Sams Teach Yourself Flash MX ActionScript in 24 Hours [Paperback]

Gary Rosenzweig (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0672323850 | ISBN-13: 978-0672323850 | Publication Date: May 12, 2002 | Edition: 1

Macromedia Flash delivers sound, interactivity, graphics, and animations across multiple browsers and platforms. It enables developers to create interactive interfaces and distinctive Web applications. ActionScript is the behind-the-scenes programming language that offers greater control and functionality in Flash programming.

Sams Teach Yourself Flash ActionScript in 24 Hours offers a clearly written, well organized introduction to programming Flash with ActionScript. The reader will be taught basic programming techniques while creating their own interactive Flash movies.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Macromedia Flash delivers sound, interactivity, graphics, and animations across multiple browsers and platforms. It enables developers to create interactive interfaces and distinctive Web applications. ActionScript is the behind-the-scenes programming language that offers greater control and functionality in Flash programming.

Sams Teach Yourself Flash ActionScript in 24 Hours offers a clearly written, well organized introduction to programming Flash with ActionScript. The reader will be taught basic programming techniques while creating their own interactive Flash movies.

About the Author

Gary Rosenzweig started programming in the early '80s on TRS-80 and Apple computers. After getting a degree in computer science from Drexel University, he started using the Flash-like tools Hypercard and Macromedia Director to create multimedia applications.

After getting a degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Rosenzweig began to work with Macromedia Director professionally and eventually wrote six books about Director. His most recent is Special Edition Using Director 8.5 from Que publishing.

In 1995, Rosenzweig started CleverMedia, a game development company that specializes in Shockwave games. CleverMedia now has four game sites, including http://clevermedia.com/ and http://flasharcade.com/. The latter is a site composed completely of Flash games, some dating back to Flash 2.

Rosenzweig also speaks at Macromedia User Conferences, the Game Developers Conference, and other events. In his spare time, he reads a lot of classic science fiction, watches independent films, and listens to alternative rock music. He lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Debby; dog, Natasha; and daughter, Lucy. You can find out more and contact him through his Web site http://www.garyrosenzweig.com/.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sams; 1 edition (May 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672323850
• ISBN-13: 978-0672323850
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,750,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gary Rosenzweig is a programmer, Web site developer, Internet entrepreneur, podcaster and computer book writer. He is the host and publisher of the MacMost video podcast and Web site. He has also programmed more than 200 Web-based and iPhone games. He has written many books on Flash and Shockwave game development.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Clearly missing a thorough proof reading, November 15, 2002

By 

John Harpur (Trim, Meath, IRELAND) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sams Teach Yourself Flash MX ActionScript in 24 Hours (Paperback)

The most extraordinary flaws in this book are the constant references to files on a non existent CD. Each chapter has a selection of code examples that are accessible from a CD. However, the CD doesn't exist, and it beggars belief that the book made it all through proofing into print without this error being caught. There is no errata slip, and no mention of a website that might have the missing files (if you visit the author's own website, the files will be found). Moreover some of the code examples appear to be from the author's earlier Flash 5 book on game creation. There are also glitches in some of the books' code snippets (quotes added, and typos).

My overall impression of the book (I began skimming it after I discovered the CD flaw) is that it is easy to read, but not to follow. The CD flaw is so ubiquitous throughout the text, that one wonders whether Sam's shouldn't reimburse everyone who bought the book, or at least pencil them in for a reprint. Nearly every chapter references the contents of at least one CD file, but fails to replicate the code example on the page you're reading.

Another flaw is the lack of good software engineering practices to use with Flash. One of my biggest headaches in dealing with graduates that have 'mastered' Flash outside of Computer Science, is their lack of an understanding of structured programming. The book misses an opportunity to address these principles early on.

If the flaws above were fixed, this could be a great book. Until then I would not be happy to recommend it to a student. Incidentally, the publishers still haven't replied to a complaint I emailed about the proof reading and missing CD.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Filled with coding errors, July 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sams Teach Yourself Flash MX ActionScript in 24 Hours (Paperback)

This book contains very good examples and is easy to follow. It would be even easier to follow if I wasn't having to continuously correct coding errors throughout the book. If you want to beef up on your debugging skills then this book is great. I am a little disappointed in the author and his quality control in publishing this book. It would be a fabulous book otherwise.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I would give this three and a half stars if I could, August 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sams Teach Yourself Flash MX ActionScript in 24 Hours (Paperback)

THE BAD:
First of all, there are indeed so many errors in this book, it is ludicrous. For example (page 75, number 4) , one script tells you to use "gotoAndStop" but then in the code it has written "gotoAndPlay". If you type in the code as given, the movie doesn't work properly, but if you then figure out that the author really _meant_ to put in the code what he intially said - ie: "gotoAndStop" - the movie works fine. It's that kind of thing that can really drive you nuts.

THE GOOD:

That said, I did learn (or re-learn) some programming concepts from this book and it has gotten me started in ActionScript . I'm one of those poor schmucks ( aka: "a designer") that has been trying to learn programming on my own for six years and until recently, couldn't tell a function from a variable. So the fact that this book got a few programming concepts through my thick skull made it a worthwhile read... in spite of the errors.