Macromedia Flash is a key technology for
designing and delivering low-bandwidth animations, presentations, and
web sites. More recently it has become development environment,
complete with scripting capabilities and server-side connectivity.
Flash has the ability to easily integrate with, and add interactivity
to, complex media types with powerful and intuitive tools. Developers
can rapidly develop high performance, accessible content using
pre-assembled building blocks and expand their authoring capabilities
with custom extensions from independent developers.

Macromedia Flash MX Unleashed
covers these high-end topics, providing you with a solid and complete
reference for building Flash websites and applications. Fundamentals
are covered quickly in the first part of the book, with the majority of
the content devoted to coverage of ActionScript and how Flash works
with varied middleware. You’ll also learn how to integrate Flash with
several other technologies, including XML and PHP.

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Flash Components: The Key to Faster Development and Sophisticated Functionality

You don’t have to be a programmer to achieve amazing effects with the
hundreds of Flash components available from Macromedia and various
third parties. Step by step, The Hidden Power of Flash Components shows
you how–and the enclosed CD provides a library of powerful components
ready for you to practice with, build upon, and use in your own
projects.

For those of you with just a little programming experience, this book
also demonstrates how to build your own components to use and share
with other developers. Whatever your aims, and regardless of your
experience, soon all the power of this incredible Flash feature will be
within your reach. Coverage includes:

* Determining the most effective ways to leverage components

* Avoiding component pitfalls

* Customizing external resources for use with components

* Building your own components

* Building a custom UI, Live Preview, and MXP file for a component

* Customizing component artwork

* Using components to build games

* Understanding the difference between components and SmartClips

* Troubleshooting component construction and application

* Using multiple components to create more complex effects

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Two of the smarter young guns you’ll meet in the Flash development world, Branden Hall and Samuel Wan, go back a way with New Riders, having contributed to *Flash 4 Magic* under the mentorship of J. Scott Hamlin. Sam and Branden didn’t know each other at the time and followed their unique trajectories until they met at Flash Forward 2001 SF and clicked. Marathon coding sessions, creative problem-solving chains, and other such intellectual pursuits followed, culminating in a con call between Branden, Sam, and two New Riders editors.

Amazing to listen as Wan and Hall kept finishing each other’s sentences, waxing poetic about this new *thing* they were doing with ActionScript, creating objects, yeah doing OOP with ActionScript they’re widgets we call them widgets, components, and it’s quite remarkable once you understand the principles involved what can be done here you’re actually building entire applications yes it might make a pretty interesting book I think….

That was during the Flash 5 revision cycle, and these guys were ahead of their time. As Branden and Sam continued their careers, rumors began circulating about Branden and Samuel’s book; frankly, it’s become pretty highly anticipated among many in the Flash development community, due to two things: 1.) Applying OOP to ActionScripting is an exciting challenge to those who realize the powerful results that can come of it, and 2.) Most of these
people realize no one is better qualified to write such book than Mr. Hall and Mr. Wan, who have been doing some extremely thought-provoking demonstrations of OOP ActionScripting over the last year or so. So here we are: *Object-Oriented Programming with ActionScript* started out as a brain-dump of Branden and Samuel’s presentations given at myriad conferences and seminars over 18 months, then took shape and found structure, covering the following topics:

–Applying OOP principles and design patterns to ActionScript
–Creating well-designed custom objects
–Leveraging both OOP and design patterns in architecting Flash MX applications
–Creating and OOP and design pattern-based application from scratch
–Mastering the new Flash MX components and learning to build your own
–Combining components via their events and APIs
–Customizing components’ look and feel with and without code
–Adding custom UIs and live previews to your components
–Connecting Flash MX to servers in a number of ways, including Flash Remoting

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This guide allows you to learn specific Flash skills step-by-step at
your own pace. Choose from among several tutorials to develop the
skills that are most appropriate to the Flash projects you are working
on at any given time. Each lesson leads you through the workflow for
implementing a specific real-world feature or effect in your Flash
applications.

In Macromedia Flash 8: A Tutorial Guide, learn how to:
���� Navigate the Flash workspace and use common document types
���� Use the Flash drawing tools and create engaging graphic effects
���� Use ActionScript to add interactivity and custom functionality to your documents
���� Connect your Flash projects to external data sources to create data-driven applications

Powerful development and design tools require thorough and
authoritative technical advice and documentation. When it comes to
Macromedia Flash, no one is more authoritative than Macromedia�s own
development and writing teams. Now their official documentation is
available to you in printed book form. As you work, keep this guide by
your side for ready access to valuable information on using Flash.
We�ve designed it so that it�s easy to annotate as you progress.

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Are you ready to jump into the world of game development? “Game
Development with ActionScript” is the guide that can show you the way!
You?ll cover the basics of programming with ActionScript and will
explore the incredible development possibilities offered by Macromedia
Flash MX 2004. You’ll develop the animation techniques you need to keep
players coming back for more. Transform your game as you learn how
ActionScript can be used to create amazing sound effects that flow
seamlessly into your game?s script. When you?re ready, move on to
advanced math and components topics that can take your game to new
levels of realism. By the time you’re finished, you’ll be able to put
everything you’ve learned together and begin creating amazing,
eye-popping games!

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Explore the depth and flexibility of Macromedia Flash�8 with Sams Teach Yourself Macromedia Flash 8 in 24 Hours.
Fundamental topics are presented one-by-one in a series of 24 one-hour
lessons that will help you master the basics of Flash. Author Phillip Kerman,
an internationally-known Macromedia trainer and multimedia expert,
offers you a clearly-written, well-organized introduction to Macromedia
Flash�8 without becoming too overwhelming. You will cover such subjects
as:

• Drawing and Painting Original Art
• Using Motion Tween to Animate
• Animatng Using Movie Clips
• Using Actions to Create Non-Linear Movies
• Optimizing a Flash Site
• Publishing a Creation

Not only will you master the basics of Macromedia Flash 8 with Sams Teach Yourself Macromedia Flash�8 in 24 Hours, you will also be better prepared to learn more advanced topics in the future.

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In September 2003, Macromedia released Flash MX 2004, and with it,
ActionScript 2.0, a dramatically improved version of Flash’s
programming language. ActionScript 2.0 introduces a formal
object-oriented programming syntax and methodology for creating Flash
applications. From a developer’s perspective, the new OOP-based
techniques in ActionScript 2.0 make applications more natural to plan
and conceptualize, more stable, more reusable across projects, easier
to maintain, change, and expand upon, and much more. In short, they
enhance the entire development process. In Essential ActionScript 2.0,
bestselling author Colin Moock–one of the most universally respected
developers in the Flash community–covers everything you’ll need to
know about the new ActionScript language and its methodologies for
producing movies, animation, and applications on the web. Moock guides
readers through this important new territory with his trademark
easy-to-understand style and expertise. Moock’s goal throughout the
book is not just to get you to use object-oriented programming in your
daily Flash work: he wants you to reap the benefits of OOP; he wants
you to understand ActionScript 2.0 completely. And without question,
Moock is the author who can make this happen. Essential ActionScript 2.0
begins with a tour of the language, including the fundamentals of
object-oriented concepts, syntax, and usage. Those who are new to OOP
will learn the basics and how to apply their understanding. Those who
are familiar with OOP will leverage their prior experience to learn
about Flash-based OOP. The next part of the book shows how to structure
entire applications with ActionScript 2.0, teaching you best practices
and techniques to build scalable, extensible, stable apps. Next, you’ll
explore a variety of approaches to various programming situations by
applying object-oriented programming strategies, known as design
patterns, to Flash. Experienced Flash developers and programmers coming
from other languages will enjoy the sheer depth of Moocks’s coverage
and expertise in Essential ActionScript 2.0. Novice programmers
will appreciate the frequent, low-jargon explanations that are often
glossed over by advanced programming books. As usual, Moock guarantees
quality and accuracy by working closely with Macromedia Flash
engineers, including Rebecca Sun, lead developer of ActionScript 2.0.
Whether you’re ready to make the move to ActionScript 2.0 now or simply
assessing it for the future, you’ll find everything you need to know
within this book. Essential ActionScript 2.0 is the one book every ActionScript coder must own.

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The long-stale page metaphor for Web sites is finally dying out,
replaced by the single-screen rich-Internet apps that Flash MX 2004 is
at last bringing to the mainstream. To stay ahead of the curve�and to
start creating the kind of Web sites you used to only dream of�you need
this guide. In these pages you’ll learn how to create the sites that
more and more companies are demanding�the kind that pull complex data
from multiple sources for delivery via a single Web interface, so that
users can perform multiple functions from a single screen. The focus
here is on building the Flash MX 2004 front end to work with that
complex data. You’ll learn how to structure applications to eliminate
page refreshes while reducing download time, build real-time and
time-delayed applications with Flash Communication Server, integrate
technologies like Flash Remoting and Macromedia Central, and more. You
can even download all of the source files form the book’s companion Web
site.

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Provides complete application solutions �out-of-the-box� that are ready for use by the reader . Examples on multiple technology platforms including ASP, ASP .NET, SQL Server, and Access.

Building Database-Driven Flash Applications demonstrates how the capabilities of Flash programming can be combined with Web back-end databases directly, without an intermediate layer of programming. Techniques for utilizing Flash presentation capabilities
with the power of back-end databases are covered in step-by-step detail. Techniques and complete �out-of-the-box� solutions that are ready to be utilized immediately are presented.

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To create Flash applications that sizzle, you have to learn the
code. In this comprehensive guide to the latest version of
ActionScript, the object-oriented scripting language for Macromedia
Flash, you’ll get the detailed instruction and step-by-step tutorials
you need to write robust code and create sophisticated interactive
animations. Work with objects and components, interoperate with
JavaScript�, create games, and more � it’s all here in this informative
book for developers, programmers, and designers.

Inside, you’ll
find complete coverage of Flash 8 ActionScript Master the basics of
ActionScript expressions, functions, and variables Work with numbers,
arrays, and strings Transform your movie clips with colors and filters
Program sound and manage video Manage data with Web Services and Flash
Remoting Call ActionScript functions from JavaScript Learn scripting
for the Flash stand-alone player.

Bonus Companion Web site!
Find code downloads and example files at: www.wiley.com/go/actionscriptbible

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