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Flash Tools for Developers: Parametric Curves on the Plane - Description of the Templates

Author(s): 
Doug Ensley and Barbara Kaskosz

The compressed file param_graph.zip contains all templates and code referenced within the article, and the twenty page Parametric Curve Guide ( param_guide.pdf ) gives detailed instructions for some specific customization tasks. You will find below a brief description of each of the templates including (if you click on the screen image) active versions of each to demonstrate its functionality. In addition, we list some of the specific customizations that are addressed within the Parametric Curve Guide.

The Flash 8 programming environment can be borrowed on a 30 day trial basis from macromedia.com.


Template 1

Template 1 consists of the Basic Template that provides basic functionality necessary for graphing and tracing parametric curves on the plane in either rectangular or polar coordinate systems. The source code for this template can be modified to

  • change to location and size of the graphing board;
  • change the colors of screen elements including background, border, axes, arrow cursor, error box, coordinate boxes, curves, and more; and
  • enable/disable the ability for the user to draw on the graph as well as the color and thickness of the "pen".

Template 1


Template 2

Template 2 consists of an advanced template which adds additional functionality including setting x and y ranges automatically and choosing between contrained and unconstrained scaling options.  The same customizations that are described for Template 1 can also be made to Template 2.

Template 2

Doug Ensley and Barbara Kaskosz, "Flash Tools for Developers: Parametric Curves on the Plane - Description of the Templates," Convergence (May 2006)