| Overview
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,
and ActionScript: 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.
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
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:
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.
Editorial ReviewsProduct DescriptionGiven its ability to deliver high-impact multimedia, Flash has become the de facto standard for multimedia web developers worldwide. Flash 5 includes a new full-fledged programming language, "ActionScript," that controls animation and multimedia, and includes all common programming constructs (such as variables, loops, conditionals, and functions). ActionScript for Flash 5 is a quantum leap from previous versions, and ActionScript: The Definitive Guide is the first book dedicated entirely to documenting and demonstrating the ActionScript programming language. 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. | Amazon.com ReviewMacromedia Flash is the obvious choice for delivering multimedia over the Web. At the heart of Flash's power is ActionScript, the product's powerful object-oriented scripting language. ActionScript is based on JavaScript, making it easy for Web developers new to Flash to get up to speed. ActionScript: The Definitive Guide is a tutorial and reference to ActionScript that meets the needs of both new Flash developers learning the language and experienced coders who need a daily reference. Author Colin Moock starts off with a primer to Flash terminology and a quick example application--an interactive quiz. Following that, the book quickly gets down to ActionScript nuts and bolts. The first part covers the basics of the language, such as operators, variable scope, and conditional logic, in a traditional presentation. A few lines of example code illustrate each concept. Critical topics like arrays, movie clips, and object-oriented programming are covered well at the detail level, though a more extensive example application would really have come in handy to illustrate the big picture. The back of the book contains an excellent reference to the ActionScript language, complete with inline example code. ActionScript is an important tool to master, and ActionScript: The Definitive Guide is a fine means to that end. --Stephen W. Plain |
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Reader Reviews From Amazon (Ranked by 'Helpfulness') Average Customer Rating: based on 67 reviews. Definitive Guide is Excellent!, 2006-03-15 Reviewer rating: The Definitive Guide to Actionscript by Colin Moock is a must have for anyone serious about Actionscript. Moock explains object oriented programming with ease. There are many samples and examples making this book easily accessible to a wide range of programmatic abilities. This book is a great learning resource and also serves as a reference for developers. | Good ActionScript reference book, 2003-05-31 Reviewer rating: It's all good... lot's of info, examples, details, etc etc... I do have to comment though that everything you find in this book is EASILY found and sometimes in a way more deep and detailed manner in the Macromedia Flash Help section and in www.macromedia.com Flash support section... I would not consider this an essential book even though one feels secure to have it close... | Not suitable for experienced programmers, 2003-02-13 Reviewer rating: Nice book, found it pretty pleasant at first, but it was too easy to digest (six, seven hours and you can toss it over your shoulder). The real answers I need (mostly dealing with movie clip behaviours) are only vaguely explained or absent and I found the book more of a frustration than otherwise from about 1 week onwards. Having said this, there doesn't appear to be any other title for Flash that caters to those whose programming knowledge exceeds their experience as a graphical design user. | Superb, 2002-11-10 Reviewer rating: Finally, an actionscript guide that is superb in its production! My hat is off to Colin and Gary for this detail-oriented volume that has cleared the smoke out of my head and has made a programmer out of an artist. Bravo!!! | best buy ever, 2002-11-07 Reviewer rating: i dont need to say more, I even pre orderd the second edition allready |
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