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Flash Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools

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Have you seen the Hacks series from O'Reilly? Great stuff! I've yet to be disappointed with this series. While most of the information does not really qualify as a hack in the traditional sense, meaning you are not mucking with the actual API or backed of the tool, the books are chock-full of little workarounds, fresh attacks on old problems, and some incredible tips that most users won't have found on their own.

Sham Bhangal delivers 100 excellent tips on using Flash MX 2004 and Professional. I think my absolute favourite is Hack #61, Amit's Dials. This little gem shows how to create some interactive controls for tweaking visual and dynamic effects during the authoring process. The idea is to build the basic functionality of your effect through scripting, add these controls so you can fine-tune the effect, and copy the settings back into the script for permanent hardwiring. There are tons of uses for this tip alone, and it's not complicated. The beauty of this hack is in the fact that it's something most, if not every, designer and developer should know about, but very few use. The time and frustration savings are immense.

But the book is overflowing with things like this. Tips on optimizing and working within performance constraints; deciding when to use math versus traditional animation; caveats and gotchas and hidden bits of wisdom... It's in here! How about adding speech synthesis to your Flash application? Need an autocomplete function for a text field? How about tapping into some undocumented ActionScript? Well, keep reading - you'll find all of that in Sham's book.

The greatest value of Flash Hacks is the insight from someone who has been with Flash for a long time. Bhangal identifies both common and unusual circumstances that designers and developers might encounter, and provides not only great solutions, but good explanations on why a problem exists and the logic behind coming up with an answer. After working through a few of the hacks, you begin to see Flash in a new light, and new problems or challenges are not quite so daunting. A little perspective shift, maybe step outside of Flash for a bit, and you have a whole new toolbox at your disposal.

Structurally, the Hacks books are similar to the Cookbook series, also by O'Reilly. However, the intent is a bit different in that the information tends to be much more flexible and covers a wider variety of challenges. The hacks are numbered and grouped logically, and the index makes a good attempt at referencing not only the hack titles, but some identifying keywords that are more generic, thus more likely to be looked up. Of course, we'd all like an index that pretty much includes every word in the main text, but I digress... Smile

Sham's language is easy to follow, though there are some leaps of faith here and there. Some of the descriptions assume a higher level of familiarity with either ActionScript or web architecture in general, but this shouldn't be much of a problem for anyone who is paying attention. The hacks are appreciably short and compact, while still getting the major points across. This is a good book to thumb through from time to time if you need a little inspiration or want something new to work on. Each hack shouldn't take long to build, and most of the code is available in the companion web site. But don't make the mistake of just cutting pasting code in - the point of this book is to get you working better, creating things on your own, and expanding your approach to Flash.

That all being said, I can't really identify any deficiencies in this book. I'm not sure this book is for everyone, though. Many people are happy with the skills they already have, and enjoy trying to hammer out solutions on their own. Others may just need some bare essentials in coding and design. This book is really aimed at people who are comfortable with Flash, learn by doing, and are interested in tinkering at the fringes of their own capabilities. While Flash Hacks is not necessarily a cutting edge technique book, it's excellent for intermediate to advanced developers who are looking for new approaches. It encourages deeper exploration on both design and coding fronts.

If you are looking to add a few new tricks to your bag, and maybe get a fresh perspective on some old thoughts, grab yourself a copy of Flash Hacks. Most useful for intermediate to advanced Flash users, but not out of the realm for some eager novices.

This is a member of the Hacks series published by O'Reilly, a series
of books noted for their ability to answer the perennial "gee, I wish
I could..." problem. (though for most people this would be phrased a
good deal less politely. At least it was for me when I was learning Flash)
This book is no exception. I have been
using Flash myself since about version 4 and while I don't spend all
my time with it, I have developed a talent for finding hidden features
and methods in a variety of platforms and programs, and still I was
impressed by a number of the techniques outlined in this book. There
are some which I have, as yet, not really found a use for, but there
are a few that have answered some of the lingering questions about
things that I have always found very silly about Flash.

The book covers Flash MX 2004, though many of the features are not
limited to that version, and where they are the author has made this
very clear, in fact the author has kindly translated some of the code
examples to earlier versions of actionscript where necessary and/or
possible, (well, flash 6 anyway.) The organization of the book is
also a point in its favor as a reference work for the "alternatively
trained" professional. Where many manuals and instruction books are
arranged by tool, this book is organized by result. This is a boon to
those of us who, having a problem with (for example,) sound, will go
through the manual for all the elements to do with sound functions,
only to find that the bit that we needed is covered under UI. There
are also workflow tips, neat tricks, performance enhancers, Flash bug
workarounds, undocumented features, and even tips about how to prevent
opportunistic theft of your flash content.

There is not room to cover all of the 100 hacks available to you, and
even the range of the chapters is quite extensive. Nor does it make
much sense to cover all of it in a linear way, as this is probably not
how you will read this either. When I first picked up the book, I
went down the table of contents and spent the next couple of minutes
rifling back and forth through the book going "Aha!" and "ohhh..."

This of course makes covering the book in a general way something of a
headache. For me, some of the most interesting tips were those
devoted to the animation part of the workflow. Despite being formally
trained as an animator, my introduction to Flash was primarily from
the coding direction. As a result, Hack #74, External Script Editors
was of only passing interest to me as I stopped using the internal
script editor long ago. Hack #62, Right and Middle Mouse Buttons,
well, I use a Macintosh, and tend to regard other mouse buttons with
some suspicion (or at least scorn.)

All of Chapter 9, Performance and Optimization, however, should be
required reading for all Flash developers. Most of us will know some
fraction of the tips here, but will benefit immeasurably from having
read the other one or two that we did not previously know, or pay
attention to.

Chapter 5 is probably best approached in the spirit of "that's pretty
neat, but..." as there is little reason to include a 3D Engine in a
flash movie other than to be able to say that you could do it. The
basic physics parts, however, can lend a bit of extra 'oomph' to an
interface.

Amongst the Hacks in chapter 3, there are several related bits about
how to make repeating tiles that can be programatically spread (and varied)
across a field. Interestingly, Hack 18 contains nothing about Flash at all,
and is simply a breakdown of the method of making repeated tiles
easily. I don't know why, but I find that kind of digression
refreshing.

Some of the hacks are improvements or refinements of earlier hacks.
One of the animation hacks outlines the method of using overlapping
loops of sequences that have a prime number of frames to simulate non
repeating motion, that the author incidentally describes as being one of his first
attempts at this sort of thing. This hack is immediately followed by
a method describing how to get the "Matrix" effect of falling numbers
by using single frame movie clips and a script.

All in all, this is a very good book to have as a reference. One good
read through and you will say to yourself at least a couple of times,
"Why have I not been doing it that way all along?" Later on you will
find yourself remembering that "other" trick and go back to the book
and look again. Since first reading it I have convinced my company to
purchase it as an office reference, and I would recommend it to anyone
else, both the beginner, (to save yourself the trouble,) and the pro (ditto)

Flash is to making web multimedia as Photoshop is to editing static graphics. And like Photoshop, Flash has a devoted coterie who swear by it. But even such fans may find new, nifty things in this book. One might even suggest that such a group is the audience that might benefit the most.

So I started thumbing through the book, to see what caught my eye. [Obviously, your needs will differ.] One method was the construction of a speech synthesiser. Bhangel gives a simple, ingenious way to make a poor man's synthesiser. The sound quality does not match that of commercial synthesisers, like IBM's or Dragon's. But there is a homebrew ambience to this hack that some will find attractive.

A related hack uses a recent improvement to Flash. Finally, there is a way for the end of the playing of a sound to invoke a callback. In other words, you can now synchronise another operation to start after the sound ends. The lack of this has greatly hampered the interactive use of sound in Flash. The author then gives a hack of a lip synching animation. Cute!

The art of making a great Flash movie is all about taking a restricted set of graphics tools and using tricks to make it look as if amazing things are happening. And about finding a way to do that in a small movie that loads quickly. This is no easy feat and it boils down to finding innovative solutions. This book comes with one hundred of these innovative solutions. And if you are a Flash developer it's well worth the money to get these unique techniques wrapped up in this tight form. I strongly recommend this book for any Flash developer.

Title: Flash Hacks - 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools
Author: Sham Bhangal
Publisher: O"Reilly
ISBN: 0-596-00645-4
Pages: 452 pages
Reviewer: Philip High
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

When I encountered the first versions of Flash my impression was of an unnecessarily complex animation program with an obscure interface and REALLY WEIRD drawing tools. I've wanted to say that in public for years and now that I've gotten it off my chest I feel much better, thank you.

Yet, Macromedia must have been onto something, since the program has obviously matured into an indispensable tool for creators of dynamic, interactive, multimedia content for the web and beyond. But, as you might expect, the complexity has only multiplied. This book dives right into the issue by forgoing lengthy tutorials and focusing directly on getting results and solving specific problems - 100 of them to be exact. Once inside it is caution-to-the-wind since the only guide lines are "what if" and "whatever works." That's why they're called hacks, after all. It's an approach that works for me, since I'm really just an overgrown novice that has used the program for several years but infrequently. When I do use it I just want to get the job done and don't have the luxury (or patience, maybe?) to search the documentation, learn a comprehensive set of new skills, then figure out how they apply to my current need. And I don't think I'm alone here.

Although the book, like Flash itself, is not for the unmotivated, there really is something here for everyone from beginner to veteran. If you are tempted by the promise of shiny new tricks and sweet insider workarounds then you can eagerly and easily search these pages for tasty snacks to digest now and save the heavier helpings for later. The preface offers a useful starting point with a concise overview and clear explanations of the conventions used to organize and demonstrate the text.

The book covers a wide range of topics. Twelve chapters are each devoted to specific issues such as Visual Effects, Drawing and Masking, 3D and Physics, Sound, ActionScript, etc., and each contains several related tips. The individual "hacks", although usable by themselves, often relate to material in other examples, and are clearly and conveniently cross-referenced in the text. Many of the longer examples can be downloaded from the books web page http://examples.oreilly.com/flashhks.

And, as promised, the tips are pretty nifty. Some are showy, like #33 - Particle Effects. And some are sneaky, like #20 - Use Complex Shapes as Masks (by using a hairline split, invisible to the eye but recognized by the processor, to open enclosed areas.) But even the coolest tricks would be useless if you couldn't understand the instructions. Fortunately that isn't an issue here. The text is easy to read and well organized with clear examples and illustrations. I especially appreciated the tons of URLs to websites with further examples of great Flash work. Another nice feature is how other programs such as Photoshop, Fireworks, and Poser can be used in conjunction with Flash.

This title is one of a series of "Hacks" books by O'Reilly, a list of which can be found at http://hacks.oreilly.com. Billed as "a community for developers and power users of all stripes" I went there anyway and felt only slightly over my head. But it looks like the real deal for the power hungry. I `m a long-time fan of the seriously usable content and simple direct presentation style of O"Reilly technical reference manuals. This book ventures into more creative realms than their usual titles but stays true to form.

Title: Flash Hacks - 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools
Author: Sham Bhangal
Publisher: O"Reilly
ISBN: 0-596-00645-4
Pages: 452 pages
Reviewer: Philip High
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

When I encountered the first versions of Flash my impression was of an unnecessarily complex animation program with an obscure interface and REALLY WEIRD drawing tools. I've wanted to say that in public for years and now that I've gotten it off my chest I feel much better, thank you.

Yet, Macromedia must have been onto something, since the program has obviously matured into an indispensable tool for creators of dynamic, interactive, multimedia content for the web and beyond. But, as you might expect, the complexity has only multiplied. This book dives right into the issue by forgoing lengthy tutorials and focusing directly on getting results and solving specific problems - 100 of them to be exact. Once inside it is caution-to-the-wind since the only guide lines are "what if" and "whatever works." That's why they're called hacks, after all. It's an approach that works for me, since I'm really just an overgrown novice that has used the program for several years but infrequently. When I do use it I just want to get the job done and don't have the luxury (or patience, maybe?) to search the documentation, learn a comprehensive set of new skills, then figure out how they apply to my current need. And I don't think I'm alone here.

Although the book, like Flash itself, is not for the unmotivated, there really is something here for everyone from beginner to veteran. If you are tempted by the promise of shiny new tricks and sweet insider workarounds then you can eagerly and easily search these pages for tasty snacks to digest now and save the heavier helpings for later. The preface offers a useful starting point with a concise overview and clear explanations of the conventions used to organize and demonstrate the text.

The book covers a wide range of topics. Twelve chapters are each devoted to specific issues such as Visual Effects, Drawing and Masking, 3D and Physics, Sound, ActionScript, etc., and each contains several related tips. The individual "hacks", although usable by themselves, often relate to material in other examples, and are clearly and conveniently cross-referenced in the text. Many of the longer examples can be downloaded from the books web page [...]

And, as promised, the tips are pretty nifty. Some are showy, like #33 - Particle Effects. And some are sneaky, like #20 - Use Complex Shapes as Masks (by using a hairline split, invisible to the eye but recognized by the processor, to open enclosed areas.) But even the coolest tricks would be useless if you couldn't understand the instructions. Fortunately that isn't an issue here. The text is easy to read and well organized with clear examples and illustrations. I especially appreciated the tons of URLs to websites with further examples of great Flash work. Another nice feature is how other programs such as Photoshop, Fireworks, and Poser can be used in conjunction with Flash.

This title is one of a series of "Hacks" books by O'Reilly, a list of which can be found [...] Billed as "a community for developers and power users of all stripes" I went there anyway and felt only slightly over my head. But it looks like the real deal for the power hungry. I `m a long-time fan of the seriously usable content and simple direct presentation style of O"Reilly technical reference manuals. This book ventures into more creative realms than their usual titles but stays true to form.

Flash MX 2004 creative work depends -in most of it- on tricks and mind digging. However, like other members in the Hack family, Sham Bhangal's book (Flash Hack) has dug the minds and came up with 100 of the most interesting Flash tricks that are distinguished in a very smart way depending on their type.

In this book, found a group of the tips and tricks for beginner and professional designers and developers. Beginner designers and developers can develop their ability to create their own tricks through reading this book thoroughly, as beside describing his thoughts within each trick topic, Sham has attached at the end of each trick a Final Thoughts part as a conclusion to ensure that the reader has completely grasped his idea.

Macromedia Flash is one of the most important multimedia Web applications on the market and Flash Hacks is one of the most important techniques guides available for using it. Designers and scripters who want more than the average Flash users will find this an essential guide to creating and using shortcuts, using Flash for unusual, fun applications, and achieving the most from Internet applications. Flash Hacks cover Flash MX, MX2004, and MX Professional 2004 as well as ActionScript 2.0, so it's got the latest tools and techniques.

Book review of Flash Hacks

Introduction:

Flash Hacks from O'Reilly is a great book that every Flash Designer or Developer should have in their library. The "get-to-the-point" style of the Hacks series is also very useful when you have a deadline fast approaching. There are 100 "hacks" in this book that, for the most part, are projects that can be used in your everyday Flash development.

First the bad news:

BWhile this book is full of great project that touch the surface of most problems, I found that the book could have used more in-depth examples. I also wanted a full chapter on Flash Components, which was not really covered at all. Flash is now the goto format for Rich Internet Applications because of the player market penetration, and with the need to regularly utilize components, it would have been nice to seem more information on the subject.

Now for the good news:

I choose this book mainly for the Sound and Browser Integration chapters, but I was pleasantly suprised to find more than a handful of topics that helped me develop better applications. I especially liked the chapter on Optimization along with the Color Effects chapter. Both of these chapters provided tid-bits of information that were directly related to a few projects I was working on.

Conclusion:

While there is room for improvement, I would highly recommend this book, or the next version that I assume will be coming out shortly. For the begining and intermediate Flash Developer, the hacks in this book will help you build better user experiences for your clients.




Book Rating: 8.5 / 10

This book is about coming up with new ideas for your Flash web designs, ActionScript, and Flash content. It is not just about showing you some interesting hacks, it is about showing you some of the nonobvious techniques and ideas that will make your Flash designs more original and your applications more effective.

If you want to get some quick ideas for new directions in your designs, the first four chapters look at the core techniques that affect the look and feel of a site, such as drawing, animation, and effects. Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, and Chapter 8 revolve around media and content, so visit them for inspiration and information pertaining to 3D, text, sound, or UI elements. Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, and Chapter 12 cover specialized topics such as browser integration, optimization, and security plus a healthy dose of ActionScript for good measure. You should peruse them for answers to question like, "How do I center the Flash Stage in the browser?" or "How can I prevent someone from stealing my design?"

Flash is a versatile authoring tool and consists of a number of separate areas that usually need to be combined to produce the finished effect or piece, so don't take the chapter titles and synopses as anything other than broad headings. For example, many chapters contain some element of animation, and most hacks contain ActionScript because it lets you do some really interesting things. The following is a brief description of the table of contents:

Chapter 1, Visual Effects
This chapter looks at ways you can make your graphic content more interesting by adding various effects and transitions.

Chapter 2, Color Effects
The savvy designer uses color in addition to animation. Color is often overlooked, but this chapter shows how color changes can transform the atmosphere of a piece or add video-like effects, such as fades and wipes.

Chapter 3, Drawing and Masking
Combining Flash's graphic animation facilities with ActionScript increases your creative horizons considerably. This chapter shows graphic effects created at both authoring time and runtime. Masking, which underlies many of the graphics tricks and techniques, is also discussed.

Chapter 4, Animation
The hacks in this chapter offer content creation shortcuts for manually drawn animation, plus ways to optimize animation created under ActionScript control.

Chapter 5, 3D and Physics
Flash Player is somewhat underpowered in terms of computational and animation speed. Therefore, processor-intensive applications, such as 3D, are problematic in Flash. Flash doesn't include any native 3D ActionScript commands or 3D hardware support, unlike Macromedia Director which supports the Shockwave 3D format. This chapter provides a number of hacks that bypass Flash's performance limitations to add physics simulations and 3D effects to your repertoire.

Chapter 6, Text
This chapter covers ways to store, display, and manipulate text, as well as create animated text effects.

Chapter 7, Sound
Without sound, your carefully crafted content will feel flat and uninspired. The main thrust of this chapter is to show hacks that allow you to create sounds for Flash without having to go to a usually very costly off-the-shelf sound source CD-ROM and without having to nurture any music talent. This chapter also looks at a number of issues that can stop Flash sound from working as advertised and which have put off many Flash sound experimenters in the past. A secondary aim is to present a few sound-related hacks that are not normally attempted. These techniques are hacks because they are sound applications that are not mainstream, such as Flash-based spoken word input and output.

Chapter 8, User Interface Elements
This chapter covers hacks related to user interface issues, such as buttons, scrollbars, and mouse input. However, this book is not about interface design but about stretching Flash in ways Macromedia might not have foreseen or intended. Therefore, the hacks in this chapter cover several nonobvious uses of UI elements within Flash. Some of them overcome apparent limitations in the UI facilities provided by Flash. But the first hack shows that UIs are not just for the end user, sometimes they can make development easier, too.

Chapter 9, Performance and Optimization
This chapter includes hacks to keep your filesizes small and your applications speedy. Flash's animation engine isn't the fastest one around because the Flash Player is optimized for a small download size, not for performance. Also, it is designed with web use in mind; therefore, it is optimized for small, low-bandwidth files rather than large, complex animation. In order to maintain its small footprint and ensure maximum compatibility, the Flash Player does not support hardware acceleration. Therefore, performance issues are often paramount for the Flash designer.

Chapter 10, ActionScript
Although almost every hack in the book includes some ActionScript, this chapter covers ways to get the most out of ActionScript, including undocumented features. ActionScript adds true power to Flash. Without ActionScript, Flash can create only linear animation. With a little ActionScript, you can create basic navigation via clickable buttons and hotspots. Learning more advanced ActionScript techniques gives you access to features such as creating a local shared object also known as a "Flash cookie". Without ActionScript, you cannot create Flash sites that communicate with the browser, exchange data with server-side applications, or download MP3 files.

Chapter 11, Browser Integration
This chapter looks at ways of maximizing browser compatibility so you can maximize the audience and enhance their enjoyment of your content. Ironically, part of the world's love-hate relationship with Flash is based on misconceptions. Many web developers and users don't realize the extent to which Flash works with browsers. In this chapter, we'll see how to integrate Flash with standard browser conventions, such as the Back button, which is highlighted in Hack #94, and search engines like Google.

Chapter 12, Security
This chapter provides a few ways to protect your content and designs, despite the vulnerability of the SWF format.

There are 100 total hacks, with an accompanying thermometer. The "temperature" indicates novice, intermediate, or expert hack.