Flash CS5 instance name problems

[jurzyna]

I can't give instance names in my AS2 project. When I click on the Instance Name box it is locked. I can only give instance names to the text objects. Movie clips and buttons are locekd. Please Help

[Sukhi12]

Hi ,

Can anyone please provide me with some details . I have gone through the details  in  this thread and I couldnt reproduce this issue here  .

Is this happening when  creating a New Fla file in  CS5 or  Opening an existing previous version  Fla Files ?

Thanks

Sukhbir

Flash Authoring

[Guest]

The issue appears in FLAs created in CS5.  The issue doesn't seem to have reliable steps to replicate.  In my latest case, I was working on the FLA for 3 days without incident, then the issue suddenly appeared.  Attempts to force the issue to appear 'on-demand' have failed.  I've used CS5, heavily (7-10 hours a day) since it first was released, and I've only had the issue appear about a dozen times.  I'm running MAC OS X, with CS4 and CS5 installed.

[tugted]

My guess is that it'll be hard to replicate, because it is pretty erratic.

For me, periodically the instance name input field in the property panel  becomes unable to receive focus.   This has never happened with a new file, but happens when I've been working on a file for a while.

But I should add that when I first posted to this thread it was happening all the time.  Now it almost never happens, and when it does, quitting and re-starting Flash always fixes it.

But it is pretty clear from some of the other posts that this 'fix' doesn't work for everyone.

Hope that was helpful.

T

[Sukhi12]

Thanks all   for  the reply . I'll  investigate this further on our end here and update  .

Btw . Do you have   all the updates  for flash CS5.

Sometime recreating  your  preferences files also works :

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/520/cpsid_52048.html

Thanks

Sukhbir

[Guest]

Sukhbir, I work in a team of a few people making ad banners. We all periodically experience this problem of losing access to the instance name in the properties panel when trying to name an object on the stage.

We're all on macs, running updated Flash CS5. Relaunching Flash sometimes fixes the problem, but not always.

Next time it happens, if I have a few minutes to spare I will try recreating my preference files.

Thanks

[ivanreese]

I am having this problem with AS3 and AIR files in CS5. Trying everything I can think of, to no avail.

[ski25]

I too have been plagued with this issue of the INSTNACE NAME WINDOW in the properties panel of a movieclip being non editable.

You can simply upgrade to CS5.5.  That'll do the trick.  Although for those of you not incontrol of your company's software purchases, try this:

Simply click in the movieclip's WIDTH box and hit TAB key.  You will be taken into the INSTANCE name text box and will be able to modify...although the box will still be invisble to the mouse cursor.  BAM!!!!

Simple ass but still annoying work around!

FatSkeeter!

[captdigital]

I think it's a memory problem. It happened to me as I was working on a file. I realized that I had Illustrator and Photoshop runnning at the same time. After closing all of them and reopening just Flash, the problem went away.

Overall I've found Flash 5.5/Mac to be kind of a pig about RAM. In particular, it takes a noticable amount of time (sometimes up to 10 or 15 SECONDS) to flip from one open FLA to another. Flash 4 did not have that problem. Sounds like an internal memory management problem/memory leak thing to me.

Captain Digital

[initcode]

Hi all,

I came across the same problem twice till now!!

It happened on files which where perfectly working just the day before, so that makes me realise that it probably has to do with Flash IDE and not the file(s)

I solved it by doing the following:

1. Opened a new empty file

2. Created a new symbol and gave it a name

3. Then checked the properties panel and I was able to type/rename the instance name!

After that I opened my other files and I was able to work as normal!

I hope that will work for all of you, but still Adobe should fix it!!

As mentioned above, I'm also on a Mac, Lion OS X, Flash Pro CS5.5

Thank you

initcode

[Jerry_Chabolla]

Same issue as well, i'm targeting AS3.  Also on Lion OSX, Mac, Flash Pro CS5.  Close and re-opening works sometimes, not always looks like it depends on how many documents I have open when it comes back up?  I'll have to try @captdigital's and @initcode's next time.

Thanks Guys,

[gzador]

Hitting the TAB button as ski25 said, worked for me fine. It's not an elegant solution, but it works.

[JedR]

What up dudes.

This is pretty messed up, but I managed to fix it for me by following initcode's instructions above.

(I'm on OS X Snow Leopard, Flash CS5.5)

[jamcio]

For anyone who's following this conversation, I just ran into this same bug in CS6. Instance name is dimmed and can't be changed. The Tab key workaround still works, but the workaround is even more annoying since there are now more options in the property inspector. Now the shortest route is to click in the X-position box and then hit shift-tab three times to get to the instance name.

Figure it out Adobe -- this bug is absurd!

[asydd]

Had the same problem today CS6 - Cloud based, instance name not available, no other apps open, no memory problem 8GB ram available - closed and reopened app many times, created new AS3 files to no avail. Eventually created an AS2 file and the problem resolved at least for this session so far. Poor design to have this ongoing for so long for such expensive software used by so many making Adobe's pockets so deep.

[activadesign]

Must be a memory issue. I never had a problem 'til I had to start using an older Mac for a project, then had the same problem. So I closed Illustrator and a Flash project I had made to test, and the problem went away.