Custom button with image - actionscript-3

Question

Hi i'm trying to create a button in actionscript 3 that will be made by a custom image ( a car.jpg from my HDD ). Is it possible to do that with SimpleButton class ( i mean is there a way to load the image and attach it to the button ?) or is there another way?
If i would like to have animation also in the button when let's say i roll over the mouse pointer from the button what do i have to do?
ps: i would like to use only actionscript 3 ( i mean all the project is done as a .as file that is linked to Document class ).

Answer 1

Although George Profenza already pointed the best solution under the comment if feel curious how you could implement the SimpleButton class you might want to take a look into th as3 document reference examples:
adobe livedocs - SimpleButton Example
I have also wrote a simple example that only makes a "simple button" in a "complicated button" but makes use of SimpleButton class, so you can take a look how you can extend the class, and give to each state it's own graphic. Here is the code:
// this goes in your app
var button:MySimpleButton = new MySimpleButton();
addChild(button);
MySimpleButton.as
package
{
import flash.display.DisplayObject;
import flash.display.SimpleButton;
import flash.display.Sprite;
public class MySimpleButton extends SimpleButton
{
private var upAlpha : Number = 1;
private var overAlpha : Number = 0.5;
public function MySimpleButton(upState : DisplayObject = null, overState : DisplayObject = null, downState : DisplayObject = null, hitTestState : DisplayObject = null)
{
upState = new ButtonImgDisplayState( upAlpha);
overState = new ButtonImgDisplayState( overAlpha);
downState = new ButtonImgDisplayState( upAlpha);
hitTestState = new ButtonImgDisplayState( upAlpha);
super(upState, overState, downState, hitTestState);
}
}
}
ButtonImgDisplayState.as
package
{
import flash.display.Loader;
import flash.display.Sprite;
import flash.net.URLRequest;
public class ButtonImgDisplayState extends Sprite
{
public function ButtonImgDisplayState(_alpha:Number)
{
var my_loader : Loader = new Loader();
my_loader.load(new URLRequest("car.jpg"));
addChild(my_loader);
this.alpha = _alpha;
}
}
}
The thing about the SimpleButton is to spare you to set listeners, but you are obligated to go around the states that are separated DisplayObjects making you button a more rigid thing when dealing with transitions between states.
Hope you find this useful.