MACROMEDIA FLASH MX 2004 - ACTIONSCRIPT, Reference Manual

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INTRODUCTION
Getting Started with ActionScript
Macromedia Flash MX 2004 and Flash MX Professional 2004 are the professional standard
authoring tools for producing high-impact web experiences. ActionScript is the language you use
when you want to develop an application within Flash. You don’t have to use ActionScript to use
Flash, but if you want to provide user interactivity, work with objects other than those built into
Flash (such as buttons and movie clips), or otherwise turn a SWF file into a more robust user
experience, you’ll probably want to use ActionScript.
Intended audience
This book assumes that you already have Flash MX 2004 or Flash MX Professional 2004 installed
and know how to use it. You should know how to place objects on the Stage and manipulate them
in the Flash authoring environment. If you have written programs before, ActionScript will feel
familiar. But even if you haven’t, ActionScript isn’t hard to learn. It’s easy to start with very simple
commands and build more complexity as you go along.
System requirements
ActionScript does not have any system requirements in addition to Flash MX 2004 or Flash MX
Professional 2004. However, the documentation assumes that you are using the default
publishing settings for your Flash files: Flash Player 7 and ActionScript 2.0. If you change
either of these settings, explanations and code samples shown in the documentation may not
work correctly.
Using the documentation
This document provides an overview of ActionScript syntax, information on how to use
ActionScript when working with different types of objects, and details on the syntax and usage of
every language element. Start by learning the terminology and basic concepts used in the rest of
the document (see
Chapter 2, “ActionScript Basics,” on page 25 ). Next, learn the mechanics of
writing and debugging Flash scripts (see Chapter 3, “Writing and Debugging Scripts,”
on page 55 ).
Before writing your own scripts, you should complete the lessons “Write Scripts with
ActionScript” and “Create a Form with Conditional Logic and Send Data,” which provide a
hands-on introduction to working with ActionScript. To find these lessons, select Help >
How Do I > Quick Tasks.