1.12. Variables and Values

In ActionScript, every object is considered a single, self-contained piece of data (i.e., information) known as a value. Apart from objects, the only other legal values in ActionScript are the special values null and undefined, which represent the concept of "no value." A variable is an identifier (i.e., a name) associated with a value. For example, a variable might be the identifier submitBtn associated with an object representing a button in an online form. Or a variable might be the identifier productDescription associated with a String object that describes some product.

Variables are used to keep track of information in a program. They give us a means of referring to an object after it is created.