This is a good comprehensive subject but can be boring for a more advance programmer, it is just like the syntax for a lot of other languages but is not as exciting to read as other programming languages I have read up on, but to know what is needed this is a good book to get.

Learning ActionScript 2.0 for Macromedia Flash 8
Jen deHaan, peter deHaan
Macromedia Press
copyright 2004-2006
ISBN:0-321-39415-1

This book is very comprehensive and thorough. It covers anything you might want/need to know in Flash. It is always good to learn about a software by seeing what the creators of the software have to say about it. They seem to have access to ideas that are overlooked in other books.

For example, how many times have you been coding something you have done according to strict coding standards and you get that wonderful code hint box coming up and opps just as you are reading what it says it disappears. Well, you don't have to put up with this anymore!! This wonderful book tells you how to access the code hints anytime anywhere--- just press the parenthesis with the thought bubble next to it or even access it from the pop up menu in the upper right hand corner of the actions pane. This is the kind of detail that this book contains (well it is 848 pages!!). It seems as the authors had some omniscient ability to answer all the questions in Flash that were frustrating me.

As is always true in Flash there are always many ways to do just one thing -- another thing you could do would be to put your cursor in the actions pane and press ctrl + u (PC) This brings up preferences where you can set the delay on code hints to the maximum 9 seconds and if that isn't long enough for you just hit the thought bubble.

One of the more useful sections is an explanation of each element of Flash, which explains the use of the element. You will find this under a title such as "Using ActionsScript 2.0 Classes" p. 250. This is the only place where I have really encountered a section on "using" something and believe me I have read a lot of books on ActionScript 2.0 Classes.

Reading this book gives you an amazing opportunity to get input from people who have incredible background and experience with the authoring tool. This description of what a function should comprise is a good example. "A well written function is like a "black box". If the function contains carefully placed comments about it's input, output and purpose the person using the function does not need to understand exactly know how it works." Believe me this was really good news for someone who has looked through other developer's code and didn't understand exactly how it worked. This book gives you the confidence and ammunition you need to code in just about any scenario. It tells you how to cope if you encounter code that wasn't written according to best practices, or in a prior version of Flash.

Here is a secret that nobody really let's you in on: the Script Navigator. Yes, the Script Navigator is your friend. It is a fast way to view all the code and to preview and become familiar with how to trouble shoot someone else's code.

Another section that really prepares you for working with ActionScript is the section on page 350 regarding event handler scope. This details how the same code would differ if it were written on a button or in the first frame of the timeline. This section is very good real world preparation.

The material on Bitmap Caching is very comprehensive. It explains what goes on with this new feature and how to use it as with the sections on filters, blend modes, drop shadows, blurs, etc. The section about programmic animation is also a must read.

The best feature of this book is that it introduces you to the sample files on your C drive. There is a very good tutorial on sound with a jukebox. There are tutorials for every feature that the program offers. As a developer this is a killer source to have, if someone quick springs a jukebox project on you. It at least gives you a starting point. It also is a help to quickly review something you may not have done in a while.

There is also extensive info on the File Reference Class. This a new feature that allows you to upload and download files.

The section on security and how it has changed in Flash over the versions is also very important.

When I mentioned to someone that I was reading this book, this person said that it would be interesting to compare it to what info is given in the help files. Well, I compared one of the sections - functions and it is word for word the same as the help files. Using your help files in the authoring tool is even better than reading a book if your are working for someone who doesn't like it if you refer to a book (I have heard of other Flash developers being berated by this type of employer). Now you have the whole deal right in your authoring tool help files and a bit less awkward to refer to than a book. If reading the help files is a problem for you, you can always buy the book which lays it out in a more easy to find manner. After reading this book you have no excuse for not being prepared for any Flash problem that may be thrown your way. This is an important point. as many employers now have stooped to giving us Flash developers tests, consequently you can't be too prepared. Read this book. You will be glad you did.

"Learning ActionScript 2.0 for Macromedia FLASH 8" is an official Macromedia Press publication and was written by Jan and Peter deHaan, both of whom are clearly ActionScript experts. The book is targeted at individuals with at least some Flash development experience. However, as mentioned later in the book Action Script 2.0 should be primarily of interest to intermediate and advanced Flash programmers.

The authors state that ActionScript will seem familiar if you have previous scripting language experience (i.e. JavaScript), but if you have no programming background ActionScript basics are easy to learn. This may be true. However, I found that this book really requires that readers already have a good foundation of programming background -at least in terms of concepts, syntax, and scripting language structure. For example in Chapter 4: Data and Data Types, I found the code examples to be too abstract without some working knowledge of programming languages and a description of what the code syntax is supposed to be doing.

This book is well organized for topical reference, but is intended for linear reading (though I doubt anyone would actually do this) since many chapters build off of the previous ones. The topical structure of this book is actually its best feature, with each of the 19 chapters addressing a specific Flash feature and how ActionScript 2.0 drives and controls it. Chapter 5: Syntax and Language Fundamentals, however, seems out of place for those of us unfamiliar with scripting languages. This chapter should be moved up front to at least precede the previous chapters on "Writing and Editing AS 2.0" and "Data and Data Types."

The chapter topics are outlined below to show how the book is organized:
o Chapter 1: What's New in ActionScript 2.0
o Chapter 2: Writing and Editing AS 2.0
o Chapter 3: About ActionScript
o Chapter 4: Data and Data Types
o Chapter 5: Syntax and Language Fundamentals
o Chapter 6: Functions and Methods
o Chapter 7: Classes
o Chapter 8: Inheritance
o Chapter 9: Interfaces
o Chapter 10: Handling Events
o Chapter 11: Working with Movie Clips
o Chapter 12: Working with Text and Strings
o Chapter 13: Animation, Filters and Drawings
o Chapter 14: Creating Interaction with AS
o Chapter 15: Working with Images, Sound and Video
o Chapter 16: Working with External Data
o Chapter 17: Understanding Security
o Chapter 18: Debugging Applications
o Chapter 19: Best Practices and Coding Conventions for AS 2.0
o Extensive Appendices

The book is equally well structured and written at the chapter-level. Each chapter starts off with a brief definition and explanation of the topic to be covered and contains references for locating more detailed or additional information elsewhere in the book. Highlighted "Notes" and "Tips" are used extensively throughout the book to emphasize key points and best practices. I often found these to be good 'knowledge nuggets' that broadened my overall understanding of Flash and ActionScript.

The real focus of this book is on the 'nitty gritty' of working with ActionScript. Each chapter contains extensive topical examples and associated ActionScript 2.0 code. Many of the code examples are nicely presented in the form of step-by-step exercises. The authors do a nice job of describing what the code is doing as at key points along the way and also have you modify and test the code as you work through their examples and exercises.

There are literally hundreds of ActionScript programming examples and exercises contained in this book. The breadth and depth of these highlight an incredibly wide range of useful ActionScript programming features and capabilities. The trick here is to dig through all of this and figure out how to apply it to your particular needs. However, if you are already an experienced AS programmer, the very granular topical structure of this book should make it very usable for you.

Having no scripting language background, I found the handful of AS programming examples that I worked through difficult to understand. For me, this was due to the fact that many of the examples and exercises in this book illustrate abstract programming concepts, such as the manipulation of various code properties then testing the movie and analyzing what the ActionScript is doing via the Output panel. Having more concrete examples for applying ActionScript and seeing how content on the stage responds would be helpful for non-programmers like me. It would also be helpful if some of the examples focused on working with Flash 8's pre-scripted behaviors, which provide a lot of nice functionality.

If you are an experienced programmer you should be able to find the AS samples and exercises very useful in your day-to-day workings with Flash. One thing that this book does not have that would be helpful is a companion CD that contains the ActionScript examples covered in the book. Many of the code samples are fairly long and being able to cut and paste many useful code samples directly into Flash would be nice.

In summary, this a good reference book for creating and manipulating lots of ActionScript functionality within your Flash applications. It will be most useful to those already familiar with ActionScript or if you at least have a good understanding of scripting language programming fundamentals. It is well laid-out for easy topical reference and probably should be used as such, rather than as an end-to-end read through. As a new Flash programmer, I will be looking for additional ActionScript books that focus more on learning ActionScript basics, as well as scripting language fundamentals. However, I will certainly keep my copy of "Learning ActionScript 2.0 for Macromedia FLASH 8" handy. It does contain quite a bit of good material relevant to any new Flash developer who is serious about learning ActionScript.

The is the second book I bought from Macromedia Press dealing with Action Script. The first one I bought was Flash MX Professional 2004 application development.
ISBN 0-321-23834-6
I would by that versus this one if you are looking for a well written intermediate read for Application Development for Flash.

This book is disjointed and it references itself in places you haven't read yet. I also have found a number of code typos, so if you are new to Action Script, pay close attention.

It's an alright book that teaches you some great pieces of actionscript, but it doesn't neccesarily show you how to put the pieces together. It sometimes seems like it was written for people that have a grasp on AS already, not someone who is just starting out.