Advanced Macromedia Flash MX 2004 - Flash MX ActionScripting (2- to 4-days)

Once you know the basic language components of ActionScript, you need to know how to put it to good use. In this course you will work with many real life examples. The course is taught with "Flash MX 2004: ActionScript Training from the Source" which includes a CD with dozens of examples.

Students are provided a copy of "Flash MX 2004: ActionScript Training from the Source" by Derek Franklin and Jobe Makar.

Course Outline

• Introducing ActionScript
  • ActionScript matures to version 2.0
  • Differences between ActionScript 1.0 and 2.0
  • Why learn ActionScript?
  • ActionScript elements
  • Using the Actions Panel and the ActionScript Editor
  • Planning a project
  • Writing your first script
  • Testing your first script
• Using event handlers
  • What event handlers do
  • Choosing the right event handler
  • Using mouse events
  • Making the most of attaching moue's events to movie clips
  • Using frame events
  • Using clip events
  • Orchestrating multiple events
  • Understanding event handler methods
  • Using event handler methods
  • Using listeners
• Understanding target paths
  • Understanding multiple timelines
  • Targeting the current movie
  • Targeting the main movie
  • Targeting a parent movie
  • Targeting movie clip instances
  • Targeting movies on levels
  • Targeting movie clip instances
  • Understanding multiple identities
  • Creating and referencing global elements
• Using object classes
  • What objects are and why they're useful
  • Built-in object classes
  • Using the Color class
  • Using the Key class to add interactivity
  • Working with String and Selection classes
• Using functions
  • Creating functions
  • Adding parameters to functions
  • Using local variables and creating functions that return results
• Creating and manipulating data
  • Creating variables
  • Creating arrays
  • Creating dynamic text fields and retrieving information
  • Retrieving data
  • Building expressions
  • Operators
  • Manipulating numerical data using the Math object
  • Manipulating strings
• Creating custom classes
  • Classes, top-level classes, and instances
  • Creating a class
  • The classpath
  • Packages and importing classes
  • Getters and setters
  • Defining members
  • Understanding inheritance
• Using conditional logic
  • Controlling a script's flow
  • Determining conditions
  • Reacting to multiple conditions
  • Defining a boundary
  • Turning power on/off
  • Reacting to user interaction
  • Detecting collisions
• Automating scripts with loops
  • Why loops are useful
  • Types of loops
  • Writing and understanding loop conditions
  • Nested loops
  • Loop exceptions
• Scripting UI components
  • Components: a scripting primer
  • Configuring a component properties
  • Triggering scripts using component events
  • Using component methods
  • Using the FocusManager component
  • Customizing UI components with ActionScript
• Getting data in and out of Flash
  • Understanding data sources and data formats
  • GET versus POST
  • Using the LoadVars class
  • Policy files
  • Using Shared Objects
  • Using the WebServiceConnector component
• Using XML with Flash
  • XML basics
  • Using the XML class
  • Using socket servers
• Validating data
  • 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
• Working with text fields
  • Dynamically creating and configuring text fields
  • Using TextFormat objects
  • Loading and communicating with inline images and SWFs
  • Formatting text fields with Cascading Style Sheets
• Controlling movie clips dynamically
  • Creating movie clip instances dynamically
  • Building continuous-feedback buttons
  • Using ActionScript to draw lines dynamically
  • Using the Drawing methods
  • Creating filled shapes dynamically
  • Z-sorting movie clip instances
  • Dragging and dropping movie clip instances
  • Removing dynamically created content
• Time- and frame-based dynamism
  • The use of time in Flash
  • Working with dates in Flash
  • Determining the passage of time
  • Controlling the playback speed and direction of a timeline
  • Tracking playback and downloading progression
• Scripting for sound
  • Controlling sound with ActionScript
  • Creating a Sound object
  • Dragging a movie clip instance within a boundary
  • Controlling volume
  • Controlling panning
  • Attaching sounds and controlling sound playback
• Loading external assets
  • The ins and outs of loading external assets
  • Loading movies into targets
  • Loading JPEGs dynamically
  • Creating an interactive placeholder
  • Loading movies into levels
  • Controlling a movie on a level
  • Loading MP3s dynamically
  • Reacting to dynamically loaded MP3s
  • Extracting ID3 data from an MP3 file
  • Loading and controlling external video
• Testing and debugging
  • Eliminating bugs before they hatch
  • Maximizing the testing and debugging process
  • Fixing compile-time bugs
  • Finding and fixing run-time bugs
• Maximum-strength SWFs
  • Understanding and using fscommand()
  • Using Flash Studio Pro
  • Using FlashVars
• Printing and context menus
  • Flash printing versus browser printing
  • Using the PrintJob class
  • Creating custom context menu

See also

Adobe Flash CS4 Training Courses

• Flash CS4 Training (3-5 days)
• ActionScript 3.0 Training with Flash CS4 (3-4 days)

Adobe Flash CS3 Training Courses

• Introduction to Flash CS3 (3-4 days)
• Intermediate Flash MX 2004: Introduction to ActionScript (1 day)
• Advanced Flash MX 2004: ActionScript (2 days)