Building a linear animation or moderately interactive Flash movie is relatively simple. With the upgrade from Flash 4 to Flash 5, ActionScripting has become an even more crucial and powerful part of the product. Tapping the vast programming capabilities of Flash, however, requires more than brute programming skill--it requires a keen understanding of how to apply scripting to specific tasks. This book concentrates on practical applications for Flash programming. The book is structured into three parts: Foundation knowledge (general programming theory applied to Flash with short tasks to demonstrate specific concepts); Applied workshop (more involved tasks broken into three parts each--design discussion, the building steps, and analysis with suggestions of variation); and, Reference (which provides a concise listing of some of the more useful elements in ActionScript).
Most instructional books try to appeal to too large an audience, but ActionScripting in Flash clearly defines who it is written for and then actually delivers the goods. Author Kerman singles out two specific groups: Flash 5 users who have gotten their feet wet with animations but want to branch out with scripting, and programmers who want to apply their skills to Flash. He has devised a unique structure for this book. The first section, which can be read without running Flash, covers the basics of programming (scripting) in Flash (and, to some degree, programming in general). The second includes tutorials built around many commonly needed tasks (e.g., creating a horizontal slider and creating JavaScript cookies). Kerman stresses that his code doesn't represent the only solution, and isn't necessarily even the "prettiest" code--it's the code that makes the most sense in explaining how to work out the problem.
There's even deliberately bad code here. In a very novel chapter, the book challenges readers to fix 10 faulty Flash files, offering first a clue and then the solution. Since so much of real-life work, particularly in animation applications like Flash, is spent debugging and finding one's way out of a seemingly dead end, this chapter is really valuable. (By going to phillipkerman.com, you can view a detailed description of all chapters, download selected ones in .pdf format, view all completed Flash animations, and download all the .fla files to work alongside the text.)
Another advantage is Kerman's own teaching style. Using many metaphors, he describes how the pieces of script work in a way that is often clearer than mere definition of function, and definitely easier to remember. For example, "If you think of most variables as an empty whiteboard onto which you can write a value, an array is like a whiteboard with permanent horizontal lines separating many pieces of information." It's true that one can copy code and instantly get results, but to devise and debug your own requires the kind of internalized understanding one can get from working through this book. --Angelynn Grant
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Average Rating: 5.0
Number of
Reviews: 20
This should not come as a surprise
Rating:
I am sure if you glance at the rest of the reviews you will be more than tempted to buy this book. Well, you should! Kerman's way of introducing the LOGIC behind actionScript is phenomenal. This books should help pave the way for you to grasp the logic behind actionScript. Why not 5 stars then? Well, I thought there would be more practical examples than the book included. Definitely worth the money!
Total Votes: 0, Helpful Votes: 0, Date: 2005-02-16
To soon
Rating:
I'm sorry I bought this book! Because it's so good! And now the MX version is out, but I already have the Flash 5 one! Anybody wants to buy it off me, so I can get the new issue? ;-)
Total Votes: 0, Helpful Votes: 0, Date: 2002-11-12
Clone this author! The BEST actionscript book I've read!
Rating:
This is the first book I've read by Phillip Kerman. I will now go hunt for his next one - or all of them, to be honest! This book doesn't learn You any Flash or design, but it gives You everything You need to know about actionscripting. Tastefully presented and easy to read. If You are the perfect object oriented programmer - You could skip some chapters, but if You're just an "almost" perfect programer in object oriented languages - this book will give You the last skills that makes You perfect! Yes it really does not only cover actionscripting - it gives You a visual and very educational lesson in object oriented programing.
Total Votes: 1, Helpful Votes: 1, Date: 2002-05-30
WOW - Buy it Buy it Buy it!
Rating:
If you're looking for a book with lots of pictures and fluff this is not the book for you. But if you're actually interested in learning to program ActionScript this is the first and only book you should buy.
Phillip Kerman explains everything in a clear understandable way and approaches the ideas of good programming as opposed to bad as well as the actual language itself. This alone will save you hours of re-doing what you've already done. Phillip gets you thinking like a programmer (a fairly new concept to a lot of designers trying to make their Flash more interactive.) Learn to design completely independent re-usable interfaces so that not only are you developing advanced interactive web-applications, you're also building a library of sample re-usable building blocks that you can re-use over and over.
Even if you're new to the language, take some tutorials online to get the basics and then buy this book. Read it and do the tutorials in it and soon you will be programming like a professional in no time. This is the best book on ActionScripting period! and I own 16 books on Flash Development!
Total Votes: 0, Helpful Votes: 0, Date: 2002-04-24
Hits the Mark
Rating:
Wow!
This is a GREAT book for the graphic/web designer wanting to learn actionscript. I own or have read many others that don't cover the basics or the thought processes behind writing in a scripting language. Most books on this topic started out over my head with little explaination and were accompanied by buggy and/or old code. With clear and consice writing, Philip uses the first half of the book to fully explain programming concepts as they pertain to scripting in Flash, and then follows up with examples of how to implement these ideas.
I can't say enough about how far this book has taken me into the scripting world. Kudos to Kerman.
Total Votes: 2, Helpful Votes: 2, Date: 2002-04-10
This should not come as a surprise
Rating:
I am sure if you glance at the rest of the reviews you will be more than tempted to buy this book. Well, you should! Kerman's way of introducing the LOGIC behind actionScript is phenomenal. This books should help pave the way for you to grasp the logic behind actionScript. Why not 5 stars then? Well, I thought there would be more practical examples than the book included. Definitely worth the money!
Total Votes: 0, Helpful Votes: 0, Date: 2005-02-16
To soon
Rating:
I'm sorry I bought this book! Because it's so good! And now the MX version is out, but I already have the Flash 5 one! Anybody wants to buy it off me, so I can get the new issue? ;-)
Total Votes: 0, Helpful Votes: 0, Date: 2002-11-12
Clone this author! The BEST actionscript book I've read!
Rating:
This is the first book I've read by Phillip Kerman. I will now go hunt for his next one - or all of them, to be honest! This book doesn't learn You any Flash or design, but it gives You everything You need to know about actionscripting. Tastefully presented and easy to read. If You are the perfect object oriented programmer - You could skip some chapters, but if You're just an "almost" perfect programer in object oriented languages - this book will give You the last skills that makes You perfect! Yes it really does not only cover actionscripting - it gives You a visual and very educational lesson in object oriented programing.
Total Votes: 1, Helpful Votes: 1, Date: 2002-05-30
WOW - Buy it Buy it Buy it!
Rating:
If you're looking for a book with lots of pictures and fluff this is not the book for you. But if you're actually interested in learning to program ActionScript this is the first and only book you should buy.
Phillip Kerman explains everything in a clear understandable way and approaches the ideas of good programming as opposed to bad as well as the actual language itself. This alone will save you hours of re-doing what you've already done. Phillip gets you thinking like a programmer (a fairly new concept to a lot of designers trying to make their Flash more interactive.) Learn to design completely independent re-usable interfaces so that not only are you developing advanced interactive web-applications, you're also building a library of sample re-usable building blocks that you can re-use over and over.
Even if you're new to the language, take some tutorials online to get the basics and then buy this book. Read it and do the tutorials in it and soon you will be programming like a professional in no time. This is the best book on ActionScripting period! and I own 16 books on Flash Development!
Total Votes: 0, Helpful Votes: 0, Date: 2002-04-24
Hits the Mark
Rating:
Wow!
This is a GREAT book for the graphic/web designer wanting to learn actionscript. I own or have read many others that don't cover the basics or the thought processes behind writing in a scripting language. Most books on this topic started out over my head with little explaination and were accompanied by buggy and/or old code. With clear and consice writing, Philip uses the first half of the book to fully explain programming concepts as they pertain to scripting in Flash, and then follows up with examples of how to implement these ideas.
I can't say enough about how far this book has taken me into the scripting world. Kudos to Kerman.
Total Votes: 2, Helpful Votes: 2, Date: 2002-04-10
This should not come as a surprise
Rating:
I am sure if you glance at the rest of the reviews you will be more than tempted to buy this book. Well, you should! Kerman's way of introducing the LOGIC behind actionScript is phenomenal. This books should help pave the way for you to grasp the logic behind actionScript. Why not 5 stars then? Well, I thought there would be more practical examples than the book included. Definitely worth the money!
Total Votes: 0, Helpful Votes: 0, Date: 2005-02-16
To soon
Rating:
I'm sorry I bought this book! Because it's so good! And now the MX version is out, but I already have the Flash 5 one! Anybody wants to buy it off me, so I can get the new issue? ;-)
Total Votes: 0, Helpful Votes: 0, Date: 2002-11-12
Clone this author! The BEST actionscript book I've read!
Rating:
This is the first book I've read by Phillip Kerman. I will now go hunt for his next one - or all of them, to be honest! This book doesn't learn You any Flash or design, but it gives You everything You need to know about actionscripting. Tastefully presented and easy to read. If You are the perfect object oriented programmer - You could skip some chapters, but if You're just an "almost" perfect programer in object oriented languages - this book will give You the last skills that makes You perfect! Yes it really does not only cover actionscripting - it gives You a visual and very educational lesson in object oriented programing.
Total Votes: 1, Helpful Votes: 1, Date: 2002-05-30
WOW - Buy it Buy it Buy it!
Rating:
If you're looking for a book with lots of pictures and fluff this is not the book for you. But if you're actually interested in learning to program ActionScript this is the first and only book you should buy.
Phillip Kerman explains everything in a clear understandable way and approaches the ideas of good programming as opposed to bad as well as the actual language itself. This alone will save you hours of re-doing what you've already done. Phillip gets you thinking like a programmer (a fairly new concept to a lot of designers trying to make their Flash more interactive.) Learn to design completely independent re-usable interfaces so that not only are you developing advanced interactive web-applications, you're also building a library of sample re-usable building blocks that you can re-use over and over.
Even if you're new to the language, take some tutorials online to get the basics and then buy this book. Read it and do the tutorials in it and soon you will be programming like a professional in no time. This is the best book on ActionScripting period! and I own 16 books on Flash Development!
Total Votes: 0, Helpful Votes: 0, Date: 2002-04-24
Hits the Mark
Rating:
Wow!
This is a GREAT book for the graphic/web designer wanting to learn actionscript. I own or have read many others that don't cover the basics or the thought processes behind writing in a scripting language. Most books on this topic started out over my head with little explaination and were accompanied by buggy and/or old code. With clear and consice writing, Philip uses the first half of the book to fully explain programming concepts as they pertain to scripting in Flash, and then follows up with examples of how to implement these ideas.
I can't say enough about how far this book has taken me into the scripting world. Kudos to Kerman.
Total Votes: 2, Helpful Votes: 2, Date: 2002-04-10
This should not come as a surprise
Rating:
I am sure if you glance at the rest of the reviews you will be more than tempted to buy this book. Well, you should! Kerman's way of introducing the LOGIC behind actionScript is phenomenal. This books should help pave the way for you to grasp the logic behind actionScript. Why not 5 stars then? Well, I thought there would be more practical examples than the book included. Definitely worth the money!
Total Votes: 0, Helpful Votes: 0, Date: 2005-02-16
To soon
Rating:
I'm sorry I bought this book! Because it's so good! And now the MX version is out, but I already have the Flash 5 one! Anybody wants to buy it off me, so I can get the new issue? ;-)
Total Votes: 0, Helpful Votes: 0, Date: 2002-11-12
Clone this author! The BEST actionscript book I've read!
Rating:
This is the first book I've read by Phillip Kerman. I will now go hunt for his next one - or all of them, to be honest! This book doesn't learn You any Flash or design, but it gives You everything You need to know about actionscripting. Tastefully presented and easy to read. If You are the perfect object oriented programmer - You could skip some chapters, but if You're just an "almost" perfect programer in object oriented languages - this book will give You the last skills that makes You perfect! Yes it really does not only cover actionscripting - it gives You a visual and very educational lesson in object oriented programing.
Total Votes: 1, Helpful Votes: 1, Date: 2002-05-30
WOW - Buy it Buy it Buy it!
Rating:
If you're looking for a book with lots of pictures and fluff this is not the book for you. But if you're actually interested in learning to program ActionScript this is the first and only book you should buy.
Phillip Kerman explains everything in a clear understandable way and approaches the ideas of good programming as opposed to bad as well as the actual language itself. This alone will save you hours of re-doing what you've already done. Phillip gets you thinking like a programmer (a fairly new concept to a lot of designers trying to make their Flash more interactive.) Learn to design completely independent re-usable interfaces so that not only are you developing advanced interactive web-applications, you're also building a library of sample re-usable building blocks that you can re-use over and over.
Even if you're new to the language, take some tutorials online to get the basics and then buy this book. Read it and do the tutorials in it and soon you will be programming like a professional in no time. This is the best book on ActionScripting period! and I own 16 books on Flash Development!
Total Votes: 0, Helpful Votes: 0, Date: 2002-04-24
Hits the Mark
Rating:
Wow!
This is a GREAT book for the graphic/web designer wanting to learn actionscript. I own or have read many others that don't cover the basics or the thought processes behind writing in a scripting language. Most books on this topic started out over my head with little explaination and were accompanied by buggy and/or old code. With clear and consice writing, Philip uses the first half of the book to fully explain programming concepts as they pertain to scripting in Flash, and then follows up with examples of how to implement these ideas.
I can't say enough about how far this book has taken me into the scripting world. Kudos to Kerman.
Total Votes: 2, Helpful Votes: 2, Date: 2002-04-10
