book

ADOBE® FLEX® 3: PROGRAMMING ACTIONSCRIPT™ 3.0

Name: ADOBE® FLEX® 3: PROGRAMMING ACTIONSCRIPT™ 3.0
Author: Adobe Systems
ISBN: 00120090008SI

by Adobe Systems

January 2008

Intermediate to advanced

581 pages

110h 10m

English

Adobe Systems

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Chapter 1: About this manual
Using this manual
Accessing ActionScript documentation
ActionScript learning resources
Chapter 2: Introduction to ActionScript 3.0
About ActionScript
Advantages of ActionScript 3.0
What’s new in ActionScript 3.0
Compatibility with previous versions
Chapter 3: Getting started with ActionScript
Programming fundamentals
Working with objects (1/2)
Working with objects (2/2)
Common program elements

Building applications with ActionScript
Creating your own classes
Example: Creating a basic application
Running subsequent examples
Chapter 4: ActionScript language and syntax
Language overview
Objects and classes
Packages and namespaces (1/2)
Packages and namespaces (2/2)
Variables
Data types (1/3)
Data types (2/3)
Data types (3/3)
Syntax
Operators (1/2)
Operators (2/2)
Conditionals
Looping
Functions (1/2)
Functions (2/2)
Chapter 5: Object-oriented programming in ActionScript
Basics of object-oriented programming
Classes (1/3)
Classes (2/3)
Classes (3/3)
Interfaces
Inheritance (1/2)
Inheritance (2/2)
Advanced topics (1/2)
Advanced topics (2/2)
Example: GeometricShapes (1/2)
Example: GeometricShapes (2/2)
Chapter 6: Working with dates and times
Basics of dates and times
Managing calendar dates and times
Controlling time intervals
Example: Simple analog clock
Chapter 7: Working with strings
Basics of strings
Creating strings
The length property
Working with characters in strings
Comparing strings
Obtaining string representations of other objects
Concatenating strings
Finding substrings and patterns in strings
Converting strings between uppercase and lowercase
Example: ASCII art
Chapter 8: Working with arrays
Basics of arrays
Indexed arrays (1/2)
Indexed arrays (2/2)
Associative arrays
Multidimensional arrays
Cloning arrays
Advanced topics
Example: PlayList
Chapter 9: Handling errors
Basics of error handling
Types of errors
Error handling in ActionScript 3.0
Working with the debugger versions of Flash Player and AIR
Handling synchronous errors in an application
Creating custom error classes
Responding to error events and status
Comparing the Error classes
Example: CustomErrors application
Chapter 10: Using regular expressions
Basics of regular expressions
Regular expression syntax (1/3)
Regular expression syntax (2/3)
Regular expression syntax (3/3)
Methods for using regular expressions with strings
Example: A Wiki parser
Chapter 11: Working with XML
Basics of XML
The E4X approach to XML processing
XML objects
XMLList objects
Initializing XML variables
Assembling and transforming XML objects
Traversing XML structures
Using XML namespaces
XML type conversion
Reading external XML documents
Example: Loading RSS data from the Internet
Chapter 12: Handling events
Basics of handling events
How ActionScript 3.0 event handling differs from earlier versions
The event flow
Event objects
Event listeners (1/2)
Event listeners (2/2)
Example: Alarm Clock
Chapter 13: Display programming
Basics of display programming
Core display classes
Advantages of the display list approach
Working with display objects (1/2)
Working with display objects (2/2)
Manipulating display objects (1/4)
Manipulating display objects (2/4)
Manipulating display objects (3/4)
Manipulating display objects (4/4)
Animating objects
Loading display content dynamically
Example: SpriteArranger (1/2)
Example: SpriteArranger (2/2)
Chapter 14: Using the drawing API
Basics of using the drawing API
Understanding the Graphics class
Drawing lines and curves
Drawing shapes using built-in methods
Creating gradient lines and fills
Using the Math class with drawing methods
Animating with the drawing API
Example: Algorithmic Visual Generator
Chapter 15: Working with geometry
Basics of geometry
Using Point objects
Using Rectangle objects
Using Matrix objects
Example: Applying a matrix transformation to a display object
Chapter 16: Filtering display objects
Basics of filtering display objects
Creating and applying filters (1/2)
Creating and applying filters (2/2)
Available display filters (1/3)
Available display filters (2/3)
Available display filters (3/3)
Example: Filter Workbench (1/2)
Example: Filter Workbench (2/2)
Chapter 17: Working with movie clips
Basics of movie clips
Working with MovieClip objects
Controlling movie clip playback
Creating MovieClip objects with ActionScript
Loading an external SWF file
Example: RuntimeAssetsExplorer
Chapter 18: Working with text
Basics of working with text
Displaying text
Selecting and manipulating text
Capturing text input
Restricting text input
Formatting text
Advanced text rendering
Working with static text
Example: Newspaper-style text formatting (1/2)
Example: Newspaper-style text formatting (2/2)
Chapter 19: Working with bitmaps
Basics of working with bitmaps
The Bitmap and BitmapData classes
Manipulating pixels
Copying bitmap data
Making textures with noise functions
Scrolling bitmaps
Taking advantage of mipmapping
Example: Animated spinning moon (1/2)
Example: Animated spinning moon (2/2)
Chapter 20: Working with video
Basics of video
Understanding the Flash Video (FLV) format
Understanding the Video class
Loading video files
Controlling video playback
Streaming video files
Understanding cue points
Writing callback methods for onCuePoint and onMetaData
Using cue points
Using video metadata
Capturing camera input (1/2)
Capturing camera input (2/2)
Advanced topics
Example: Video Jukebox (1/2)
Example: Video Jukebox (2/2)
Chapter 21: Working with sound
Basics of working with sound
Understanding the sound architecture
Loading external sound files
Working with embedded sounds
Working with streaming sound files
Playing sounds
Security considerations when loading and playing sounds
Controlling sound volume and panning
Working with sound metadata
Accessing raw sound data
Capturing sound input
Example: Podcast Player (1/2)
Example: Podcast Player (2/2)
Chapter 22: Capturing user input
Basics of user input
Capturing keyboard input
Capturing mouse input
Example: WordSearch
Chapter 23: Networking and communication
Basics of networking and communication
Working with external data
Connecting to other Flash Player and AIR instances
Socket connections
Storing local data
Working with file upload and download (1/2)
Working with file upload and download (2/2)
Example: Building a Telnet client
Example: Uploading and downloading files (1/2)
Example: Uploading and downloading files (2/2)
Chapter 24: Client system environment
Basics of the client system environment
Using the System class
Using the Capabilities class
Using the ApplicationDomain class
Using the IME class
Example: Detecting system capabilities
Chapter 25: Printing
Basics of printing
Printing a page
Flash Player and AIR tasks and system printing
Setting size, scale, and orientation
Example: Multiple-page printing
Example: Scaling, cropping, and responding
Chapter 26: Using the external API
Basics of using the external API
External API requirements and advantages
Using the ExternalInterface class
Example: Using the external API with a web page container
Example: Using the external API with an ActiveX container (1/2)
Example: Using the external API with an ActiveX container (2/2)
Chapter 27: Flash Player security
Flash Player security overview
Overview of permission controls (1/2)
Overview of permission controls (2/2)
Security sandboxes
Restricting networking APIs
Full-screen mode security
Loading content
Cross-scripting
Accessing loaded media as data
Loading data
Loading embedded content from SWF files imported into a security domain
Working with legacy content
Setting LocalConnection permissions
Controlling access to scripts in a host web page
Shared objects
Camera, microphone, clipboard, mouse, and keyboard access
Symbols
!= (inequality) operator 133!== (strict inequality) operator 133$ metacharacter 191$ replacement codes 137& (ampersand) 463( ) (parentheses) metacharacters 191( ) (parentheses) operators 61( ) (XML filtering) operators 219* (asterisk) metacharacter 191* (asterisk) type annotation 47, 49, 54, 55* (wildcard) operator, XML 219+ (addition) operator 134+ (concatenation) operator, XMLList 217+ (plus) metacharacter 191+= (addition assignment) operator 134, 217, (comma) operator 45. (dot) metacharacter 191. (dot) operator 59, 76. (dot) operator, XML 211, 217.. (descendent accessor) operator, XML 217... (rest) parameter 81/ (forward slash) 190, 191: (colon) operator 49< operator 64== operator 133=== operator 133> operator 64, 133>= operator 133? (question mark) 191?: (conditional) operator 69@ (attribute identifier) operator, XML 211, 219[ (left bracket) 191\ (backslash)in regular expressions 191in strings 132] (right bracket) 191^ (caret) 191__proto__ 34__resolve 34| (pipe) 196Numerics128-bit addresses 462Aabstract classes 87accessor functions, get and set 94ActionScriptabout 33advantages of 5building applications with 21compatibility with previous versions 7description of 4development process 23documentation 2embedding in Flex MXML files 21history of OOP support 108new features in 5storing in ActionScript files 21tools for writing 22ways to include in applications 21writing with text editors 23ActionScript 1.0 109ActionScript 2.0, prototype chain 110ActionScript Virtual Machine (AVM1) 108ActionScript Virtual Machine 2 (AVM2) 108, 112activation object 83addCallback() method 551addEventListener() method 96, 231, 240addition (+) operator 134addition assignment (+=) operator 134additive operators 67addListener() method 231allowDomain() methodabout cross-scripting 550constructor and 557img tag and 550loading context 287LocalConnection class 471sound and 554allowFullScreen attribute 547allowInsecureDomain() method 471allowNetworking tag 545AllowScriptAccess parameter 558alpha channel masking 282alternation in regular expressions 196ampersand (&) 463animation 283anonymous functions 75, 80anti-aliasing text 367application/x-www-form- urlencoded 463ApplicationDomain class 287, 498, 549applications, development decisions 21apply() method 158arguments object 78, 79, 81arguments, passing by reference or value 78arguments.callee property 79arguments.caller property 81arguments.length property 79Array classconcat() method 151constructor algorithm 158extending 157join() method 151length property 148, 153pop() method 147push() method 147, 158reverse() method 148shift() method 147slice() method 151sort() method 148sortOn() method 148, 150splice() method 147toString() method 151unshift() method 147arraysabout 144array literals 60, 146associative 152cloning 156common tasks 145constructor 146creating 136, 146
deep copy of 156
delete operator 148examples 161indexed 145inserting elements 147iterating through 153key and value pairs 152length of 148maximum size 146multidimensional 155nested arrays and join() method 151object keys 153querying 151removing elements 147shallow copy 156sorting 148superconstructor 158terms 145typed arrays not supported 146using associative and indexed arrays 156as operator 51, 99-as3 compiler option 157AS3 namespace 114, 157ASCII characters 130assignment operators 69associativity, rules of 64asterisk (*) metacharacter 191asterisk (*) type annotation 47, 49, 54, 55asterisk (wildcard) operator, XML 219asynchronous errors 168asynchronous operation 241attribute identifier (@) operator, XML 211, 219audio playback, monitoring 447audio security 554avHardwareDisable property 538AVM1 (ActionScript Virtual Machine) 108AVM1Movie class 252AVM2 (ActionScript Virtual Machine 2) 108, 112Bbackground color, making opaque 276backslash (\) characterin regular expressions 191in strings 132bar (|) character 196base classes 101basic conceptscomments 19creating object instances 18events 13flow control 20methods 12objects 11operators 19properties 12variables 10beginGradientFill() method 299big-endian byte order 472binary operators 64bitmap cachingadvantages and disadvantages 273filters and 321when to avoid 274when to use 274Bitmap class 251, 379bitmap data, copying 383bitmap printing 511BitmapData class 379BitmapData objects, applying filters 320bitmapsabout 377defining in Bitmap class 251file formats 378optimizing 387security 553smoothing 380transparent versus opaque 378bitwise logical operators 68bitwise shift operators 67block-level scope 46Boolean classcasting 57implicit coercion in strict mode 56Boolean data type 53bound methods 83, 95brace operators ({ and }) in XML 216bracket ([ and ]) characters 191bracket ([ and ]) operators 76browse() method 556bubbles property 234bubbling phase 231build path 37built-in classes 34byte order 472ByteArray class 156bytes loaded 286Ccaching filters and bitmaps 321call() method (ExternalInterface class) 546, 558callback methodshandling 405callee property 79caller property 81Camera class 411camerascapturing input 411displaying content on-screen 412permissions 413playback conditions 416security 557, 560verifying installation 413cancelable property 233Capabilities class 497Capabilities.avHardwareDisable property 538Capabilities.localFileReadDisable property 538capture phase 231capturing camera input 411capturing user-selected text 360caret (^) character 191cascading style sheets. See CSScase replacement in strings 138case sensitivity 59casting 55, 56, 57catch blocks 171character classes (in regular expressions) 193character codes 452character ranges, specifying 194character-delimited string, combining arrays into 163charactersin regular expressions 191in strings 133, 135charAt() method 133charCodeAt() method 133checkPolicyFile property 542childAllowsParent property 552, 553
class definitions, multiple 498
class inheritance 112class keyword 86class object 34, 111classesabout 85about writing code for 25abstract not supported 87attributes 86base 101body 87built-in 34characteristics 12creating custom 24declaring static and instance properties 87default access control 89defining namespaces inside 87definitions of 86dynamic 52, 76, 89dynamic attribute 86inheriting instance properties 102internal attribute 89organizing 26private attribute 88private classes 35property attributes 88protected attribute 89public attribute 88public classes 38sealed 52static properties 106subclasses 101top-level statements 87classpath 37clearInterval() function 127clearTimeout() function 127client system environmentabout 495common tasks 495Clipboardsaving text 497security 560clock example 127clone() method (BitmapData class) 383clone() method (Event class) 235close bracket 191close parenthesis 191code, ways to include in applications 21ColdFusion 467collision detection at pixel level 382colon (:) operator 49colorsadjusting in display objects 278altering specific 279background 276combining from different images 276setting for display objects 279ColorTransform class 314colorTransform property 314comma operator 45commentsabout 19, 61in XML 211, 212communicationbetween Flash Player instances 467between SWF files 469between SWF files in different domains 471compatibility, Flash Player and FLV files 417compiler options 157compile-time type checking 49complex values 48compound literals 60computeSpectrum() method (SoundMixer class) 550, 553, 554concat() methodArray class 151String class 134concatenationof strings 134of XML objects 217concatenation (+) operator, XMLList 217conditional (?:) operator 69conditionals 69connect() methodLocalConnection class 546NetConnection class 546, 549Socket class 546XMLSocket class 473, 546constants 62, 90, 233constructorsabout 91in ActionScript 1.0 109content property (Loader class) 550content, loading dynamically 285contentLoaderInfo property 286, 557contentType property 463context menu, customizing 455cookies 475coordinate spacesdefined 307translating 309Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) 123core Error classes in ActionScript 180core Error classes in ECMAScript 178createBox() method 313createGradientBox() method 299cross-domain policy files 555checkPolicyFile property and 287, 554extracting data 553img tag and 549securityDomain property and 549URLLoader and URLStream classes 555cross-scripting 550CSSdefined 356loading 364styles 363cue pointstriggering actions 403in video 402currentDomain property 557currentTarget property 235cursors, customizing 454custom classes 24custom data types, enumerations 96custom error classes 175custom LocalConnection client 468Ddataloading external 462security of 553, 556sending to servers 466data property (URLRequest class) 463data structures 144data typesabout 10Boolean 53
custom 96
default (untyped) 34defined 48int 53Number 53simple and complex 10String 54uint 54void 54dataFormat property 466date arithmetic 124Date classabout 122constructor 123date property 123day property 124fullYear property 123getMonth() method 93, 124getMonthUTC() method 124getTime() method 124getTimezoneOffset() method 125hours property 124milliseconds property 124minutes property 124month property 123monthUTC property 124parse() method 93seconds property 124setTime() method 124Date objectsexample of creating 123getting time values from 123date property 123Date() constructor 123dates and timesabout 122day property 124debugger version, Flash Player 242debugging 170decode() method 463decrementing values 66default behaviorcanceling 233defined 230default data type 34default parameter values 79default xml namespace directive 222Delegate class 238delete operator 77, 148delimiter character, splitting strings into array 136depth management, improved 253descendent accessor (..) operator, XML 217developmentplanning 21process 23device fonts 356Dictionary classabout 153useWeakReference parameter 154dispatchEvent() method 241dispatching events 227display architecture 247, 294display content, loading dynamically 285display listabout 247advantages 252event flow 231security 552traversing 259display list object 230display object containers 248, 249, 255display objectsabout 248adding to display list 255adjusting colors 278animating 283assembling complicated objects 254bitmaps 377caching 273choosing a subclass 264clicking and dragging example 291common tasks 249creating 255depth management 253drawing API and 294events 263example 287, 304example of rearranging 292fading 280filtering 318, 319, 325grouping 255inheritance of core classes 251masking 281matrix transformation 314movie clips 346off-list 254positioning 265removing filters 320rotating 280, 313scaling 270, 271, 313security 552setting colors of 279size 270skewing 313subclassing 254terms 250translation 313types of 251user input and 450display programming, about 247displaying camera content on- screen 412DisplayObject classabout 248, 255stage property 231subclasses 251DisplayObjectContainer class 248, 252, 255displayState property 261, 547distance() method 309division by zero 54do..while loop 73Document Object Model (DOM) Level 3 Events specification 227, 230documentationActionScript 2Adobe Developer Center and Adobe Design Center 3Programming ActionScript 3.0 contents 1related to Flex 2dollar sign ($) metacharacter 191dollar sign ($) replacement codes 137DOM Events specification 227, 230domain property (LocalConnection class) 558domains, communicating between 471dot (.) metacharacter 191dot (.) operator 59, 76dot (.) operator, XML 211, 217dot syntax 59dotall flag in regular expressions 200
dotall property of regular expressions 199
double quotation mark in strings 132download() method 546, 556downloading files 483, 556drag-and-dropcapturing interactions 453creating interaction 266draw() method 287, 548, 550, 553, 555dynamic attribute 86dynamic classes 52, 76, 89dynamic text fields 356EE4X. See XMLECMAScript edition 4 draft 33ECMAScript for XML. See XMLeffects using blending modes 277embedded asset classes 98embedded fonts 366defined 356using 366embedFonts property 366encoding ampersand (&) 463Endian.BIG_ENDIAN 472Endian.LITTLE_ENDIAN 472enterFrame event 232enumerations 96equality operators 68, 133Error classesabout 178ActionScript 180ECMAScript 178error events 175, 241error handlingcommon tasks 166default behaviors 230examples 242strategies 170terms 166tools 169ErrorEvent class 176, 242errorsabout handling 165asynchronous 168custom classes 175debugging tools 170displaying 173ErrorEvent class 176, 242print 510rethrowing 174status-based events 176throw statement 172types of 165, 167-es compiler option 157escape sequences in character classes 193Event classabout 232bubbles property 234cancelable property 233clone() method 235constants 233currentTarget property 235eventPhase property 234isDefaultPrevented() method 235method categories 235preventDefault() method 230, 235stopImmediatePropogation() method 235stopPropogation() method 235subclasses 236target property 234toString() method 235type property 233event flow 227, 231, 234event handlers 229, 403event listenersabout 228changes in ActionScript 3.0 231as class methods 237creating 236managing 239outside a class 236removing 241technique to avoid 238event objects 227event target 227, 231Event.COMPLETE 463EventDispatcher classaddEventListener() method 96, 231dispatchEvent() method 241IEventDispatch interface and 99references to 60willTrigger() method 241eventPhase property 234eventsbasic concepts 13default behaviors 230dispatching 227, 241for display objects 263enterFrame event 232error 175, 241event flow 227, 231, 234event objects 232init event 232parent node 232security 553status change 177target node 231this keyword 238See also event listenersexactSettings property (Security class) 557examplesarrays 161building a Telnet client 486detecting system capabilities 504error handling 242filtering images 338GeometricShapes 115loading RSS data 224Matrix class 314multi-page printing 514rearranging display object layers 292regular expressions 203RunTimeAssetsExplorer 351SimpleClock 127sound application 443SpriteArranger class 289strings 138text formatting 369using external API with a web page container 524video jukebox 418Wiki parser 203WordSearch 456exceptions 167exec() method 202explicit type conversion 55extended flag in regular expressions 201extended property of regular expressions 199extends keyword 101external API
about 518
advantages 519common tasks 518concepts and terms 519example 524XML format 522external code, calling from ActionScript 521external containers, getting information about 520external data, loading 462external documents, loading data 464external SWF files, loading 350ExternalInterface class 519, 546, 558ExternalInterface.addCallback() method 551Ffacade class 444fading display objects 280fast-forwarding movie clips 348file size, smaller for shapes 253FileReference class 478, 546, 556FileReferenceList class 484, 556filesdownloading 556uploading 484, 556filtering XML data 219filtersapplying for display objects 319applying to BitmapData objects 320bitmap caching and 321changing at run time 321common tasks 318creating 319for display and bitmap objects 325explanation of 321for images, example 338removing for display objects 320final attribute 50, 94, 96, 105first sprite loaded 248, 286fixed property inheritance 112flags in regular expressions 199Flash authoring, when to use for ActionScript 22Flash cookie 475Flash Media Server 550flash package 36Flash Playercommunicating between instances 467compatibility with encoded FLV 417debugger version 242IME and 500version 6 109Flash Video. See FLVflash.display packageabout display programming 247bitmaps and 377drawing API and 294filtering and 318movie clips and 346sound and 424text and 355user input and 450flash.geom package 307flash_proxy namespace 41Flexembedding ActionScript 21Flex, when to use for ActionScript 23flow control, basic concepts 20FLVconfiguring for hosting on server 417file format 398Flash Player and 417on Macintosh 418focus, managing in interactions 455fontsdevice 356embedded 356, 366for each..in statement 72, 153, 221for loops 71for loops, XML 211, 221for..in statement 72, 153, 221form feed character 132formatting text 362, 365forward slash 190, 191frameRate property 260frames, jumping to 349fromCharCode() method 133fscommand() function 467, 546, 558fullScreen event 261full-screen mode 261, 262, 547fullScreenSourceRect property 262fullYear property 123function closures 74, 78, 83function expressions 75function keyword 74, 91function objects 85function parameters 78function statements 74Function.apply() method 158functionsabout 74accessor 94adding properties to 82anonymous 75, 80arguments object 78calling 74nested 78, 83objects 82parameters 78parentheses 74recursive 80returning values 77scope 77, 83timing 126Gg flag (in regular expressions) 199garbage collection 76, 154generic objects 60, 152GeometricShapes example 115geometryabout 307common tasks using 308concepts and terms 295, 308getDefinition() method 557getImageReference() method 550getLocal() method 475, 546, 558, 559getMonth() method 93, 124getMonthUTC() method 124getRect() method 312getRemote() method 475, 546, 559getters and settersabout 94overriding 106getTime() method 124getTimer() function 127getTimezoneOffset() method 125GIF graphics 285global flag in regular expressions 199global object 83global property of regular expressions 199global scope 83
global variables 45
gradients 299graphics, loading 285greater-than operator 64, 133greater-than-or-equal-to operator 133grouping display objects 255groups, in regular expressions 196HHardware scaling 262hashes 152, 153hoisting 46hours property 124HTML textand CSS 363displaying 358htmlText property 358HTTP tunneling 473Ii flag (in regular expressions) 199id3 property 554IDataInput and IDataOutput interfaces 472identifiers 38IEventDispatcher interface 98, 239, 240if statement 69if..else statement 69ignore flag in regular expressions 200ignoreCase property of regular expressions 199imagesapplying blending modes 277defining in Bitmap class 251filtering example 338loading 285security 553in text fields 358IMEchecking availability 501composition events 504manipulating in Flash Player 500IME conversion modedetermining 501setting 502img tag in text fields, security 549implicit type conversion 55import statement 37importing SWF files 557incrementing values 66index positions in strings 133indexed arrays 145indexOf() method 135inequality (!=) operator 133infinity 54inheritancedefined 101fixed property 112instance properties 102static properties 106init event 232input text fields 356instance methods 93instance propertiesdeclaring 87inheriting 102instance variables 91instanceof operator 51instances, creating 18int class, casting 56int data type 53InteractiveObject class 252interfacesabout 98defining 99extending 100implementing in a class 100internal attribute 37, 39, 89intersection() method 312intersects() method 312IPv6 462is operator 51, 99isDefaultPrevented() method 235isNaN() global function 47iterating though arrays 153JJava socket server 473join() method 151JPG graphics 285Kkey codes 452keyboard input, capturing 451keyboard security 560keys, string 152keywords 62Llandscape printing 513lastIndexOf() method 135layering, rearranging 292left bracket 191left parenthesis 191left-associative operators 64length propertyarguments object 79Array class 148strings 132less-than operator 64, 133less-than-or-equal operator 133level property 242lexical environment 83lineGradientStyle() method 299listeners. See event listenersliteral valuesabout 60array literals 60, 146object 152little-endian byte order 472load progress 286load() method (Loader class) 286, 542, 546load() method (Sound class) 542, 546, 549, 556load() method (URLLoader class) 463, 546load() method (URLStream class) 546, 556loadBytes() method 286, 542loaded media, accessing as data 553Loader class 285, 546, 554, 557LoaderContext class 286, 548, 554LoaderContext object 542LoaderInfo classdisplay object access 552monitoring loading progress 285loaderInfo property 286loading context 286loading graphics 285loadPolicyFile() method 546local storage 475local variables 45LocalConnection classabout 467connectionName parameter 471permissions 558restricted 546
LocalConnection.allowDomain() method 471, 558
LocalConnection.allowInsecureDom ain() method 471LocalConnection.client property 468LocalConnection.connect() method 546localFileReadDisable property 538localToGlobal() method 309logical operators 68loopingdo..while 73for 71for (XML) 211, 221for each..in 72, 153, 221for..in 72, 153, 221while 73Mm flag (in regular expressions) 199Macintosh, FLV files 418mantissa 53maps 152, 153masking display objects 281masking for alpha channel 282match() method 136Matrix classdefined 313defining gradients with 299example 314objects, defining 313rotating 313scaling 313skewing 314translating 313MAX_VALUE (Number class) 53memory management 154metacharacters, in regular expressions 191metadata, video 408, 410metasequences, in regular expressions 191, 192method property (URLRequest class) 463methodsbasic concepts 12bound 83, 95constructors 91defined 91getters and setters 94, 106instance 93overriding 104static 92microphoneaccessing 440detecting activity 442routing to local speakers 441security 557, 560Microphone class 234milliseconds property 124MIN_VALUE (Number class) 53minutes property 124MIP maps 387monitor, full-screen mode 261month property 123monthUTC property 124MorphShape class 252mouse cursors, customizing 454mouse security 560MouseEvent class 230, 236movie clipsabout 346common tasks 346concepts and terms 347fast-forwarding 348frame rate 260playing and stopping 348rewinding 348MovieClip class 252frame rates 260MovieClip objects, creating 350multiline flag in regular expressions 200multiline property of regular expressions 199multiple class definitions 498multiplicative operators 67mx.util.Delegate class 238Nname conflicts, avoiding 36, 38named groups (in regular expressions) 198namespacesabout 38access control specifiers 40applying 40AS3 114, 157default namespace 39defining 39, 87flash_proxy 41importing 43namespace keyword 39opening 41referencing 41use namespace directive 41, 43, 114user-defined attributes 90XML 221NaN value 54navigateToURL() function 546, 558negated character classes (in regular expressions) 194negative infinity 54nested functions 78, 83nested packages 36NetConnection class 546NetConnection.connect() method 546, 549NetStream class 542, 546, 549network byte order 472networkingabout 460concepts and terms 461restricting 545new operator 35newline character 132nodes in XML, accessing 218noncapturing groups in regular expressions 198null value 47, 53, 54, 154Number classcasting 56default value 47integer range 54isNaN() global function 47precision 54Number data type 53OObject classassociative arrays 152data type and 54prototype property 110, 112valueOf() method 113object keys in arrays 153object literals 152object-oriented programmingcommon tasks for 84concepts 85
objects
basic concepts 11instantiating 18octal numbers 57off-list display objects 254on() event handlers 229onClipEvent() function 229onCuePoint event handlers 403opaque background 276open bracket ([) 191open parenthesis 191operatorsabout 63additive 67assignment 69basic concepts 19bitwise logical 68bitwise shift 67conditional 69equality 68, 133logical 68multiplicative 67postfix 66precedence 64prefix 66primary 65relational 68unary 64, 66optional parameters 79overloaded operators 64override keyword 94, 95overriding getters and setters 106Ppackage statement 86packagesabout 35creating 36dot operator 35, 59dot syntax 60importing 37nested packages 36top level 35, 36page properties 511parametersoptional or required 79passing by value or by reference 78parentAllowsChild property 552, 553parenthesesempty 74metacharacters 191operators 61XML filtering operators 219parse() method 93performance, improving for display objects 273period (.). See dotpermissionscamera 413LocalConnection class 558pipe (|) character 196pixel snapping 380pixels, manipulating individual 381play() method (NetStream class) 546playbackcamera and 416controlling frame rate 260monitoring audio 447of movie clips 348pausing and resuming audio 448video 400player. See Flash Playerplus sign (+) 191PNG graphics 285podcast applicationscreating 443extending 448Point objectsabout 308additional uses for 310distance between points 309translating coordinate spaces 309pointers (cursors), customizing 454points versus pixels 513polar() method 309polymorphism 101pop() method 147portrait printing 513ports, security 555positionsof characters in strings 135of display objects 265positive infinity 54postfix operators 66prefix operators 66preventDefault() method 230, 235primary operators 65primitive types, implicit conversions 55primitive values 34, 48printArea parameter 511printingabout 508common tasks 508concepts and terms 509exceptions and returns 510multiple pages, example 514orientation 513page height and width 513page properties 511pages 509points 513Rectangle objects 512scaling 513specifying area 512timeout 512vector or bitmap 511PrintJob statements, timing 512PrintJob() constructor 509priority parameter, addEventListener() method 240private attribute 88private classes 35private constructors not supported 92program flow 69programs, basic definition 9progress of audio playback 447ProgressEvent.PROGRESS 463propertiesActionScript versus other languages 33adding to functions 82basic concepts 12defined, for ActionScript 3.0 88of regular expressions 199static and instance 87, 106XML 212property access operator 153protected attribute 89__proto__ 34prototype chain 34, 110prototype object 76, 110, 112prototype property 110, 112Proxy class 41public attribute 88public classes 38
push() method 147, 158
Qquantifiers (in regular expressions) 195question mark (?) metacharacter 191quotation marks 132RReal-Tiime Messaging Protocol content security 550Rectangle objectsadditional uses for 313defined 310intersections 312printing 512repositioning 310resizing 310unions 312recursive functions 80reference, passing by 78RegExp classabout 188methods 202properties 199regular expressionsabout 188alternation using pipe (|) metacharacter 196alternators and character groups 197capturing substring matches 197character classes 193characters in 191creating 190example 203flags 199forward slash delimiter 190groups 196metacharacters 191metasequences 191, 192methods for working with 202named groups 198parameters in String methods 202properties 199quantifiers 195searching 201relational operators 68replace() method 127, 137replacement codes 137replacing text in strings 136required parameters 79reserved words 62__resolve 34rest parameter 81return statement 77, 92reverse() method 148rewinding movie clips 348right bracket (]) 191right parenthesis 191right-associative operators 64right-click menu (context menu) 455rotate() method 313rotating display objects 280, 313rotating matrixes 313RSS dataloading, example 224reading for a podcast channel 444RTMP content security 550run time, determining user’s system 496Ss flag (in regular expressions) 199sameDomain property 552scale() method 313scalingcontrolling distortion 271display objects 313matrixes 313printing 513scenes, to demarcate timelines 349scopeblock-level 46functions and 77, 83global 83variables 45scope chain 83, 107script timeout limit 512scrolling text 358, 359sealed classes 52search() method 136search, in regular expressions 201searching strings 136seconds property 124securityaccessing loaded media as data 553allowNetworking tag 545bitmaps 553camera 557, 560Clipboard 560display list 552event-related 553files, uploading and downloading 556full-screen mode 547images 553img tag 549imported SWF files 557keyboard 560LocalConnection class 558microphone 557, 560mouse 560ports 555RTMP 550sending data 556shared objects 557, 559sockets 555sound 549, 554Stage 551URLLoader 555URLStream 555video 549, 555See also cross-domain policy filesSecurity class 546Security.allowDomain() methodabout cross-scripting 550constructor and 557img tag and 550loading context 287sound and 554Security.currentDomain property 557Security.exactSettings property 557SecurityDomain class 287, 549semicolons 61send() method (LocalConnection class) 468, 546sendToURL() function 546, 556Server, Flash Media 550server-side scripts 466setClipboard() method 560setInterval() function 127setters. See getters and setterssetTime() method 124setTimeout() method 127shadow 108Shape class 252shared objects
about 475
displaying contents of 477Flash Player settings and 557security and 477, 559SharedObject class 475, 546SharedObject.getLocal() method 558, 559SharedObject.getRemote() method 559shift() method 147shortcut menu (context menu) 455significand 53SimpleButton class 252SimpleClock example 127single quotation mark in strings 132skewing display objects 313skewing matrixes 313, 314slash syntax 60slashesbackslash (\) 132, 191forward slash (/) 190, 191slice() methodArray class 151String class 135smoothing bitmaps 380Socket class 472, 546, 555socket connections 472socket server 473sorting arrays 148, 149soundsample application 443security of 549, 554sending to and from a server 443Sound class 542, 546, 549SoundFacade class 444SoundLoaderContext class 542SoundMixer.computeSpectrum() method 550, 553, 554SoundMixer.stopAll() method 554source path 37speakers and microphones 441speed, improving for rendering 273splice() method 147split() method 136Sprite class 252sprite, first loaded 248, 286SpriteArranger class example 289Stageabout 231, 247as display object container 249properties, setting 260security 551Stage class 231Stage owner 551StageDisplayState class 547standard mode 50, 76star (*). See asteriskstatic attribute 90static methods 92static propertiesdeclaring 87inheritance 106within scope chain 107XML 212static textaccessing 368creating 252static text fields 356static variables 90StaticText class 252status change events 177status-based error events 176stopAll() method (SoundMixer class) 554stopImmediatePropogation() method 235stopping movie clips 348stopPropogation() method 235storing data 475streaming video 402strict inequality (!==) operator 133strict modeabout 48casting 56dot syntax and 76explicit conversion 56returning values 77run-time errors 50String classcharAt() method 133charCodeAt() method 133concat() method 134fromCharCode() method 133indexOf() method 135lastIndexOf() method 135match() method 136replace() method 137search() method 136slice() method 135split() method 136substr() and substring() methods 135toLowerCase() and toUpperCase() methods 138String data type 54string keys 152string representations of objects 134stringscharacter position 135checking matches in regular expressions 202combining arrays into character- delimited string 163common tasks 130comparing 133concatenating 134converting case 138converting data type for XML attributes 223converting XML objects to 222declaring 131example 138, 139finding substrings 135index positions 133length 132matching substrings 197patterns, finding 135, 136replacing text 136substrings 135, 136terms 131style sheets. See CSSStyleSheet class 363subclasses 101substr() and substring() methods 135substringsabout 135creating based on a delimiter 136finding and replacing 135, 136matching in regular expressions 197super statement 92, 93, 105superclasses 101superconstructor for arrays 158SWF filescommunication between domains 471communication between instances 469determining run-time environment 497
importing loaded 557
loading 285loading external 350loading older versions 351switch statement 70symbols in regular expressions 191synchronous errors 167syntactic keywords 62syntax 59system, determining user’s 496System.setClipboard() method 560Ttab character 132target node or phase 231target property 234Telnet client example 486terminating statements 61ternary operators 64test() method 202textabout 355anti-aliasing 367assigning formats 362available types 357capturing input 360common tasks 356concepts and terms 356displaying 356formatting 362, 369formatting ranges of 365manipulating 359replacing 136restricting input 361saving to Clipboard 497scrolling 358, 359selecting 360sharpness 367static 252, 368thickness 367text editors 23text fieldsdisabling IME for 503dynamic 356HTML in 363images in 358img tag and security 549input 356modifying 357scrolling text 358static 356text line metrics 356, 374TextEvent class 230TextField class 230, 252TextFormat class 362TextLineMetrics class 374TextSnapshot class 368this keyword 93, 94, 95, 238throw statement 172time formats 123time intervals 125time unit values 123time zones 123, 125timeout limit 512Timer classabout 125monitoring playback 447timer events 125timers 125timing functions 126toLowerCase() method 138toString() methodabout 134Array class 151Event class 235toUppercase() method 138traits object 112Transform classtransform property 314transformation matrixes. See Matrix classtranslate() method 313translating matrixes 313try..catch..finally statements 171twips 513type annotations 45, 49type checkingcompile-time 48run-time 50type conversion 55, 56, 222type mismatches 49type property (Event class) 233typed arrays 146types. See data typesUUIEventDispatcher class 229uint class, casting 56uint data type 54unary operators 64, 66undefined 34, 54, 55, 146Unicode characters 130Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) 39union() method 312Universal Time (UTC) 123unordered arrays 152unshift() method 147untyped variables 34, 47upcasting 50upload() method 546, 556uploading files 480, 484, 556URIs 39URL encoding 463URLLoader classabout 462loading XML data 215, 224security and 555when restricted 546URLLoader constructor 463URLLoader.dataFormat property 466URLLoader.load() method 463URLLoaderDataFormat.VARIABLE S 466URLRequest instance 463URLRequest.contentType property 463URLRequest.data property 463URLRequest.method property 463URLRequestMethod.GET 464URLRequestMethod.POST 464URLs of loaded objects 286URLStream class 546, 555URLVariables class 462URLVariables.decode() method 463use namespace directive 41, 43, 114useCapture parameter, addEventListener() method 240user inputabout 450common tasks 450concepts and terms 450user interactions, managing focus 455user’s system, determining at run time 496user-selected text, capturing 360useWeakReference parameter 154
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) 123
VvalueOf() method (Object class) 113valuesassigning to variables 44passing arguments by 78var keyword 44, 90variablesbasic concepts 10declaring 90default value 47initializing 47, 215instance 91overriding not permitted 91scope of 45static 90type annotations 45, 49types of 90uninitialized 47untyped 34, 47var statement 44vector printing 511videoabout 397common tasks 398end of stream 401loading 400on Macintosh 418metadata 408, 410mipmapping 387playback 400quality 415security 549, 555sending to server 416streaming 402Video class 399video jukebox example 418visual objects. See display objectsvoid 54Wweak references 154while loop 73white space 212Wiki parser example 203wildcard (*) operator, XML 219willTrigger() method 241words, reserved 62WordSearch example 456wrapper objects 48Xx flag (in regular expressions) 199XMLaccessing attributes 219ActionScript for 209basic concepts 207brace operators ({ and }) 216child nodes 218comments 211, 212common tasks 209concepts and terms 210documents 208E4X (ECMAScript for XML) 36, 207, 210filtering 219for each..in loops 72for loops 211, 221format for external API 522initializing variables 215loading data 215, 224methods 212namespaces 221parent nodes 218processing instructions 211properties 212socket server 473transforming 216traversing structures 217type conversion 222white space 212XML class 36XMLDocument class 36, 210XMLList objectsabout 214concatenating 217XMLNode class 210XMLParser class 210XMLSocket class 216, 224, 472, 546, 555XMLSocket.connect() method 473, 546XMLTag class 210

Content preview from ADOBE® FLEX® 3: PROGRAMMING ACTIONSCRIPT™ 3.0

247

Chapter 13: Display programming

Display programming in ActionScript™ 3.0 allows you to work with elements that appear on the Stage of Adobe®

Flash® Player 9 or Adobe®AIR™. This chapter describes the basic concepts for working with on-screen elements.

You’ll learn the details about programmatically organizing visual elements. You’ll also learn about creating your own

custom classes for display objects.

Contents

Basics of display programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Core display classes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...

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ADOBE® FLEX® 3: PROGRAMMING ACTIONSCRIPT™ 3.0

by Adobe Systems

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