Learning ActionScript 2.0 for Macromedia Flash 8 PDF Free Download

Paperback: 864 pages
Publisher: Macromedia Press; 1 edition (October 23, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0321394151
ISBN-13: 978-0321394156
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 1.3 inches
Free Download Link

Powerful development and design tools require thorough and authoritative technical advice and documentation. When it comes to Macromedia Flash, no one is more authoritative than Macromedia Development and writing teams. Now their official documentation is available to you in printed book form. As you work, keep this guide by your side for ready access to valuable information on using Flash. We’ve designed it so that it’s easy to annotate as you progress.

Learning ActionScript 2.0 for Macromedia Flash 8 shows you how to write proper ActionScript syntax to create useful and interactive Flash applications. This book includes examples of object-oriented programming, and teaches you how to write custom classes for your Flash applications. Learning ActionScript 2.0 for Macromedia Flash 8 also includes numerous hands-on examples on how to apply expressive and interactive features to your files using ActionScript code, such as file upload, filter effects, scripted animation, and anti-alias text using the FlashType font rendering engine.

View Sample Copyright

Introduction

Intended audience

System requirements

Updating Flash XML files

About the documentation

Additional resources

Chapter 1. What’s New in Flash 8 ActionScript

New in ActionScript 2.0 and Flash 8

Changes to security model for locally installed SWF files

Chapter 2. Writing and Editing ActionScript 2.0

About ActionScript and events

Organizing ActionScript code

Using the Actions panel and Script window

About the Actions panel

About the Script window

About coding in the Actions panel and Script window

About Actions panel features

About behaviors

About ActionScript publish settings

Chapter 3. About ActionScript

What is ActionScript

About choosing between ActionScript 1.0 and ActionScript 2.0

Understanding ActionScript and Flash Player

View Sample

Chapter 4. Data and Data Types

View Sample About data

View Sample About data types

View Sample About variables

View Sample Organizing data in objects

View Sample About casting

Chapter 5. Syntax and Language Fundamentals

About syntax, statements, and expressions

About dot syntax and target paths

About language punctuators

About constants and keywords

About statements

About arrays

About operators

Chapter 6. Functions and Methods

About functions and methods

Understanding methods

Chapter 7. Classes

About object-oriented programming and Flash

Writing custom class files

About working with custom classes in an application

Example: Writing custom classes

Example: Using custom class files in Flash

Assigning a class to symbols in Flash

Compiling and exporting classes

Understanding classes and scope

About top-level and built-in classes

About working with built-in classes

Chapter 8. Inheritance

About inheritance

About writing subclasses in Flash

Using polymorphism in an application

Chapter 9. Interfaces

About interfaces

Creating interfaces as data types

Understanding inheritance and interfaces

Example: Using interfaces

Example: Creating a complex interface

Chapter 10. Handling Events

Using event handler methods

Using event listeners

Using event listeners with components

Using button and Movie clip event handlers

Broadcasting events from component instances

Creating movie clips with button states

Event handler scope

Scope of the this keyword

Using the Delegate class

Chapter 11. Working with Movie Clips

About controlling movie clips with ActionScript

Calling multiple methods on a single movie clip

Loading and unloading SWF files

Changing movie clip position and appearance

Dragging movie clips

Creating movie clips at runtime

Adding parameters to dynamically created movie clips

Managing movie clip depths

About caching and scrolling movie clips with ActionScript

Using movie clips as masks

Handling movie clip events

Assigning a class to a movie clip symbol

Initializing class properties

Chapter 12. Working with Text and Strings

About text fields

About loading text and variables into text fields

Using fonts

About font rendering and anti-alias text

About text layout and formatting

Formatting text with Cascading Style Sheet styles

Using HTML-formatted text

Example: Creating scrolling text

About strings and the String class

Chapter 13. Animation, Filters, and Drawings

Scripting animation with ActionScript 2.0

About bitmap caching, scrolling, and performance

About the Tween and TransitionManager classes

Using filter effects

Working with filters using ActionScript

Manipulating filter effects with code

Creating bitmaps with the BitmapData class

About blending modes

About operation order

Drawing with ActionScript

Understanding scaling and slice guides

Chapter 14. Creating Interaction with ActionScript

About events and interaction

Controlling SWF file playback

Creating interactivity and visual effects

Creating runtime data bindings using ActionScript

Deconstructing a sample script

Chapter 15. Working with Images, Sound, and Video

About loading and working with external media

Loading external SWF and image files

About loading and using external MP3 files

Assigning linkage to assets in the library

About using FLV video

About creating progress animations for media files

Chapter 16. Working with External Data

Sending and loading variables

Using HTTP to connect to server-side scripts

About file uploading and downloading

About XML

Sending messages to and from Flash Player

About the External API

Chapter 17. Understanding Security

About compatibility with previous Flash Player security models

About local file security and Flash Player

About domains, cross-domain security, and SWF files

Server-side policy files for permitting access to data

HTTP to HTTPS protocol access between SWF files

Chapter 18. Debugging Applications

Debugging your scripts

Using the Output panel

Chapter 19. Best Practices and Coding Conventions for ActionScript 2.0

Naming conventions

Using comments in your code

ActionScript coding conventions

ActionScript and Flash Player optimization

Formatting ActionScript syntax

Appendix A. Error Messages

Appendix B. Deprecated Flash 4 operators

Appendix C. Keyboard Keys and Key Code Values

Letters A to Z and standard numbers 0 to 9

Keys on the numeric keypad

Function keys

Other keys

Appendix D. Writing Scripts for Earlier Versions of Flash Player

About targeting earlier versions of Flash Player

Using Flash 8 to create content for Flash Player 4

Appendix E. Object-Oriented Programming with ActionScript 1.0

About ActionScript 1.0

Creating a custom object in ActionScript 1.0

Assigning methods to a custom object in ActionScript 1.0

Defining event handler methods in ActionScript 1.0

Creating inheritance in ActionScript 1.0

Adding getter/setter properties to objects in ActionScript 1.0

Using Function object properties in ActionScript 1.0

Appendix F. Terminology

About Authors

Jen deHaan

Jen deHaan was raised by wolves in the deep woods of the Canadian north. Later in life, Jen worked with Flash as a “deseloper,” then wrote about Flash for five versions, and then worked on stuff that didn’t include much Flash. She came to her senses in 2007 by rejoining the fabled Flash team at Adobe as a QE, focusing on the good stuff—Motion (on timelines). Jen enjoys long walks in the rain pondering how many times she can use the word Flash in a bio, and admits that after numerous years in California she is no longer addicted to Tim Horton’s coffee.

Peter deHaan

Peter deHaan currently works for Adobe on the Flex SDK QA team. While not working on Flex, Flash, and ColdFusion applications, Peter enjoys making up bios and writing in 3rd person. Peter’s rarely updated blog can be found at blogs.adobe.com/pdehaan/ as well as his other blogs at flexexamples.com, actionscriptexamples.com, and airexamples.com.

Buyer Reviews

I was a little dissapointed to find the lack of tutorials that you could follow like I have found in earlier version of actionscripting books from Macromedia. I wouldn’t recommend this book for the beginner as I feel it is more suited to the intermediate / advanced flash developer who already has a solid understanding of actionscripting and could use this book as a reference book. If you are looking for hands on tutorials then this isn’t the book for you.

What both of these reviewers forget to mention is that this book is essentially word for word a published version of the on-line help availble in the Flash 8 help menu. That probably explains all of those terms that aren’t explained too well — this is a hypertext document.

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