I created a class focusing on Flash ActionScript 3.0 called Flash ActionScript 3.0 Basics for Designers at LVSOnline.com. This class is for existing Flash designers who want to incorporate user interactivity in their Flash web site or Flash developers who have not made the switch from earlier versions of ActionScript.
Currently ActionScript 3.0 is the internal programming language of Flash, Flex and Adobe AIR. This object oriented language is more adherent to the ECMA-262 standard which many other languages (i.e. JavaScript) follow.
Students will learn the basics of the core language of ActionScript 3.0, how it is used within the timeline, interact with objects (movieclips) on the stage and library, develop simple animations with just ActionScript and understand the importance and how to create preloaders for your movies.
The class is only $30 and students need either Adobe Flash CS4 or CS3.
Topics covered:
Week 1: Trace statement, comments, variables, loops, functions and object basics.
Week 2: Manipulating movie clip properties
Week 3: Events: overview, targeting, propagating, timeline control methods
Week 4: More events: frame and keyboard events; timer events
Week 5: Loading external assets (images and movies); Display list explained
Week 6: Working with preloaders and sound
To give you an idea of how each lesson looks, here is the first lesson (.pdf).
When Does Class Start?
The class runs five times a year for six weeks in January, March, May, August and October. To learn more view the course description page and contact me to find out the exact date on when you can register
On a previous post I talked about the basics of XML so I thought I’d show some examples of how to incorporate XML with Flash.
Since XML is primarily used to store and transfer data, it makes for a nice flexible way to store data that Flash applications can use. Since it’s external to your SWF file, it can be easily updated. So whether your Flash application pulls in data for a News Reader or a Slide Show or Music Juke Box, any change will be dynamic and ready to go.
These examples use ActionScript 3.0, which allows for easier manipulation of XML data compared to previous versions of AS. I broke up the three examples into three parts so you can see the evolution of each example and can follow it better with a gradual change in the AS code (saved as Flash CS3).
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Events are things that happen that Flash can recognize and respond to. A mouse click is an event, as are mouse movements and keypresses on the keyboard. Events can also be things that the user doesn’t initiate. The completion of a sound, for example, is an event.
Anytime an event happens, an object of the Event class is created. When the mouse button is clicked, a MouseEvent object (a subclass of the Event class) is created. When a key on the keyboard is pressed, a KeyboardEvent object (another subclass of the Event class) is created. It may seem a little strange that an object represents an event, but remember Flash objects can be very abstract.
With all these events happening, you need a way to detect and respond to them. You detect an event by creating an event listener (or event handler).
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The key to successful manipulating graphics on the Stage is to understand what is known as the display list. The display list is the hierarchy of visible objects on the Stage. The display list lets Flash keep track of what the user sees, the visual relationships between objects, and the stacking order (or overlapping) of the objects.
Conceptually, it’s much like the folder structure on your computer desktop, and can be represented as a tree structure. The top-level element is the Stage. Each time you play a Flash movie in a Web browser, the Flash Player opens your SWF and places it on the Stage. So the Stage is the container that holds your main SWF.
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Like any language, ActionScript evolves over time. ActionScript 3.0 is simply the latest version of the Flash programming language that lets you control graphics, animation, sound, and interactivity. However, ActionScript 3.0 represents a significant change (some may say revolutionary) from the previous versions because in many ways it is conceptually and architecturally different.
Key differences from ActionScript 2.0 include:
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