Learn Actionscript 3.0

Question

Hey,
I want to learn Actionscript 3.0 because I have discovered
that you can't do really nice flash stuff without knowing it. I
have Flash CS3. I have no programming or language experience, I
just know a little bit of HTML. What's the best way for me to go
about learning actionscript?
Thanks,

Answer 1

eagledrc,
> I want to learn Actionscript 3.0 because I have
discovered
> that you can't do really nice flash stuff without
knowing it.
AS3 is a tremendous, significant re-thinking and
re-organization of the
language. It's an improvement in terms of clarity,
cohesiveness, and
performace. In fact, at the risk of sounding like one of
those late night
plus-if-you-act-now commericials, I can honestly say that the
more I use
AS3, the more I appreciate it.
That said, it's only fair -- to ActionScript and you! -- to
mention that
TONS of cool stuff can be done without ActionScript 3.0. For
years now,
people have been using pre-AS3 Flash to develop MP3 players,
video players,
scrolling platform games (like Mario Bros), multi-user games,
particle
effects, ebooks, interactive multimedia presentations,
slideshows, and the
list goes on. In many ways, the structure of AS3 makes it
easier to work
with, but in terms of actual features, I'll venture to say
that only
complex, advanced projects are likely to benefit from the
speed increases.
So ultimately, you have a choice. Many ad agencies and
development
houses are still publishing to Flash Player 7, just because
the probability
is a tad higher that a consumer has Flash Player 7 over 9. If
you can
publish for Flash Player 9, I'd say take the plunge and go
with ActionScript
3.0. I really think it makes more sense to newcomers than
ActionScript 2.0
as a new language. But all the same, keep a back burner open
for AS2,
because you're likely to run into files written in that
version of the
language for years to come.
> I have Flash CS3. I have no programming or language
experience,
> I just know a little bit of HTML. What's the best way
for me to go
> about learning actionscript?
If it's any encouragement, I didn't have any programming
experience when
I started out either. I came to Flash because I loved (and
still love)
multimedia. I've been fortunate enough to make a career out
of (mostly)
Flash, and the ability to program has certainly made that
easier, as well as
more creatively rewarding. If I could go back to an earlier
me and give
myself advice, I would steer me toward something called
object-oriented
programming (OOP). Even if that younger me didn't want to
become a
caffeine-addicted hardcore programmer, I would insist to
myself that
*thinking in terms of OOP* can help a developer make sense of
the gargantuan
document called the ActionScript 3.0 Language and Components
Reference that
lurks behind the F1 key.
In the tiniest of nutshells, it can be put like this: the
building
blocks of ActionScript -- all the things you deal with, like
movie clips,
text fields, sounds, buttons, and so on -- are called
objects. Objects are
defined by something called classes, which are essentially
blueprints for
the objects they describe. Generally speaking, classes
feature one or more
of the following categories: properties (characteristics of
the object),
methods (things the object can do), and events (things the
object can react
to). Look for those headings when you flip through the
documentation. If
you're dealing with a movie clip, for example, look up the
MovieClip class
and see what features are available to you. Bear in mind that
classes are
organized into family trees -- they inherit functionality
from ancestors --
so make sure to click the "Show Inherited Public
Properties/Methods/Events"
hyperlink you'll find in each class entry. Without that, you
won't get the
full picture.
Even if you don't write your own custom classes, you'll find
that
thinking in terms of a programmer -- thinking in terms of OOP
-- will help
you navigate the documentation.
As far as books, I tend to like "Object-Oriented
ActionScript 3.0"
(friends of ED), by Todd Yard, Peter Elst, and Sas Jacobs.
This one is
geared toward programming and doesn't focus much on the Flash
drawing tools.
http://www.amazon.com/Object-Oriented-ActionScript-3-0-Todd-Yard/dp/1590598458/
You may also get something out of "Foundation Flash CS3 for
Designers"
(friends of ED), which I wrote with my friend Tom Green.
http://www.amazon.com/Foundation-Flash-CS3-Designers/dp/159059861X/
Ours aims at striking a balance between programming and
non-programming
concepts. That doesn't make it better or worse reading
material -- just
gives it a different focus.
I'm also a fan of Colin Moock's work (usually O'Reilly
books), which
tends to be extremely thorough, so take a gander at all of
the above and
read the reviews to see which one(s) may speak to your
personal taste. Good
luck with it!
David Stiller
Contributor, How to Cheat in Flash CS3
http://tinyurl.com/2cp6na
"Luck is the residue of good design."