AS2 vs AS3

Hi,
I was just wondering in what format do people usually publish in: AS2 or AS3? Since there seems to be more widgets in AS2, do people actually publish in AS3?
I'm investigating creating Widgets and I was planning to do it in AS3 but ... is it the right choice?
What are you publishing in?
Whyves

Hi there
While I agree with what Lilybiri is saying, I'll add my own thoughts here.
Personally, I tend to use the defaults for many things with Captivate. And one of the defaults is that it defaults to AS2 setting. The only time I might consider using AS3 would be if someone were to offer something I needed to use that only was available in AS3. Then I would change. But I haven't encountered that situation so far.
So sure, I'm keeping an eye to the future as far as AS3 goes, but it doesn't really factor into the things I do daily. AS2 setting is default and seems to work fine. There are some nuances between the two as far as Captivate goes that you might consider.
For example, one of them is that if settings are AS2 and you are using variables in captions, you see a momentary flash of the variable before the value actually appears. I believe that goes away and is corrected if you switch to AS3.
Additionally, I presently am awfully Flash and AS ignorant. So if I were to finally begin learning the mysteries of ActionScript, I might be a lot more concerned.
Cheers... Rick
Helpful and Handy Links
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See if this is it:
http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Manuals/powerbooks/0301677CPBU G.PDF

Convert code AS2 to AS3

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#initclip
function Dot() {
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    this._width = 30;                        /////////////////width of object////////////////
    this._height = 30;                            /////////////height of object//////////////
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Just remove #initclip and #endinitclip from the code and remove all underscores, example : this._x will be this.x
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Convert AS2 To AS3

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Use this As2 in As3

Hello,
i have this code
var url = _level0.video;
player.contentPath = url;
this catch a url and load on flash player.
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i use a converter As2 to As3 but the result is it:
package {
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i not a As programmer i only use video function on flash,
my question is, how to use my code on ActionScript 3 ??
Thank you !!

Thanks for reply,
the variable video i get from html and php.
example:
player.swf?video=<?php echo $_GET["video"]; ?>
and the variable video i get from html
<a href="index.php?video=video.flv"></a>
ok, i discard a converter !!
to use a contentPatch source of flash ?
but i can load a external videos ??
without ActionScript ?
Thank you !

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seeing weird behaviour with the way my swf handles html links
inside dynamic textboxes. When rendered as a AS2 file, the link
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Actually, the ''href'' attribute is supposed to direct the browser to a new URL, etc., not run a script. Instead, use the ''onclick'' event attribute:
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WARNING: The component 'UIScrollBar' requires ActionScript 2.0, which is not supported in this version of Flash Professional.
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Declare new color from AS2 to AS3

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Could you let me know how to "convert" the following code from AS2 to AS3:
var distracterBkgdColor = new Color(this.distracterBkgd_mc);
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var ct:ColorTransform = this.distracterBkgd_mc.transform.colorTransform;ct.color = 0xrrbbgg;
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Major gaming system Migration from AS2 to AS3

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AS2 or AS3 + online Tut for beginners ?

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if you invest the time in AS3 it will probably be pay off the most in the end. AS2 as mentioned earlier is a bit easier to get up and running with and for many years powered many a great flash experience, but its days are numbered.
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http://tv.adobe.com/show/actionscript-11-with-doug-winnie
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Can C++ Container Determine AS2 vs AS3

I have a C++ container of Flash Player 11 (I have also tried
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differentiating between AS2 or AS3. My container catches the
COleDispatchException, but there is no information within the
exception. Both scenarios result with an m_scError = 0x80004005
(E_FAIL).
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You are confusing the Shockwave Player (which runs
Director-created
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Help Converting AS2 to AS3 Drag and Drop Event

Hi All,
This is the second post on help for converting AS2 to AS3. This code is used in Captivate to allow a drag and drop action between two areas (User presses down, drags, and releases in a second area - They are not dragging any object). If anyone can help me convert this please let me know.
Source for Drag and Drop: (Note: Single MovieClip)
// pause the Captivate movie
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_root.onMouseUp = function(){
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mc.onEnterFrame = function(){
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          _root.sourceParentX = _parent._x;
          _root.sourceParentY = _parent._y;
mc.onPress = function(){
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                    startDrag(this);
mc.onRelease = function(){
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Source for Destination Area (Single MovieClip named destArea)
// Set a root variable to control when the error message is displayed
_root.showErrorMessage = -1;
// Use setCoords variable so we only set the destination coordinates once
var setCoords = 0;
destArea.onEnterFrame = function(){
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                    _root.destWidth = _parent._width;
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Code for the Error Message (Single MovieClip named errorMessage)
// Don't display the error message initially
errorMessage._alpha = 0;
errorMessage.onEnterFrame = function (){
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use:
MovieClip(parent.parent.parent).rdcmndPause=1;
this.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN,keydownF);
function keydownF(e:KeyboardEvent):void{
fscommand("KEYPRESSED", e.keyCode);
if(e.keyCode==32){
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AS2 or AS3

Hello, i'm somewhat decent in flash. I know AS2, i started
learning AS3 today and find it to be more complicated and has so
many extra steps in coding. Number one thing i hate is having to do
all the code on the timeline, it will get so full of code if i have
several buttons/movieclips that need code, no way to do code when
you click on the button/movieclip in AS3 unlike 2.
Would it be dumb for me to continue to use AS2 and learn more
of it, or should i keep trying to learn AS3..... I don't do super
complex stuff, mostly timeline navigation and animations.
I also feel like there is way more room to make errors in 3
because you have to type everything unlike AS2 where i was able to
use the actions frame (use that plus tool that had the drop down
menu).

I'm in the same position, just starting to move from
intermediate comfort with AS2 to a fresh beginning with AS3...not
so easy for a guy who has so little logical thinking that I failed
algebra in high school! I too am a bit annoyed by all the extra
steps involved, such as having to add EventListeners for mouse
events, when these really ought to be simplified and there by
default, like in AS2. For example, why can't onMouseDown remain as
a built-in behavior rather than having to take up 2 lines of code
to insert it each and every time now?
On the other hand, I am delighted at the way a lot of the
inconsistencies in AS2 have been gotten rid of. No more having to
remember when to put .x and when ._x, and so on. And now that I'm
finally starting to learn how to use external classes, I see the
beauty in it, and AS3 is custom-made for this. It seems that if you
ever want to really advance in ActionScript programming, you need
to start working with creating your own classes, and as long as
you're going to learn those from scratch, may as well learn it in
AS3.
Putting AS on buttons was outdated practice years ago. It
makes much greater sense to place all script on the timeline, with
comments to separate it. Try programming the simplest game where
objects are moving around and colliding, all controlled by script,
and then a couple coded buttons control them. Bugs are inevitable,
and debugging script when it's partly on the timeline, some is
attached to main movie buttons, and some attached to movie clips
inside movie clips, is a nightmare. Once you do scripting on the
timeline, you'll never want to go back to the crude practice of
attaching script to objects.
Overall, it's a steeper climb than I'd have liked, to upgrade
my knowledge from AS2 to AS3. But ultimately I think it's the best
idea.

AS2 vs AS3

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