How to Use Layers to Organize a Flash Project
Organization is of the utmost importance when creating your Flash project. Keeping your project clean and easy to access will make it much easier in the long run; especially when creating games or animations that are heavy on the ActionScript.
While it may seem possible to put everything on one layer while using a single scene without any objects in the library, it is generally not a good idea. Layers allow the developer / animator to easily monitor what is visible on the scene. Provide your layers with unique names that can easily be identified and your brain will thank you. You never know if there will be a time that you wish to come back and change a part of that layer.
The topmost layer in your environment should be your Actions layer, and all of your code should go there. You can also create folders that contain groupings of specific layers, but this may not be necessary unless your environment contains dozens of layers, which is not out of the ordinary at all.
Labels can be placed on specific frames, which can then be used by ActionScript to jump around your project. Rather than using gotoAndStop(20) to get to frame 20, try placing a label on the frame and jumping to the label instead. This will save you time in the event that you wish to add more frames to the project, as you will not have to go back into your ActionScript and change that hard-coded number.
Layers are an important component of keeping your Flash project clean and organized. Don’t think that putting everything on the same layer is taking the easy way out, as you may still run into trouble during the course of your project and end up learning this important lesson the hard way.
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