Macromedia Flash MX Advanced for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide

by Chun, Russell

• ISBN13: 9780201758467
• ISBN10: 0201758466
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback w/CD
• Copyright: 2002-01-01
• Publisher: Peachpit Press

Summary

Ready to take your Flash knowledge to the next level? ThenMacromedia Flash MX Advanced for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guideis your ticket. Designed for professionals like yourself-users who have mastered the basics of Flash but need help with the advanced animation techniques and ActionScripting--this guide is a must-have for graphic designers, Web animators, game programmers, interface designers, and multimedia pros.In this volume, veteran Flash instructor Russell Chun eschews "cool effects" and case studies for an approach that emphasizes methodology and problem-solving. Using the task-based format that readers have come to expect from this popular series, Russell has divided the text into three primary sections: animation, navigation, and interactivity. The guide covers all of Flash's new features, including the revamped user interface, brand-new commands, and added drawing and text tools. Plus, you'll find plenty of screen shots and visual aids to reinforce the text. WithFlash MX Advanced for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guideby your side, you'll soon find yourself thinking--maybe even dreaming--in Flash.

Author Biography

Russell Chun teaches at the Center for Electronic Art in San Francisco and at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California at Berkeley.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Who Should Use This Book	x
Goals of This Book	x
What's New in Flash MX	xii
Part I: Approaching Advanced Animation	1	(68)
Building Complexity	3	(36)
Motion-Tweening Strategies	4	(11)
Shape-Tweening Strategies	15	(5)
Creating Special Effects	20	(4)
Animated and Complex Masks	24	(15)
Working with Video and 3D	39	(30)
Integrating Flash and Video	40	(15)
Rotoscoping	55	(3)
Simulating Video	58	(5)
Simulating 3D	63	(6)
Part II: Understanding Actionscript	69	(32)
Getting a Handle on ActionScript	71	(30)
About Objects and Classes	72	(1)
About Methods and Properties	73	(1)
Writing with Dot Syntax	74	(2)
More on Punctuation	76	(1)
The Actions Panel	77	(12)
Using Objects	89	(10)
About Functions	99	(1)
Using Comments	100	(1)
Part III: Navigating Timelines and Communicating	101	(156)
Advanced Buttons and Event Detection	103	(59)
Events and Event Handlers	104	(1)
The Button Object	104	(5)
Invisible Buttons	109	(3)
Tweening Buttons	112	(1)
Animated Buttons and the Movie-Clip Symbol	113	(3)
Complex Buttons	116	(4)
Button-Tracking Options	120	(3)
Button Properties	123	(5)
The Movie Clip As a Button	128	(7)
Keyboard Detection	135	(10)
Mouse Detection	145	(3)
Clip Events	148	(4)
Creating Continuous Actions with enterFrame	152	(2)
Creating Continuous Actions with setInterval	154	(5)
A Summary of Events and Event Handlers	159	(3)
Controlling Multiple Timelines	162	(29)
Navigating Timelines with Movie Clips	162	(1)
Naming Instances	163	(2)
Target Paths	165	(4)
Absolute and Relative Paths	169	(8)
Using the with Action to Target Movie Clips	177	(3)
Slash Notation and tellTarget	180	(2)
Scope	182	(5)
Movie Clips As Containers	187	(4)
Managing Outside Communication	191	(66)
Communicating Through the Web Browser	192	(21)
Communicating with External Movies	213	(10)
Communicating with External Images	223	(3)
Communicating Between Two Movies	226	(6)
Using Projectors and the fscommand Action	232	(4)
Communicating with the Printer	236	(6)
Detecting the Movie's Playback Environment	242	(6)
Detecting Download Progress: Preloaders	248	(9)
Part IV: Transforming Graphics and Sound	257	(100)
Controlling the Movie Clip	259	(70)
Dragging the Movie Clip	260	(7)
Setting the Movie-Clip Properties	267	(4)
Getting the Movie-Clip Properties	271	(2)
Modifying the Movie-Clip Color	273	(7)
Swapping Overlapping Movie Clips	280	(4)
Detecting Dropped Movie Clips	284	(3)
Detecting Movie-Clip Collisions	287	(4)
Getting the Boundaries of Movie Clips	291	(2)
Generating Movie Clips Dynamically	293	(7)
Removing Movie Clips Dynamically	300	(1)
Creating Shapes Dynamically	301	(14)
Using Dynamic Masks	315	(4)
Customizing Your Pointer	319	(3)
Beginning to Animate with ActionScript	322	(7)
Controlling Sound	329	(28)
Using the Sound Object	330	(1)
Attaching Sounds	331	(2)
Playing Sounds	333	(3)
Modifying Sounds	336	(2)
Modifying Independent Sounds	338	(3)
Transforming Sounds	341	(3)
Creating Dynamic Sound Controls	344	(6)
Loading External Sounds	350	(2)
Reading Sound Properties	352	(2)
Detecting Sound Events	354	(3)
Part V: Working With Information	357	(220)
Controlling Information Flow	359	(52)
Initializing Information	360	(4)
Using Variables and Expressions	364	(5)
Loading External Variables	369	(7)
Storing and Sharing Information	376	(7)
Modifying Variables	383	(3)
Concatenating Variables and Dynamic Referencing	386	(4)
Testing Information with Conditional Statements	390	(5)
Providing Alternatives to Conditions	395	(3)
Branching Conditional Statements	398	(6)
Combining Conditions with Logical Operators	404	(2)
Looping Statements	406	(5)
Controlling Text	411	(64)
Input Text	412	(2)
Dynamic Text	414	(2)
Selecting Text-Field Options	416	(2)
Concatenating Text	418	(3)
Displaying HTML	421	(3)
Tweening Text Fields	424	(3)
TextField Properties	427	(12)
Generating Text Fields Dynamically	439	(2)
Modifying Text in Text Fields	441	(8)
Manipulating Text-Field Contents	449	(1)
Controlling the Focus of Text Fields	450	(3)
Controlling the Selection Within Text Fields	453	(4)
Detecting Changes in the Text Field	457	(4)
The String Object	461	(1)
Analyzing Strings	462	(6)
Rearranging Strings	468	(5)
Modifying Strings	473	(2)
Manipulating Information	475	(60)
Calculating with the Math Object	476	(1)
Calculating Angles with the Math Object	477	(8)
Using Sine and Cosine for Directional Movement	485	(4)
Calculating Distances with the Math Object	489	(3)
Generating Random Numbers	492	(3)
Ordering Information with Arrays	495	(7)
Keeping Track of Movie Clips with Arrays	502	(5)
Using the Date and Time	507	(8)
Building Reusable Scripts	515	(9)
Building Custom Classes with Functions	524	(11)
Managing Content and Troubleshooting	535	(42)
Sharing Library Symbols	536	(6)
Sharing Fonts	542	(3)
Using Components	545	(3)
Editing ActionScript	548	(3)
Including External ActionScript	551	(2)
Using the Movie Explorer	553	(4)
Listing Variables and Objects in the Output Window	557	(3)
Tracing Variables in the Output Window	560	(3)
Debugging	563	(9)
Optimizing Your Movie	572	(4)
Avoiding Common Mistakes	576	(1)
Appendix A: Summary of Object Methods & Properties	577	(12)
Appendix B: Keyboard Keys and Matching Key Codes	589	(2)
Appendix C: Summary of the Actions Category	591	(4)
Appendix D: Summary of Events and Object Associations	595	(2)
Index	597