Course suitable for:
This course provides experienced Flash designers with the knowledge and hands-on practice they need to create dynamically generated event-driven animation and interactive games with Flash. The course teaches fundamental programming techniques. It begins by introducing core concepts including instance names, variables, functions, properties, and methods; then proceeds through conditions, loops, event handling, and animating with Action Script.
Controlling Visual Objects with ActionScript Using the Actions and Help panels .Declaring variables and data types. Using the trace() function .Using code hinting. Assigning instance names and assigning runtime property values Using the 'with' operator. Introducing core properties of visual built-in classes: MovieClip, Button, and TextField. Controlling Button and MovieClip position and visual state. Controlling TextField content. Introducing core properties of non-visual built-in classes: Math .Using maths operators. Understanding data type conversion.
Using and Writing Functions Working with Flash Player global functions Converting values returned from functions and assigning them for display. Writing user defined functions .Returning, or not returning, data from a function .Understanding variable scope .Adding code within a MovieClip symbol's own timeline Introducing the this operator. Understanding objects methods. Introducing core methods of visual built-in classes: MovieClip and TextField Controlling the MovieClip playhead within its timeline .Loading external MovieClip content Understanding cross-domain security issues Exporting and attaching MovieClip symbol instances at runtime. Writing and using user defined functions to create visual content Understanding depth. Dynamically referring to instance names and property names at runtime.
Using Text, Dates, Math, and Paths Controlling TextField formatting through code Creating and formatting TextFields at runtime Using Date objects. Working with String concatenation. Generating random numbers & integers using the Math class. Understanding relative path names. Controlling nested MovieClip objects.
Understanding and Handling Events Understanding event driven programming working with event handler syntax. Moving from symbol-based to timeline-based events. Introducing core events of visual built-in classes: Button, MovieClip, and TextField. Controlling the playhead within an event handler. Understanding the this keyword inside an event handler. Creating rollover effects. Responding to TextField focus events. Calling a single function from multiple event handlers. Referring to a parent object from within an event handler.
Managing Colour, Sound, and Data with Built-In Classes Understanding complex variables working with Arrays. Working with generic Objects Transforming MovieClip objects using Transform and ColorTransform objects. Generating random colour transformations. Using Sound objects Creating audio feedback with event-driven sounds linked from the Library.
Making Decisions and Repeating Yourself Understanding loops. Using loops and arrays to attach, name, and control MovieClip objects Using loops to create, name, and control TextFields to display data object values Understanding conditional code execution Surveying the comparison and logical operators Using if/else comparison to toggle MovieClip visual states.
Animating with ActionScript Dragging and dropping a MovieClip object Testing for collision between MovieClip objects Initializing attached MovieClip objects. Using the onEnterFrame event handler. Controlling visual change rate. Testing and responding to position at runtime.
