ActionScript: The Definitive Guide

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Mastering Flash Programming

By Colin Moock

Publisher: O'Reilly Media

Released: May 2001

Pages: 720

Given its ability to deliver high-impact experiences even over low-bandwidth connections, Flash has become the de facto standard for hundreds of thousands of multimedia web developers worldwide.

Flash 5 now includes a new full-fledged programming language called "ActionScript" for controlling animation and multimedia. It's a quantum leap from the bare-bones "Actions" supported in Flash 4, andActionScript: The Definitive Guide is the first book dedicated entirely to documenting and demonstrating this new language.

ActionScript includes all fundamental programming constructs (variables, loops, conditionals, functions, etc.), and is inextricably fused with Flash's authoring behaviors and animation timelines. Because ActionScript is based heavily on the ECMAScript Language Specification (ECMA-262) and is syntactically nearly identical to JavaScript, Macromedia expects thousands of existing JavaScript programmers to migrate to ActionScript.

This book is divided into three sections.

"ActionScript Fundamentals" introduces both programmers and non-programmers to the new language by first describing fundamental programming concepts and then delineating in detail the components, syntax, and usage of ActionScript.
"Applied ActionScript Code Depot" shows you how to use common applications, such as processing online forms.
"Language Reference" is a concise and detailed reference that makes all ActionScript globals, properties, and objects, including extensive implementation samples, easy to find quickly.

Code samples are also available from the "Code Depot" on the author's web site devoted to Flash developers.

Topics covered in this book include:

Step-by-step tutorials of the most common ActionScript behaviors
Object-oriented programming in Flash
Intelligent interface development
Server communication
Dynamic content generation
Password protection
String handling
Message boards
Basic physics
Games

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide is structured so both programmers and non-programmers can learn how to use ActionScript. This book will take you well beyond simple Flash animations so you can create your own enhanced Flash-driven sites.

ActionScript Fundamentals
1. Chapter 1 A Gentle Introduction for Non-Programmers
  1. Some Basic Phrases
  2. Further ActionScript Concepts
  3. Building a Multiple-Choice Quiz
  4. Onward!
2. Chapter 2 Variables
  1. Creating Variables (Declaration)
  2. Assigning Variables
  3. Changing and Retrieving Variable Values
  4. Types of Values
  5. Variable Scope
  6. Some Applied Examples
  7. Onward!
3. Chapter 3 Data and Datatypes
  1. Data Versus Information
  2. Retaining Meaning with Datatypes
  3. Creating and Categorizing Data
  4. Datatype Conversion
  5. Primitive Data Versus Composite Data
  6. Onward!
4. Chapter 4 Primitive Datatypes
  1. The Number Type
  2. Integers and Floating-Point Numbers
  3. Numeric Literals
  4. Working with Numbers
  5. The String Type
  6. Working with Strings
  7. The Boolean Type
  8. Undefined
  9. Null
  10. Onward!
5. Chapter 5 Operators
  1. General Features of Operators
  2. The Assignment Operator
  3. Arithmetic Operators
  4. The Equality and Inequality Operators
  5. The Comparison Operators
  6. The String Operators
  7. The Logical Operators
  8. The Grouping Operator
  9. The Comma Operator
  10. The void Operator
  11. Other Operators
  12. Onward!
6. Chapter 6 Statements
  1. Types of Statements
  2. Statement Syntax
  3. The ActionScript Statements
  4. Statements Versus Actions
  5. Onward!
7. Chapter 7 Conditionals
  1. The if Statement
  2. The else Statement
  3. The else if Statement
  4. Simulating the switch Statement
  5. Compact Conditional Syntax
  6. Onward!
8. Chapter 8 Loop Statements
  1. The while Loop
  2. Loop Terminology
  3. The do-while Loop
  4. The for Loop
  5. The for-in Loop
  6. Stopping a Loop Prematurely
  7. Timeline and Clip Event Loops
  8. Onward!
9. Chapter 9 Functions
  1. Creating Functions
  2. Running Functions
  3. Passing Information to Functions
  4. Exiting and Returning Valuesfrom Functions
  5. Function Literals
  6. Function Availability and Life Span
  7. Function Scope
  8. Function Parameters Revisited
  9. Recursive Functions
  10. Internal Functions
  11. Functions as Objects
  12. Centralizing Code
  13. The Multiple-Choice Quiz Revisited
  14. Onward!
10. Chapter 10 Events and Event Handlers
  1. Synchronous Code Execution
  2. Event-Based AsynchronousCode Execution
  3. Types of Events
  4. Event Handlers
  5. Event Handler Syntax
  6. Creating Event Handlers
  7. Event Handler Scope
  8. Button Events
  9. Movie Clip Events Overview
  10. Movie-Playback Movie Clip Events
  11. The User-Input Movie Clip Events
  12. Order of Execution
  13. Copying Clip Event Handlers
  14. Refreshing the Screen with updateAfterEvent
  15. Code Reusability
  16. Dynamic Movie Clip Event Handlers
  17. Event Handlers Applied
  18. Onward!
11. Chapter 11 Arrays
  1. What Is an Array?
  2. The Anatomy of an Array
  3. Creating Arrays
  4. Referencing Array Elements
  5. Determining the Size of an Array
  6. Named Array Elements
  7. Adding Elements to an Array
  8. Removing Elements from an Array
  9. General Array-Manipulation Tools
  10. Multidimensional Arrays
  11. The Multiple-Choice Quiz, Take 3
  12. Onward!
12. Chapter 12 Objects and Classes
  1. The Anatomy of an Object
  2. Instantiating Objects
  3. Object Properties
  4. Methods
  5. Classes and Object-Oriented Programming
  6. Built-in ActionScript Classes and Objects
  7. Onward!
13. Chapter 13 Movie Clips
  1. The “Objectness” of Movie Clips
  2. Types of Movie Clips
  3. Creating Movie Clips
  4. Movie and Instance Stacking Order
  5. Referring to Instances and Main Movies
  6. Removing Clip Instances and Main Movies
  7. Built-in Movie Clip Properties
  8. Movie Clip Methods
  9. Applied Movie Clip Examples
  10. The Last Quiz
  11. Onward!
14. Chapter 14 Lexical Structure
  1. Whitespace
  2. Statement Terminators (Semicolons)
  3. Comments
  4. Reserved Words
  5. Identifiers
  6. Case Sensitivity
  7. Onward!
15. Chapter 15 Advanced Topics
  1. Copying, Comparing, and Passing Data
  2. Bitwise Programming
  3. Advanced Function Scope Issues
  4. The movieclip Datatype
  5. Onward!
Applied ActionScript
1. Chapter 16 ActionScript Authoring Environment
  1. The Actions Panel
  2. Adding Scripts to Frames
  3. Adding Scripts to Buttons
  4. Adding Scripts to Movie Clips
  5. Where’s All the Code?
  6. Productivity
  7. Externalizing ActionScript Code
  8. Packaging Components as Smart Clips
  9. Onward!
2. Chapter 17 Flash Forms
  1. The Flash Form Data Cycle
  2. Creating a Flash Fill-in Form
  3. Onward!
3. Chapter 18 On-Screen Text Fields
  1. Dynamic Text Fields
  2. User-Input Text Fields
  3. Text Field Options
  4. Text Field Properties
  5. HTML Support
  6. Working with Text Field Selections
  7. Empty Text Fields and the for-in Statement
  8. Onward!
4. Chapter 19 Debugging
  1. Debugging Tools
  2. Debugging Methodology
  3. Onward!
Language Reference
1. Chapter 20 ActionScript Language Reference
  1. Global Functions
  2. Global Properties
  3. Built-in Classes and Objects
  4. Entry Headings
  5. Alphabetical Language Reference
Appendixes
1. Appendix Resources
  1. ActionScript and Programming
  2. ECMA-262 Resources
  3. Object-Oriented Programming
  4. SWF File Format
2. Appendix Latin 1 Character Repertoire and Keycodes
3. Appendix Backward Compatibility
  1. Updates to the Flash 5 Player, Build 41
  2. Controlling Movie Clips
4. Appendix Differences from ECMA-262 and JavaScript

Colophon

Title:

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide

By:

Colin Moock

Publisher:

O'Reilly Media

Formats:

Print
Safari Books Online

Print:

May 2001

Pages:

720

Print ISBN:

978-1-56592-852-7

| ISBN 10:

1-56592-852-0

Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of ActionScript: The Definitive Guide is a siren, a particular type of salamander found in North American freshwater habitats. Salamanders are amphibians with tails; they diverged from other amphibian species (including frogs) early in amphibian evolution. All salamanders have smooth skin that is kept moist by secretions from numerous glands. When their environment becomes too dry, too hot, or too cold, the cold-blooded salamanders burrow into mud and their body functions slow down. Sirens develop cocoons to shelter themselves until conditions improve.

Sirens are considered very primitive salamanders, as they are aquatic (live permanently in water), lack hind legs, have reduced front legs, gills, and other larval features into maturity, and their offspring are fertilized externally in the water. They are active at night, coming out and swimming much like eels do, using their dorsal fin in side-to-side motion to propel them forward. As they do so, they feed by gulping at insects and larvae. They expel plant matter through their gills.

Like all amphibians, sirens are an important part of a balanced ecosystem. They are small predators who in turn are preyed upon by fish and birds. Their glandular skin and fragile systems put sirens in the unfortunate position of being early pollution indicators in their freshwater habitats. Siren intermedia, an unusual siren subspecies that inhabits a large North American range and is known for its ability to produce vocal clicks and shrills, has nearly disappeared from Michigan, perhaps due to the presence of Rotenone, a chemical tool used to manage fisheries. Darren Kelly was the production editor, Norma Emory was the copyeditor, and Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary was the proofreader forActionScript: The Definitive Guide. Claire Cloutier, Linley Dolby, and Rachel Wheeler provided quality control. Judy Hoer wrote the index. Interior composition was done by Matthew Hutchinson, Sada Preisch, Edith Shapiro, Mary Sheehan, and Gabe Weiss.

Ellie Volckhausen designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout based on a series design by Nancy Priest. Clifford Dyer converted the files from Microsoft Word to FrameMaker 5.5.6 using tools created by Mike Sierra. The text and heading fonts are ITC Garamond Light and Garamond Book; the code font is Constant Willison. The illustrations that appear in this book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. This colophon was written by Sarah Jane Shangraw.

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7/14/2002

5.0

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide Review

By Stephan Haitz

from Undisclosed

Comments about O'Reilly Media ActionScript: The Definitive Guide:

Though I know some things about programming in few languages as C, C++, Java and therefor read some books about coding this book is really one of the best. It has an well organized structure and is convincing by pure competence. It is unavoidable for everyone dealing a little bit more intensive with FLASH. As well the beginner having made his first contacts with FLASH as the more advanced programmer will take there use to get it with actionscript. Compliments.

5/29/2002

5.0

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide Review

By Minh Luu

from Undisclosed

Comments about O'Reilly Media ActionScript: The Definitive Guide:

Best book on actionscripting so far! Finally you can understand how everything works.

1/14/2002

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide Review

By Layth Barzangi

from Undisclosed

Comments about O'Reilly Media ActionScript: The Definitive Guide:

Expert Mode

I've been working and experimenting with Flash ActionScript as far back as the early days of version 4. Although I am (and will forever remain) a Flash designer in essence, I've always been keen on developing my programming skills and pushing the envelope of what Flash can do as far as possible.

Flash 5 ActionScript was a joy to behold, but with sub-standard documentation from Macromedia and a series of unsatisfactory and mostly egocentric books from many independent writers, I, like all ActionScript warriors, had to rely on scattered online resources, trial and error, and long hours of .FLA dissecting as the best available source of knowledge and training. I'm not saying that it was a waste of time, but certainly not a pretty situation at all.

Enter Colin Moock's ASDG.

Although I was already a long-time frequenter of Moock's site and held much respect for the man's knowledge and approach, I still had doubts about whether that would necessarily warrant a good book author. When ASDG came out, I read all the possible reviews I could find, reviewed my disappointing experience with ActionScript books I've already read, and kept wondering if anyone could attempt the seemingly impossible and succeed.

ASDG arrived at my desk early in the morning four days ago. About 6 hours later, I was seriously wondering if it was worth kicking myself for waiting THIS long before getting it. For once, I'm gonna ask you to blindly believe the hype you see here and everywhere else -- Yes, if you want to save yourself the hassle and become an expert Flash Developer tomorrow instead of "in a year's time", then do honestly get this book now. Get it today - no, this minute.

Not only is ASDG the most comprehensive, complete and unbelievably detailed ActionScript reference on the planet. Its style, tone, approach and structure is so wonderfully thought out, it could well be the first ever technical reference book that could be dubbed "a page turner". Moock attacks the material with huge aplomb and an unwavering sense of seriousness, yet still manages to keep a great sense of humor and throw in those one-liners at just the right time. Where he really triumphs is in his ability to mold a subject of such complicated nature into a clear and simple down-to-earth format, allowing both total beginners and veteran wizards to benefit from it completely and equally. This is truly no easy feat, and Moock pulls it off magnificently.

The scope of this book honestly leaves no ActionScript stone unturned. However, it is not just a better version of Macromedia's ActionScript manuals. ASDG is, above all, a complete course in object oriented programming philosophy and technique. Before giving you a complete language reference in the third chapter, Moock takes his time in the first two chapters and offers readers invaluable advice and recommendations that simply do not exist anywhere else in ActionScript literature. His goal is not just to expose the language in its entirety, but to also help you develop a highly professional and truly effective programming style. His concepts about code centralization, modularity, optimization and function organization are priceless, and seldom does one come across such information, let alone the fact that it exist within the cover of a single book. All this is presented with a generous amount of example code, which itself is so extensively commented, you'd rarely (if ever) get stuck figuring out what is going on. In fact, the code comments are so clear, you get the feeling that Moock's goal was to make your mind process the code as fast as the ActionScript interpreter itself.

All in all, this is a book that redefines perfection. Moock's passion for the subject is astronomical, yet equally astronomical is his modesty, and his will to hold nothing back and hand over the entirety of his ActionScript experience to the reader. The wealth of his knowledge is amazing, but that is beautifully complemented by his incredible skill as a teacher. This makes this book not just a successful technical reference, but also a role model for technical writers everywhere. The end result is that his passion traverses over to you with consummate ease, and no matter what your skill level in ActionScript is, you will find information in this book that will propel you forward faster than you ever thought possible.

Get ASDG, fire up Flash, open up the Actions window, and prepare to bid a final farewell to Normal Mode.

12/14/2001

5.0

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide Review

By Jesse Seaver

from Undisclosed

Comments about O'Reilly Media ActionScript: The Definitive Guide:

Wow, I have been looking for an actionscript book like this. Figured I would have to write one myself before it even came out. Thanks Colin and Oreilly!

One thing though, that I found so far:

Page 85, regarding the charAt() function, a line of code says:

country.charAT(2) ; // returns "n", the third charachter,

when in fact u would fall at the index of (2)...

The author, Colin Moock, replies: The reader's report is incorrect. country is the name of the variable, not the string that we're performing charAt() on. The string is "Canada", and its third letter (at an index of 2) is indeed "n".

8/14/2001

5.0

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide Review

By John Attebury

from Undisclosed

Comments about O'Reilly Media ActionScript: The Definitive Guide:

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide is one of the best computer books ever written and is certainly the best flash book-period.

7/3/2001

5.0

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide Review

By eA. Fulton

from Undisclosed

Comments about O'Reilly Media ActionScript: The Definitive Guide:

If you use Flash Actionscript for anything serious, this is THE book to buy. This book covers topics in-serious-depth, that other books only graze, or worse, neglect to cover at all. Not just a collectionof "tips and tricks", but more like a comprehensive guide that will allow you to come up with "tips and tricks" all on your own. One of the best programming books I have ever read.

7/3/2001

5.0

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide Review

By Suan Zhu

from Undisclosed

Comments about O'Reilly Media ActionScript: The Definitive Guide:

This is a Great Book, I studied ActionScripts And C for only a month, but I was not really familiar with sytanxes and some specific commands until I received this books two days ago. But this explained everything! By using arrays and string functions I was able to write a 450 lines of scripts for an A.I. character on flash... You can do anything with this book. A must buy for anyone!!

6/30/2001

4.0

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide Review

By Ross

from Undisclosed

Comments about O'Reilly Media ActionScript: The Definitive Guide:

HI,

ASDG has been a revelation for a beginner in scripting who also thoroughly enjoyed the author's right-on style and the quality of the whole production.

I wish that it laid out the "grammar" of programming language in one place but that is a minor niggle. It's just an excuse to read it through all over again!

Thank you O'R and Colin for making AS a snap!

Ross

6/12/2001

5.0

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide Review

By Witherspoon

from Undisclosed

Comments about O'Reilly Media ActionScript: The Definitive Guide:

Colin,

You rock! This book had what I needed. Now, are you going to write the Flash manuals from here on out?

6/8/2001

5.0

ActionScript: The Definitive Guide Review

By Sean

from Undisclosed

Comments about O'Reilly Media ActionScript: The Definitive Guide:

I purchased another Flash book with some limited

AS information which I returned knowing that this book

would be THE book when it came out.

This book surpasses even these expectations. I don't

have a programming background and when I opened the

book, I did so thinking I had a hard road ahead of me.

It wasn't the case.

I can see I will be far ahead when I finish this very

enjoyable read.

You will learn from and enjoy this extremely well written

book.

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ActionScript Fundamentals

Chapter 1 A Gentle Introduction for Non-Programmers

Chapter 2 Variables

Chapter 3 Data and Datatypes

Chapter 4 Primitive Datatypes

Chapter 5 Operators

Chapter 6 Statements

Chapter 7 Conditionals

Chapter 8 Loop Statements

Chapter 9 Functions

Chapter 10 Events and Event Handlers

Chapter 11 Arrays

Chapter 12 Objects and Classes

Chapter 13 Movie Clips

Chapter 14 Lexical Structure

Chapter 15 Advanced Topics

Applied ActionScript

Chapter 16 ActionScript Authoring Environment

Chapter 17 Flash Forms

Chapter 18 On-Screen Text Fields

Chapter 19 Debugging

Language Reference

Chapter 20 ActionScript Language Reference

Appendixes

Appendix Resources

Appendix Latin 1 Character Repertoire and Keycodes

Appendix Backward Compatibility

Appendix Differences from ECMA-262 and JavaScript

Colophon

Colin Moock

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