book

Foundation ActionScript for Flash 8

Name: Foundation ActionScript for Flash 8
ISBN: 9781590596180

by Kristian Besley, Sham Bhangal, David Powers

June 2007

Beginner

649 pages

16h 56m

English

Apress

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Copyright
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ABOUT THE COVER IMAGE DESIGNER
Introduction
What you need to knowFLAs for downloadThe case study: FuturemediaCentering the Futuremedia site in the browserLayout conventionsPCs and Macs
1. INTERACTIVE FLASH
1.1. Giving your movies instructions1.2. Working with the Actions panel1.3. Direct typing1.4. Who are you talking to?1.4.1. Controlling movie clips on the stage1.5. Arguments1.6. Listening to what your movies are telling you1.6.1. Events in Flash1.6.1.1. External events1.6.1.2. Internal events1.7. Introducing event handlers1.7.1. Nesting spiders—argh!1.7.2. Animating movie clips with ActionScript1.8. Summary
2. MAKING PLANS
2.1. Defining the problem2.1.1. Keep your ideas in a safer place than your head2.1.2. Storyboarding2.2. Building your ActionScript2.2.1. Thinking from the top down2.2.2. Thinking from the bottom up2.2.2.1. Flowcharting2.3. Book project: Introducing the Futuremedia site2.3.1. Solving problem 12.3.2. Solving problem 22.3.3. Solving problems 3 and 42.3.4. Parting shots2.4. Summary
3. MOVIES THAT REMEMBER
3.1. Introducing variables3.1.1. Values and types3.1.2. Creating variables and using them with literals and expressions3.1.2.1. Naming variables3.1.2.2. Creating variables3.1.2.3. Using literal values3.1.2.4. Using expressions3.1.3. Input and output3.1.4. Using string expressions3.1.5. Working with numbers3.1.5.1. Other uses for numeric expressions3.1.6. Working with Boolean values3.1.6.1. Logic operators3.2. Arrays3.2.1. Reasons for using arrays3.2.1.1. Arrays let you store related information together3.2.1.2. Arrays let you hold information in a specific order3.2.1.3. Arrays let you index information3.2.1.4. Arrays let you link information3.2.2. Creating a new array3.2.3. Typing an array3.2.4. Using variable values as offsets3.3. Book project: Starting the Futuremedia site design3.3.1. What you're going to do3.3.2. What you're going to learn3.3.3. Choosing and setting the stage size3.3.4. Setting up the timeline3.3.5. Creating layout guides3.3.6. Adding the position and status text3.3.6.1. Choosing a font3.3.6.2. Adding the text3.3.6.3. Embedding the font3.3.7. Parting shots3.4. Summary
4. MOVIES THAT DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES
4.1. Decision making4.1.1. Making decisions in ActionScript: The if action4.1.2. Defining a decision4.2. Alternative actions4.2.1. Acting on alternatives: The else action4.2.2. More than one alternative: The else if action4.2.3. Handling lots of alternatives: The switch action4.2.4. Switching without breaks4.3. Organizing your code in the correct order4.4. Summary
5. MORE POWER, LESS SCRIPT
5.1. Timeline loops5.2. ActionScript loops5.3. while loops5.3.1. Useful things to do with while loops5.3.2. for loops5.3.2.1. init5.3.2.2. condition5.3.2.3. next5.3.3. Some useful examples of for loops5.3.3.1. Simple loop5.3.3.2. Reverse loop5.3.3.3. Two at a time5.4. Looping through elements in an array5.4.1. Applying an operation to all the elements in an array5.4.2. Searching an array for a specific value5.4.3. Cross-indexing a pair of arrays5.5. Hangman5.6. Book project: Creating the static graphics5.6.1. Setting up the timeline layers for your graphics5.6.2. Creating the back strip5.6.3. Adding structure to the Library5.6.4. Creating the frame cutout5.6.5. Revealing the frame cutout and finishing the FLA5.6.6. Parting shots5.7. Summary
6. MOVIES THAT REMEMBER HOW TO DO THINGS
6.1. Breaking down a task6.2. Bundling actions and running them afterward6.2.1. Using anonymous and named functions6.2.2. Using functions to hide evil math6.3. Using functions to take care of repetitive jobs6.4. Choosing which actions to bundle and where6.4.1. Arguments and redundancy6.4.2. Local variables and modular code6.4.3. Returning values from a function6.4.4. Typing functions6.4.5. Running in circles6.5. Nesting functions6.5.1. Using nested functions6.5.2. Using more function nesting to tidy up your script6.6. Book project: Creating the dynamic graphics6.7. Summary

7. OBJECTS AND CLASSES
7.1. Introducing objects and classes7.1.1. Type and object-oriented programming7.1.2. Classes, generalization, and abstraction7.1.3. Seeing arrays in a new light7.1.3.1. The Array constructor method7.1.3.2. Other Array methods7.1.3.3. Array properties7.2. Creating classes and objects (instances) in Flash7.2.1. Instances7.2.2. The Object object7.2.3. Viewing an object in Flash7.2.4. Constructors7.3. Objects, objects, everywhere . . .7.3.1. Lurking objects7.3.2. Making a show reel7.4. Book project: Initializing the code7.4.1. Getting yourself comfortable7.4.2. Initializing the site variables7.4.3. Telling ActionScript about the stage7.4.3.1. Sanity check7.4.4. Setting up your tricolor colors7.4.4.1. Sanity check7.5. Final words7.6. Summary
8. OBJECTS ON THE STAGE
8.1. Movie clips and buttons as objects8.1.1. Symbol types and behaviors8.1.2. Two sides of the same object8.2. Working with Library items8.3. Let chaos reign8.4. Bitmap caching8.5. The other side of bitmap caching8.5.1. Bitmap caching and RAM8.5.2. Changing the appearance of a cached movie clip8.5.3. When to use bitmap caching8.6. Referencing different timelines with ActionScript8.6.1. Different place, different variable8.6.1.1. Locating variables from inside an event handler function8.6.1.2. Reusing handler functions8.7. The apply method8.8. Global variables8.9. Summary
9. REUSABLE CODE AND REALISTIC MOVEMENT
9.1. Breaking down big tasks into smaller ones9.1.1. Black-box programming9.2. Creating simple components9.2.1. Creating a modular set of playback controls9.2.2. Dark Valentine9.3. Modular control of movie clips9.3.1. How to simulate realistic movement9.3.1.1. Motion with acceleration9.4. Trailing the pointer (a mouse follower)9.4.1. Understanding the inertial code9.4.2. Fine-tuning the component9.5. Function-based modular code9.5.1. Swarming behavior9.5.2. Taking the swarming effect forward9.6. Creating tweens with ActionScript9.6.1. Using import to access the Tween class9.6.2. How to use the Tween constructor function9.6.3. Understanding the transition types9.7. Book project: Setting up the color transition9.7.1. Making it modular9.7.2. Sanity check #19.7.3. Sanity check #29.7.4. Running the FLA: The results9.7.5. Parting shots9.8. Summary
10. Games and Sprites
10.1. What is a sprite?10.2. Control10.2.1. External and internal data10.3. Movement10.4. Collision10.4.1. Planning zapper10.5. The game world (the main timeline)10.5.1. gSCREEN_TOP, gSCREEN_BOTTOM, gSCREEN_RIGHT, and gSCREEN_LEFT10.5.2. score10.5.3. level, skill, and accel10.5.4. speed10.5.5. shipDead, fired, and gSHIP_HEIGHT10.5.6. The timeline10.6. The code10.6.1. Global constants10.6.2. The "start game" trigger10.6.3. The player (the ship)10.6.4. The SwarmAlien10.6.4.1. alienSpawn()10.6.4.2. onEnterFrame10.6.4.3. alienBrain()10.6.4.4. alienReincarnate()10.6.5. The SwarmAlien code10.6.6. The bullet10.6.7. The debris of war10.7. Book project: Navigation event handling10.7.1. Sanity check #110.7.2. Adding the basic UI animation10.7.2.1. navigate() and posTransition()10.7.3. Adding typing10.7.4. Sanity check #210.7.5. Creating a smooth transition10.7.6. Parting shots10.8. Summary
11. Drawing API
11.1. Turtle graphics11.2. Drawing lines11.3. Drawing curves11.3.1. How the sketching code works11.4. Filling shapes11.5. Creating a kaleidoscope11.5.1. Kaleidoscope math11.5.2. Building the kaleidoscope engine11.6. Book project: Color transition event handling and data11.6.1. Wiring the colTransition() function11.6.1.1. The game plan11.6.1.2. Fading color11.6.2. Coding the color transition11.6.3. Finishing the text transition11.6.4. Reviewing the code so far11.6.5. Data-driven sites (and why you need to understand them)11.6.5.1. Defining data for Futuremedia11.6.6. Parting shots11.7. Summary
12. ADDING SOUND TO FLASH
12.1. Choosing the right sound format12.2. Using sound on a timeline12.3. Using the ActionScript Sound class12.3.1. Playing sounds from ActionScript12.3.1.1. Attaching sounds to a sound instance12.3.1.2. Starting and stopping sounds12.3.1.3. Creating dynamic soundtracks12.3.1.4. Using ActionScript to control volume and balance12.4. Dealing with large sound files12.4.1. Using compression to reduce download times12.4.2. Loading sound from external files12.5. Silence can also be golden12.6. Summary
13. LOADING DYNAMIC DATA WITH XML
13.1. XML 10113.1.1. How an XML document is structured13.1.2. Using the right version and encoding13.1.2.1. Using non-English text with XML in Flash13.1.2.2. Saving XML files in UTF-813.1.2.2.1. Windows Notepad13.1.2.2.2. TextEdit (Mac OS X)13.1.2.2.3. Dreamweaver13.1.2.2.4. Dedicated XML editors13.1.3. How tags are used in XML13.1.4. Checking that your document is well formed13.2. Loading XML into Flash13.3. Book project: Controlling structure and content with XML13.3.1. Building the basic XML structure13.3.2. Loading the XML data into Flash13.3.3. Creating the Futuremedia site's data structure13.3.3.1. How the page array is structured13.3.4. Populating the actual data values13.3.4.1. Moving to the next level13.3.5. Sanity check13.4. Summary
14. FINISHING THE FUTUREMEDIA CASE STUDY
14.1. Getting the data into the user interface14.1.1. Amending the way events are handled14.1.2. Reading content pages14.2. Adding the backward path14.2.1. Making sure the UI knows where it needs to return14.2.1.1. How the buildIcon() function works14.3. Tidying up the user interface14.3.1. A great big sanity check14.3.2. Adding the status text messages14.3.3. Adding a preloader14.3.4. Loading your own content into the site14.3.5. Parting shots14.4. Summary
15. Advanced ActionScript: Components and Classes
15.1. Flash version 2 components15.1.1. Getting more out of components with ActionScript15.1.2. Components and event handling15.1.2.1. How event listeners work15.1.2.2. Adding an event listener15.1.2.3. Understanding the advantages of event listeners15.1.3. Commonly used components15.1.3.1. Radio buttons15.1.3.2. Check boxes15.1.3.3. Combo boxes (drop-down menus)15.1.4. Using code hints with components15.1.5. Loading components at runtime15.1.6. Removing components15.1.7. Removing listeners15.2. ActionScript and OOP15.2.1. The future road map for ActionScript15.2.2. Is OOP for me?15.2.3. How class-based coding works15.2.4. Extending classes15.2.5. Extending a built-in class15.2.6. Storing classes in a central location15.3. Final thoughts

Overview

ActionScript is the native scripting language of Flash. ActionScript knowledge is essential within the world of Flash design and development, as Flash remains a leading tool for cutting-edge interactive design and development.

ActionScript is what gives Flash its power, but with that power comes a certain level of complexity, which can be intimidating. This beginners' book, significantly updated since the last edition, covers all of the basics of ActionScript using version 8 of Flash. The skills acquired by working through this book will enable you to move on to more advanced friends of ED books, such as Foundation PHP 5 for Flash, Foundation ActionScript Animation or Foundation XML for Flash.

This book contains all you need to understand and make use of ActionScript, and to have some fun while learning. The Foundation series teaching style is ideal if you're a non-programmer who wants to learn Flash programming quickly and thoroughly. The authors teach the basics, and provide an all-around proficiency in ActionScript, as well as Flash components within Flash 8. You'll gain the practical skills to build ActionScript based Flash projects, including making initial design decisions, structuring code, and testing. An ongoing case study means that by the end of the book, you'll have constructed a cutting-edge Flash site to showcase your newly learned skills.

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
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