Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0 [Paperback]

Peter Elst (Author), Sas Jacobs (Author), Todd Yard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1590598458 | ISBN-13: 978-1590598450 | Publication Date: July 24, 2007 | Edition: 1

ActionScript 3.0 is a very popular new language for the Flash community to learn, plus it makes object-oriented programming mandatory, hence this new edition of the best selling and very highly regarded Object Oriented ActionScript for Flash 8 is doubly important for the community - they are now forced to adopted OOP methodologies with ActionScript 3.0. This book is useful to any Flash developer wanting to improve their skill in ActionScript 3.0, whether they use it within Flash 9, or Flex 2.

Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0 teaches the theory and practice of object-oriented programming (OOP) with ActionScript 3.0, assuming no serious programming experience, and delivering enough techniques and step by step examples to keep the reader interested and help them succeed in their goals.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Elst is a certified Flash developer, Adobe Community Expert, and User Group Manager for the MMUG Belgium.

As the managing director of MindStudio, a freelance Flash platform consultancy, and a respected member of the online community, Peter has spoken at various international industry events and had work published in leading industry journals. Most recently Peter was the lead author of Object-Oriented ActionScript for Flash 8.

Todd Yard is a contributing author or technical editor on many previous friends of ED books including Extending Flash MX 2004 and Flash MX Most Wanted Effects & Movies and regularly contributes Flash, Photoshop and Illustrator tutorials to Practical Web Projects and Web Designer magazines. His personal Website www.27Bobs.com features many of his open source applications and components as well as silly animations and experiments that still make him smile.

Sas Jacobs is a web developer who set up her own business, Anything is Possible, in 1994, working in the areas of web development, IT training, and technical writing. The business works with large and small clients building web applications with ASP.NET, Flash, XML, and databases.

Sas has spoken at such conferences as Flash Forward, MXDU, and Flaskit on topics relating to XML and dynamic content in Flash. In her spare time, Sas is passionate about traveling, photography, running, and enjoying life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1 edition (July 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590598458
• ISBN-13: 978-1590598450
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #647,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful Transition from AS 2.0, October 13, 2007

By 

Brandon Aaskov - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0 (Paperback)

I've been eagerly reading as much as I can to dive into AS 3.0. I know AS 2.0 sufficiently well, but never got into the OOP side of things. After reading some design patterns books, and Essential Actionscript 3.0 (must have) I definitely understood the concepts of OOP, which was great. But then I'd sit down and try to code some kind of small app, and I felt like I knew nothing.

I like this book because it has tons and tons of code samples that I can easily read through and understand as I go, plus case studies to work on. That helps me get over that conceptual hump and actually get things done.

I really like Friends of Ed books. Anytime I feel stuck with learning a topic, it seems like I can turn to one of their books and cruise through it. I read this on the train every day - for some reason, you can just read these as you would a novel (well, sort of).

If you want to get a good grasp on OOP (and you really should if you're looking to learn AS 3.0) I would definitely pick this up as well as Essential Actionscript 3.0. You'll be good to go.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Object-Oriented Actionscript 3.0, March 5, 2008

By 

Jeffrey M. Smith "{ [Jeff] }" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0 (Paperback)

Title: Object-Oriented Actionscript 3.0
Authors: Peter Elst, Sas Jacobs, and Todd Yard
Publisher: Friends of ED (July 23rd, 2007)
ISBN: 1590598458
[...]
I figured this book would be next logical step in learning actionscript. I will state this book is not for those who are just beginning actionscript as the depth will make your head spin. If you are just beginning AS I suggest you pick up the Foundation Actionscript for Flash 8 by Friend of Ed or head over LearnFlash to check out their Introduction to Actionscript 3.0 videos. The thing that I looked forward to most about this book is the OOP discussions. As a developer, I am always looking for a better explanation of a very important aspect of development.
The book is divided into five sections. The first section deals with OOP and Actionscript. It throws in a basic programming concepts and an introduction to Actionscript. Part two deals Flash OOP guidelines. It contains chapters dealing with best practices, planning, and project workflow. They decided to stick a Flex chapter in this section which seemed odd to me. Part three deals with the core OOP concepts such as encapsulation, classes, inheritance, Polymorphism, interfaces, and a section on design patterns. Part four deals with building and extending dynamic frameworks. They talk about manager classes, UI widgets, and OOP animation/effects. The final part deals with data integration. The authors provide details on exchanging data between components, communication with the browser, and various forms of server communication (XML and web Services. The book concludes with an example of a slideshow engine.
The layout is very reminiscent of other books in this series. I wish they would have found a better way to make the code examples stand out from the other text a little better. It would have broken up the monotony. I think the book could have used more color.
What I liked about the book
I thought the authors did a great job of covering OOP concepts. Part three really provides a terrific explanation of the foundation and core fundamentals. I recommend reading part three if you need a refresher on the topic. If you don't get lost in the rhetoric then the case studies are excellent. The Slideshow engine in the final part really brings together the concepts discussed throughout the whole book. I enjoyed the coverage of Flex 2 and its capabilities.
What I didn't like about the book
I did not care for the way the code examples were presented at all. In most cases, it made the book hard to follow and many times I would have to reread the paragraph before the code just to make sense of what they were trying to relay to the reader. I think some of the chapters were very confusing and fuzzy on the topic at hand. I am sure the manager classes discussed in part four are integral part of AS 3.0, but I felt like I was running up hill in quicksand. There are several topics in the book that would have been clearer if they had their own chapter. This being said it would have helped me master the codes examples a bit better if the explanation was a bit clearer. The examples would be easier to follow if they built upon each other as well. I enjoyed the Flex coverage, but it would have been great to have more material relating to Flash.
Conclusion
I don't think this is a horrible book by any means and if were organized clearly it would be a must read. I am hoping they come out with a foundation book on AS 3.0 which will benefit beginners and intermediates as well. If you are well schooled in AS than I imagine you will find this book helpful if you are not then you will be left scratching your head. Personally, I think it time back track and pick up on some things that I must have missed.

{[Jeff Smith]}

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0 Review, October 24, 2007

By 

Jeremy R. Heckathorn (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0 (Paperback)

I had read the Object-Oriented ActionScript for Flash 8 which was the predecessor to Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0 and it was one of the best books I ever read. So, I cracked open this new book with high expectations and I am happy to report that I was not disappointed in the least. Both books are outstanding. If you're still working in ActionScript 2 get the first book. If you are ready to, or already have taken on ActionScript 3.0 this new book is a must have. Not that this will comes as a surprise, friendsofEd have always put out great teaching books.

The greatest values of Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0 are not only in how well explained the principles of OOP are, but also in learning some great code techniques as well. Take your time with this book and really come to understand each line of code. You will find that you will learn many different code tricks that will serve to make you a far more efficient and effective coder. One of the other great things about this book is that because it focuses on ActionScript 3.0 and not specifically Flash, it also covers developing in Flex and other IDEs making the book even more versatile.

Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0 also does a wonderful job of walking you through real world examples that will have actual use in future development. Many of the examples build on each other to give you a greater understanding of how each of the techniques and/or principles of OOP can work together to form a successful application.

It should be said that this is not a book for the faint of heart so if you are new to Flash, I would suggest you start with something geared toward beginners. However, at the same time, don't think you need to be an expert either. Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0 does a great job of explaining things from a pretty basic level and then working you up to some pretty advanced stuff. By the time you finish this book you just may find yourself amongst the ranks of expert ActionScript developers.

Review by Jeremy Heckathorn