Introducing ActionScript
Table of Contents
Note: The following article is an excerpt from Macromedia Flash MX 2004 ActionScript: Training from the Source by Derek Franklin and Jobe Makar.
Introductions form the start of any great relationship. Get ready, then, to be introduced to your new best friend: ActionScript! We believe you'll find ActionScript a satisfying companion—especially as you delve deeper into the relationship. Although you may not necessarily think of scripting as a creative endeavor, a working knowledge of ActionScript can spark all kinds of ideas—ones that will enable you to create dynamic content that can interact with your users on myriad levels. Best of all, you'll get the satisfaction of watching your ideas grow into working models that fulfill your projects' objectives.
In this lesson, we'll introduce previous ActionScripters to version 2.0 of the language. For new users, we'll show you some compelling reasons for learning ActionScript, as well as what makes it tick. And if you're feeling a little shy, sometimes the best thing to do is jump right in—which is exactly what you'll do here as you create and test a complete interactive project before lesson's end.
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Macromedia Flash MX 2004
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Macromedia
Flash MX 2004 ActionScript: Training from the Source
About the authors
Derek Franklin is director of derekfranklin.com, a resource dedicated to helping developers worldwide get the most out of Flash. He's been involved in web design since 1995, having served as a multimedia director for a nationally recognized media company. He is the author of Flash 5! Creative web Animation and coauthor of Macromedia Flash MX: Creating Dynamic Applications by Macromedia Press.
Jobe Makar, who specializes in games and applications programming, is co-founder of Electrotank, Inc., where he is Senior Game Developer. He is a contributing author to Macromedia Flash MX: Creating Dynamic Applications.
Macromedia Flash MX 2004 ActionScript: Training from the Source
Sure, you can use Flash MX 2004 without being a master programmer, but as any Flash developer worth his or her salt will tell you, you're not tapping all of its power unless you're taking advantage of its scripting language—ActionScript 2.0—which offers a more robust programming model and better object-oriented programming support than ever before. Here to take the fear factor out of learning it are Flash veterans and best-selling authors Derek Franklin and Jobe Makar, who demonstrate that scripting is an instinctual process you already know by translating real-life activities into ActionScript scripts. In these pages, you'll find methodologies and techniques for building over 40 real-life Flash ActionScript projects, including sample games, applications, web sites, and more. New in this edition are coverage of ActionScript 2.0, web services, Components, Printing, Video, and more. On the companion CD, you'll find all the project files and images you need to complete each project.
