Essential ActionScript 3.0 is a radically overhauled update to Essential ActionScript 2.0. True to its roots, the book once again focuses on the core language and object-oriented programming, but also adds a deep look at the centerpiece of Flash Player's new API: display programming. Enjoy hundreds of brand new pages covering exciting new language features, such as the DOM-based event architecture, E4X, and namespaces - all brimming with real-world sample code. The ActionScript 3.0 revolution is here, and Essential ActionScript 3.0's steady hand is waiting to guide you through it.

Colin Moock is an independent ActionScript expert whose world-renowned books have educated Flash programmers since 1999. He is the author of the canonical "Essential ActionScript 2.0" (O'Reilly, 2004) and "ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide" (O'Reilly, 2003, 2001). Moock runs one of the web's oldest Flash developer sites, www.moock.org and is the co-creator of Unity, a client/server framework for creating multiuser applications.

Core Concepts Tools for Writing Action
Script Code Flash Client Runtime Environments
Compilation Quick Review
Classes and Objects Creating a Program
Packages Defining a Class Virtual Zoo
Review Constructor Methods Creating Objects
Variables and Values Constructor
Parameters and Arguments Expressions
Assigning One Variable's Value to Another
An Instance Variable for Our Pet
Instance Methods Members and Properties
Virtual Zoo Review Break Time!
Conditionals and Loops
Conditionals Loops Boolean Logic
Back to Classes and Objects
Instance Methods Revisited
Omitting the this Keyword
Bound Methods Using Methods to Examine and Modify an Object's
State Get and Set Methods Handling an Unknown
Number of Parameters Up Next
Class-Level Information and Behavior
Static Variables and Static Methods
Static Variables Constants
Static Methods Class Objects
C++ and Java Terminology Comparison On to Functions
Functions Package-Level
Functions Nested Functions
Source-File-Level Functions
Accessing Definitions from Within a Function
Functions as Values
Function Literal Syntax
Recursive Functions Using
Functions in the Virtual
Zoo Program Back to Classes
Inheritance A Primer on Inheritance
Overriding Instance Methods Constructor
Methods in Subclasses
Preventing Classes from Being
Extended and Methods from Being
Overridden Subclassing
Built-in Classes
The Theory of Inheritance
Abstract Not Supported Using Inheritance in the Virtual Zoo
Program Virtual Zoo Program Code It's Runtime!
Compiling and Running a Program
Compiling with the Flash Authoring
Tool Compiling with Flex
Builder 2 Compiling with mxmlc
Compiler Restrictions
The Compilation Process and the Classpath
Strict-Mode Versus Standard-Mode
Compilation The Fun's Not Over
Datatypes and Type Checking
Datatypes and Type Annotations
Untyped Variables, Parameters, Return Values, and Expressions
Strict Mode's Three Special Cases
Warnings for Missing Type
Annotations Detecting
Reference Errors at Compile
Time Casting Conversion to Primitive
Types Default Variable
Values null and undefined
Datatypes in the Virtual Zoo
More Datatype Study Coming Up
Interfaces
The Case for Interfaces
Interfaces and Multidatatype Classes
Interface Syntax and Use Another
Multiple-Type Example
More Essentials Coming
Statements and Operators
Statements Operators Up Next
Managing Lists of Information
Arrays
What Is an Array?
The Anatomy of an Array
Creating Arrays
Referencing Array
Elements Determining the Size of an Array
Adding Elements to an Array
Removing Elements from an Array
Checking the Contents of an Array with the toString( )
Method Multidimensional Arrays On to Events
Events and Event Handling Action
Script Event Basics
Accessing the Target Object
Accessing the Object
That Registered the Listener Preventing
Default Event Behavior
Event Listener Priority Event
Listeners and Memory Management Custom Events
Type Weakness in Action
Script's Event Architecture Handling Events
Across Security Boundaries What's Next?
Exceptions and Error Handling
The Exception-Handling Cycle Handling
Multiple Types of Exceptions
Exception Bubbling
The finally Block Nested Exceptions
Control-Flow Changes in try/catch/finally
Handling a Built-in Exception
More Gritty Work Ahead
Garbage Collection
Eligibility for Garbage Collection
Incremental Mark and Sweep
Disposing of Objects Intentionally
Deactivating Objects Garbage Collection
Demonstration On to Action
Script Backcountry
Dynamic Action
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