ActionScript Training: Beginning Flash 8 ActionScript

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Course Number: 455
Duration: 3 days
view class outline

ActionScript Training Overview

ActionScript is the powerful, easy-to-learn language used within Macromedia Flash 8. If you're building an online shopping cart, an e-learning application, or another Flash project that requires sophisticated features, ActionScript is the language you need to learn.

This ActionScript training class teaches you all the core ActionScript skills you need in order to successfully build your first ActionScript-powered Flash applications.

Location and Pricing

Most Accelebrate courses are taught on-site at our clients' locations worldwide for groups of 3 or more attendees and are customized to their specific needs. Please visit our client list to see organizations for whom we have recently delivered training. These courses can also be delivered as live, private online classes for groups that are geographically dispersed or wish to save on the instructor's or students' travel expenses. To receive a customized proposal and price quote private training at your site or online, please contact us.

In addition, some courses are available as live, online classes for individuals. To see a schedule of online courses, please visit http://www.accelebrate.com/online_training/adobe.htm.

ActionScript Training Prerequisites

Accelebrate's Beginning Flash training class or equivalent experience. This course can be customized to all levels of prior programming experience.

Hands-on/Lecture Ratio

This ActionScript training class is 70% hands-on, 30% lecture, with the longest lecture segments lasting for 20 minutes. Students "learn by doing," with immediate opportunities to apply the material they learn to real-world problems.

ActionScript Training Materials

All ActionScript training students receive a copy of Macromedia Press's Flash 8 ActionScript: Training from the Source and related materials.

Software Needed on Each Student PC

Firefox 2.0 or later or Internet Explorer 6 or later, with the Flash player installed
Macromedia Flash 8, CS3, or later (Flash MX 2004 or Flash MX taught upon request); Flash 8 Professional is recommended
Dreamweaver and Fireworks are recommended but not required
Note: This class can be taught for Windows or MacOS audiences

ActionScript Training Objectives

To master the fundamentals of ActionScript programming
To learn how to use ActionScript for a wide variety of practical applications

ActionScript Training Outline

Introduction to ActionScript 2.0

What Is ActionScript?
Using the Action Panel
Creating Variables
Code Placement
Understanding Objects, Classes, and Scope

Functions

Creating Functions
Adding Parameters to Functions
Using Local Variables and Creating Functions that Return Results

Conditional Logic

Controlling a Script's Flow
Reacting to Multiple Conditions
Reacting to User Interaction
Detecting the Edge of the Stage

Arrays and Loops

Why Loops Are Useful
Types of Loops
Loop Exceptions
Writing and Understanding Loop Conditions
Nested Loops

Built-in Classes

What Classes Are and Why They're Useful
Using the Color Class
Working with String and Selection Classes

Custom Classes

Understanding Classes, Top-Level Classes, and Instances
Creating a Class
Understanding the Classpath
Using Packages and Importing Classes
Using Getters and Setters
Defining Members
Understanding Inheritance
Updating and Inheritance-Based Project

Events, Listeners, and Callbacks

What Events Do
Types of Events in Flash
Event Handlers
Creating a Project Using Event Handlers
Listeners
Creating a Project Using Listeners

Dynamically Creating Assets

Attaching Movie Clips
Adding Empty Movie Clips
Drawing Programmatically
Working with Movie Clips as Buttons
Adding Text Fields Programmatically
Formatting Text

Bitmap Features

Using Bitmap Surface Caching
Applying Filters
Applying Blend Modes Programmatically
Introduction the Bitmap API

UI Components

Components: A Scripting Primer
Configuring Component Properties
Triggering Scripts Using Component Events
Using Component Methods
Using the FocusManager Component
Customizing the UI Components with ActionScript

Advanced Object-Oriented Design

Correcting Scope Errors with Delegate
Understanding Encapsulation
Applying Composition
Using Composition and Inheritance Together
Dispatching Events

Data Validation

The Logic Behind Validating Data
Using Validation Routines
Handling Errors
Validating Strings
Validating Sequences
Validating Against a List of Choices
Validating Numbers
Processing Validated Data

External Data Connections

Understanding Data Sources and Data Formats
GET versus POST
Using the LoadVars Class
Policy Files
Using Shared Objects
Using the WebServiceConnector Component

XML and Flash

XML Basics
Using the XML Class
Using Socket Servers

External Interface

Getting Started with ExternalInterface
Configuring HTML for Basic ExternalInterface Calls
Calling JavaScript Functions from ActionScript
Using JavaScript Functionality from Flash
Calling ActionScript Functions from JavaScript
Building a Quiz Application

Sound and Video

Controlling Sound with ActionScript
Creating a Sound Instance
Dragging a Movie Clip Instance Within a Boundary
Controlling Volume
Attaching Sounds and Controlling Sound Playback
Loading and Controlling External Video

Printing and Context Menus

Flash Printing versus Browser Printing
Using the PrintJob Class
Creating Custom Context Menus

Maximum-Strength SWF Files

Understanding fscommand()
Using Zinc
Using Flash Vars

Conclusion