):void Called when an effect instance has stopped by a call to the stop() method.	Effect
		filterInstance(propChanges:Array, target:Object):Boolean Determines the logic for filtering out an effect instance.	Effect
		getValueFromTarget(target:Object, property:String):* Called by the captureStartValues() method to get the value of a property from the target.	Effect
		initInstance(instance:IEffectInstance):void Copies properties of the effect to the effect instance.	Effect

Events

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	Summary	Defined By
activate	[broadcast event] Dispatched when the Flash Player or AIR application gains operating system focus and becomes active.	EventDispatcher
deactivate	[broadcast event] Dispatched when the Flash Player or AIR application operating loses system focus and is becoming inactive.	EventDispatcher
effectEnd	Dispatched when one of the effect's instances finishes playing, either when the instance finishes playing or when the effect is interrupted by a call to the end() method.	Effect
effectRepeat	Dispatched when the effect begins a new repetition, for any effect that is repeated more than once.	Animate
effectStart	Dispatched when the effect starts playing.	Effect
effectStop	Dispatched when the effect has been stopped, which only occurs when the effect is interrupted by a call to the stop() method.	Effect
effectUpdate	Dispatched every time the effect updates the target.	Animate

Property Detail

disableLayout

property

disableLayout:Boolean

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 4

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 10, AIR 1.5

If true, the effect disables layout on its targets' parent containers, setting the containers autoLayout property to false, and also disables any layout constraints on the target objects. These properties are restored when the effect finishes.

The default value is false.

Implementation
public function get disableLayout():Boolean
public function set disableLayout(value:Boolean):void

easer

property

easer:IEaser

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 4

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 10, AIR 1.5

The easing behavior for this effect. This IEaser object is used to convert the elapsed fraction of the animation into an eased fraction, which is then used to calculate the value at that eased elapsed fraction.

Note that it is possible to have easing at both the effect level and the Keyframe level (where Keyframes hold the values/times used in the MotionPath structures). These easing behaviors build on each other. The easer controls the easing of the overall effect. The Keyframe controls the easing in any particular interval of the animation. By default, the easing for Animate is non-linear (Sine(.5)). The easing for Keyframes is linear. If you desire an effect with easing at the keyframe level instead, you can set the easing of the effect to linear, and then set the easing specifically on the Keyframes.

The default value is spark.effects.easing.Sine(.5).

Implementation
public function get easer():IEaser
public function set easer(value:IEaser):void

interpolator

property

interpolator:IInterpolator

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 4

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 10, AIR 1.5

The interpolator used by this effect to calculate values between the start and end values of a property. By default, the NumberInterpolator class handles interpolation or, in the case of the start and end values being Arrays or Vectors, by the MultiValueInterpolator class. Interpolation of other types, or of Numbers that should be interpolated differently, such as uint values that hold color channel information, can be handled by supplying a different interpolator.

Implementation
public function get interpolator():IInterpolator
public function set interpolator(value:IInterpolator):void

motionPaths

property

motionPaths:Vector.<MotionPath>

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 4

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 10, AIR 1.5

A Vector of MotionPath objects, each of which holds the name of a property being animated and the values that the property takes during the animation. This Vector takes precedence over any properties declared in subclasses of Animate. For example, if this Array is set directly on a Move effect, then any properties of the Move effect, such as xFrom, are ignored.

Implementation
public function get motionPaths():Vector.<MotionPath>
public function set motionPaths(value:Vector.<MotionPath>):void

repeatBehavior

property

repeatBehavior:String

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 4

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 10, AIR 1.5

The behavior of a repeating effect, which means an effect with repeatCount equal to either 0 or > 1. This value should be either RepeatBehavior.LOOP, which means the animation repeats in the same order each time, or RepeatBehavior.REVERSE, which means the animation reverses direction on each iteration.

The default value is RepeatBehavior.LOOP.

Implementation
public function get repeatBehavior():String
public function set repeatBehavior(value:String):void

Constructor Detail

Animate

()

Constructor

public function Animate(target:Object = null)

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 4

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 10, AIR 1.5

Constructor.

Parameters

target:Object (default = null) — The Object to animate with this effect.

Event Detail

effectRepeat

Event

Event Object Type: mx.events.EffectEvent
property EffectEvent.type = mx.events.EffectEvent.EFFECT_REPEAT

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 4

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 10, AIR 1.5

Dispatched when the effect begins a new repetition, for any effect that is repeated more than once. Flex also dispatches an effectUpdate event for the effect at the same time.

The EffectEvent.EFFECT_REPEAT constant defines the value of the type property of the event object for an effectRepeat event.

The properties of the event object have the following values:

Property	Value
`bubbles`	false
`cancelable`	false
`currentTarget`	The Object that defines the event listener that handles the event. For example, if you use `myButton.addEventListener()` to register an event listener, myButton is the value of the `currentTarget`.
`effectInstance`	The effect instance object for the event.
`target`	The Object that dispatched the event; it is not always the Object listening for the event. Use the `currentTarget` property to always access the Object listening for the event.

effectUpdate

Event

Event Object Type: mx.events.EffectEvent
property EffectEvent.type = mx.events.EffectEvent.EFFECT_UPDATE

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 4

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 10, AIR 1.5

Dispatched every time the effect updates the target.

The EffectEvent.EFFECT_UPDATE constant defines the value of the type property of the event object for an effectUpdate event.

The properties of the event object have the following values:

Property	Value
`bubbles`	false
`cancelable`	false
`currentTarget`	The Object that defines the event listener that handles the event. For example, if you use `myButton.addEventListener()` to register an event listener, myButton is the value of the `currentTarget`.
`effectInstance`	The effect instance object for the event.
`target`	The Object that dispatched the event; it is not always the Object listening for the event. Use the `currentTarget` property to always access the Object listening for the event.

Examples How to use this example

AnimateEffectExample.mxml

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<s:Application
    xmlns:fx="http://ns.adobe.com/mxml/2009"
    xmlns:mx="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/mx"
    xmlns:s="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/spark">

    <fx:Declarations>
        <s:Animate id="animateEffect"
            target="{targetBox}" repeatCount="2" repeatBehavior="reverse" disableLayout="true" effectStart="playButton.enabled=false" effectEnd="playButton.enabled=true;">
            <s:motionPaths>
                <s:SimpleMotionPath property="x" valueFrom="0" valueTo="100"/>
                <s:SimpleMotionPath property="alpha" valueFrom="1" valueTo="0"/>
            </s:motionPaths>
        </s:Animate>
    </fx:Declarations>

    <s:Panel title="Animate Effect Example"
        width="75%" height="75%">

        <mx:HBox width="100%" height="100%">
            <!-- Our target to affect-->
            <mx:VBox id="targetBox" width="50%"  horizontalAlign="center">
                <mx:Label text="Nokia 9930" />
                <mx:Image id="targetImg" source="@Embed(source='assets/Nokia_6630.png')"/>
            </mx:VBox>
            <mx:VBox id="detailsBox" width="50%" left="0">
                <mx:Text width="99%" color="blue"
                    text="The Animate effect animates any property or style of an object over time using animationProperty arrays. Click 'Animate' to watch the effect."/>
            </mx:VBox>
        </mx:HBox>

        <s:Rect left="0" right="0" bottom="0" height="30">
            <s:fill>
                <s:LinearGradient rotation="90">
                    <s:GradientEntry color="0xE2E2E2" />
                    <s:GradientEntry color="0xD9D9D9" />
                </s:LinearGradient>
            </s:fill>
        </s:Rect>
        <s:Button id="playButton"
            left="5" bottom="5"
            label="Animate"
            click="animateEffect.play();"/>
    </s:Panel>
</s:Application>