ActionScript 3.0 for Adobe Flash CC Professionals

ActionScript 3.0 for Adobe Flash Professionals provides experienced Flash designers with the knowledge and hands-on practice they need to create dynamically generated event-driven animation and interactive projects with Flash. The course teaches fundamental programming techniques. It begins by introducing core concepts including instance names, variables, functions, properties, and methods; then proceeds through conditions, loops, event handling, and animating with ActionScript.

Video, animation and graphics professionals who need a working knowledge of Adobe Flash CC.

• Practical working knowledge of Mac OS X or Windows skills.
• Completed the Flash Fundamentals: An Introduction to Flash CC class or have equivalent experience.
• Photoshop Fundamentals: An Introduction to Photoshop class or equivalent experience is recommended.

Note: The curricula below comprise activities typically covered in a class at this skill level. The instructor may, at his/her discretion, adjust the lesson plan to meet the needs of the class.

Lesson 1: Using Code Snippets and Navigating the Flash Timeline

• Getting started
• Adding ActionScript using code snippets
• Placing code on the Flash Timeline
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 2: Working with Events and Functions

• Working with event-handling functions
• Using code snippets to create navigation
• Creating event listeners
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 3: Creating Animation with ActionScript

• Reviewing the starting file
• Controlling movie clip properties with ActionScript
• Creating animation using ActionScript tweens
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 4: Creating ActionScript in External Files

• Creating an ActionScript file
• Creating instances of a class file in Flash
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 5: Using ActionScript and Components to Load Content

• Creating a List component instance and setting its parameters
• Adding an instance of the UILoader component
• Adding a CHANGE event listener to the List component
• Loading SWF files into a UILoader component
• Creating the gallery file
• Adding a scroll bar to the text field
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 6: Creating Preloaders in ActionScript 3.0

• Tools in the testing environment
• Creating a text field and progress bar to track loading
• Inserting ActionScript to track progress of the UILoader component
• Controlling the frames of a movie clip to reflect loading progress
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 7: Using Arrays and Loops in ActionScript 3.0

• Examining the starting file
• Adding MovieClip instances to the Stage from the Flash Library
• Adding the initial variables
• Generating multiple instances with a for loop
• Generating drag-and-drop functionality
• Creating the game play in an ENTER_FRAME listener
• Using hitTestObject() to check for collisions
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 8: Creating and Formatting Text with ActionScript

• Examining the starting file
• Creating a TLF text field with ActionScript
• Loading an external text file into a TLF text field
• Using the TextFormat class
• Giving the user a custom panel to format text
• Creating a scroll bar using ActionScript
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 9: Controlling Sound with ActionScript

• Examining the starting file
• Adding sliders to the project
• The Sound, SoundChannel, and SoundTransform classes
• Setting the song titles using a for loop
• Making the sliders invisible until needed
• Programming the buttons to select songs
• Controlling the visibility of the volume and pan controls
• Adding a listener for the ID3 tags of an MP3 file
• Adding a text format object
• Adding the slider controls
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 10: Working with an XML Playlist

• Understanding the basic structure of an XML file
• Examining the starting file
• Replacing the songList array with an XML instance
• Loading an external playlist using the URLLoader class
• Responding to COMPLETE and IO_ERROR events
• Moving the event listeners into the xmlLoaded() function
• Updating the chooseSong() function
• Creating hyperlinks using XML data
• Navigating through the song list
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 11: Using ActionScript and Components to Control Video

• Examining the Lesson11 folder contents
• Adding the FLVPlayback component
• Setting FLVPlayback properties in Flash
• Adding ActionScript control of FLVPlayback properties
• Working with color
• Using cue points with Flash video
• Adding the FLVPlaybackCaptioning component
• Playing multiple video files from an XML playlist
• Using the full-screen publish settings
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 12: Delving Deeper into Graphics and Animation with ActionScript

• Inverse kinematics in Flash CS5
• Examining the starting files
• Working with IK animation in ActionScript
• Creating Sound and SoundChannel instances
• Accessing the user's webcam or video camera using ActionScript
• Using the Bitmap and BitmapData classes
• Examining the Pixel Bender Toolkit
• Suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 13: Printing and Sending Email with ActionScript 3.0

• Examining the starting file
• Adding a simple email link
• Sending email from Flash
• Adding printing capabilities with the PrintJob class
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 14: Creating Adobe AIR Applications with Flash and ActionScript

• Using AIR-specific ActionScript
• Specifying Flash publish settings for an AIR project
• Creating an AIR application
• Examining the starting file
• Controlling printing with AIR
• Listening for drag events
• Some suggestions to try on your own

Lesson 15: Using Third-Party Libraries to Extend ActionScript

• Downloading and installing third-party ActionScript libraries
• Examining the starting files
• Using the Papervision3D BasicView class
• Creating the constructor function for the Cube3D class
• Creating and modifying a 3D cube
• Animating the 3D cube
• Adding a movie clip as a material on a 3D object
• Adding video as a material on a 3D object
• Some suggestions to try on your own
• Review questions
• Review answers