Adobe Flash ActionScript 3.0 for Designers Course

Hello and welcome to this tutorial, an Introduction to ActionScript 3.0 for Designers. My name is James Gonzalez. I'll be your guide in this introduction to the scripting language behind Adobe Flash. This tutorial uses a series of short scripting projects to provide viewers with a clear understanding of ActionScript 3.0. It also provides a foundation in basic object-oriented programming concepts such as variables, functions, loops, conditionals and much, much more. This tutorial is not an exhaustive resource for all things ActionScript. I'll do my best to lay the foundation for you, but instead this tutorial. is intended to get you up and started creating project elements that all Flash designers should be able to script such as playing back audio, scripting navigation structures, or scripting an informative preload animation. In this movie I'll attempt to answer the question: why learn ActionScript? I came up with four reasons. One, it's necessary to get even simple projects working to use at least some ActionScript. Two, many fundamental Flash functions cannot be accomplished without ActionScript, such as stopping the Playback Head, moving it from place to place, loading media, playing audio or video files and much, much more. Third, if you want to include any interactivity in your Flash projects you'll need to learn some ActionScript and fourth, using ActionScript will allow you to build your Flash projects much faster and more efficiently. Two quotes that I recently ran across, grammar and spelling mistakes and all, from a couple of budding Flash developers seemed to sum this sentiment up quite well. The first stated: ÒOne of the most important steps I took in life. Learning ActionScript has positioned me rather well in career, doing something which is challenging and what I enjoy doing for pretty good money.Ó And the second: ÒThis is by far the best thing I've ever done in my life. It has totally changed what I do for a living forever.Ó Before we begin I need to orientate you on how these videos work. This course is composed of movies between three and seven minutes in length, organized with other movies and sections of related scripting techniques or topics, or focused around a particular script. I'm currently using Screen Capture software to record my voice and computer screen. The images you see running on my screen are being captured by this screen recording program. I'll be recording my screen while executing the presented scripts, demonstrating them in action and also reviewing how each line of the code affects the final result. These movies were recorded on a PC running Vista with the Windows-based version of Flash, however, the Mac version is almost identical and the few instances where there are differences I point them out. In most cases this is when I use the right mouse button which also works on the Mac if you have a two-button mouse. If you have only a one-button mouse the equivalent of a right-click is to press your mouse while holding down the Ctrl key. So if you're using a Mac, whenever you hear me state right-click just perform this same function by holding down the Ctrl key and pressing your mouse. Now, a left-click of my house, you'll notice, will also result in a click sound like this and also a red starburst. A right-click of my mouse will also produce a click sound but with an accompanying blue starburst. There's a right-click. There's another one. Before we begin let me also give you some background about the approaches that I'll be using in this tutorial.. I've been teaching ActionScript to web designers and web design students from all over the United States for many years now. At any given time I usually am working with 30 to 40 ActionScript students. At the time of this recording I'm working with about 30 students from all over the U.S. in two online introductory-level ActionScript classes, so unlike many programming and scripting tutorial authors I'm a teacher first and a web developer second, so the approaches I use here are based on a lot of hands-on experience with actual students. I get the opportunity to observe every day where ActionScript students struggle, falter and need the most help. It is exactly this experience and knowledge that I'll be bringing to each of the scripting projects covered here. Most of these problems fall in three areas: syntax, spelling, typos and other careless types of mistakes; or, from a lack of confidence or successful experience with a scripting language like ActionScript; or, three, a lack of understanding of fundamental object-oriented programming techniques and theory. The last problem will be addressed with a thorough introduction to the theory and components of ActionScript 3.0 as we proceed through increasingly more complex and abstract script examples. The first two problems I've aimed to address by providing examples of fully working scripts that you should work through perhaps while listening to the lectures until you achieve the same results as presented in the movies. This will give you practice with syntax and also practice with the need for precision when scripting and also build your confidence. Let me talk more about the use of the sample scripts that are provided with this tutorial. in the next movie.  

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