ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference for Macromedia Flash 8

by Instructional Media Developm Macromedia, Jen DeHaan, Francis Cheng

Serves as a reference manual that describes the application programming interface (API) for Macromedia Flash Player, the client runtime environment in the world. This work includes syntax and usage... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0321384040
• ISBN13: 9780321384041
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Macromedia Press
• Length: 1370 Pages
• Weight: 4.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.1" x 7.2" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Invaluable Reference

There's a built-in ActionScript 2.0 Dictionary in the Flash Help files, and on the Adobe website. And it's more up to date than this. However, there's nothing like having the book right there when you need it. I've designed and scripted two online Flash games (and I'll plug them in just a moment), and this book sat on my desk the entire time. It's basically falling apart at this point, so I might have to order another soon. If you're still looking to learn AS 2.0 (AS 3.0 is great, but it might be a little more difficult for the non-programmer to grasp), do yourself a favor and get this, ASAP. If you'd like to play the games that this book helped me create, you can search for "We Are Legend" or "Drunken Masters" in Google.

Very Useful Reference for a Great Price!

I have found this book to be a very useful reference. I don't think it was really meant to teach novice Flash designers/developers how to become an ActionScript developer. It is however meant to be a thorough ActionScript dictionary and reference to which it does a very good job. If you are looking for a tutorial, get one of the O'reilly books (ActionScript for Flash MX: TDG, and/or Essential ActionScript 2.0), I have both of these books and they are wonderful learning books. I do have to say that the ActionScript 2.0 Dictionary (this book) and ActionScript for Flash MX (from O'reilly) are the two books on AS that have a permanent spot on my desk. Also, you can't beat the price of this book, completely worth it if you are looking for a reference.

Excellent Resource for all Flash 8 Developers

Bought this after upgrading from Flash MX 2004 Pro to Flash 8 in order to delve deeper into AS 2.0 and the new classes offered in Macromedia/Adobe's latest Flash release. This is the best resource I have found for any Flash release and has earned a permanent spot on my desk until I upgrade again.

Excellent ActionScript 2 Resource

When you fall in troubles doing your Flash project this book is a must! A complete reference for ActionScipt 2. At the beginning there are few useful articles by professionals, which I really found them helpful and then whole the book, the reference. You're not going to learn so much of ActionScript by this book, bear in mind this is a reference, meaning you know some stuff, but as a matter of forgetting the commands or finding the proper commands you refer to it. But don't worry if you have the talent, which I'm sure, you can figure out how to program by the little examples at the end of each command. Good Luck...

A Big Book!

Over 1,000 pages for less than $20. I like it. This book has just about everything I need for cranking with ActionScript 2.0. The first 200 pages are brand new materials written by a number of Flash hotshots, and the remaining 800 pages are the printed docs that Flash MX 2004 provides on PDF files.I for one am not about to burn up half of a $70 toner cartridge to print out all of the docs on the PDF files, and then put close to 1,000 pages into a half dozen loose leaf binders and consider myself ahead of the game. So, I like the dictionary nice and printed out with an index and good table of contents. Don't expect to get something other than what's on the PDF files in the last 800 pages of this book other than the index and TOC.So now for the new stuff that makes up the first 200 pages of the book. This new part consists of "Articles" by different Flash folks you've probably heard of before. Actually, they're more like chapters, but I'll not quibble about them being one or the other. They are very helpful. The first article is a straight forward one about transitioning from ActionScirpt 1.0 to ActionScript 2.0. It's complete with lots of examples, with just about every new feature in AS 2.0 (PrintJob, LoadMovieClip, NetStream, NetConnection and lots more). Each of these has an explanation and example that works, including using classes. (Goodby _prototype!) The remaining articles cover topics like writing code with style, object oriented programming using Flash MX 2004(OOP), hybrid documents (working with Flash and HTML, XML, JavaScript, data binding, etc.), HTML text file enhancements (like adding graphics to Flash text fields) and winding up with a good article about Rich Internet Application development. Now all of this is new stuff, and for me, it was worth the price of the book.This big fat tome will no doubt receive my multiple stick-em tags, and I've put it to good use. It's a look-up book and read-what-you-need book, and it's dirt cheap! I've learned a lot already, and that's all I care about.My advise is to look at this book in a book store. I think if you see it, you'll see why it's well worth it.