# Are you happy with the new help file in flash CS3?

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/are-you-happy-with-the-new-help-file-in-flash-cs3/224124>\
**Category:** flash\
**Created:** [April 28, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/are-you-happy-with-the-new-help-file-in-flash-cs3/224124 "2007-04-28T21:34:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![joshchernoff](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/forum.kirupa.com/joshchernoff/32/1852_2.png) [@joshchernoff](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/joshchernoff)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/are-you-happy-with-the-new-help-file-in-flash-cs3/224124/1 "2007-04-28T21:34:28Z")

</div>

I find it really hard now to under stand the new AS3 code because of how different the help file is now.

Example:

in flash 8 and AS2 books you have a question about “gotoAndPlay function”  
well then you would hit F1 or got to the help file in the help menu.  
Then type “gotoAndPlay” in the search field and look it up likely in the  
\*\*ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference \*\*where you would see something like this.

> [@ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference](#):
>
> **gotoAndPlay function**
> 
> gotoAndPlay([scene:String], frame:Object) : Void  
> Sends the playhead to the specified frame in a scene and plays from that frame. If no scene is specified, the playhead goes to the specified frame in the current scene. You can use the _scene_ parameter only on the root Timeline, not within Timelines for movie clips or other objects in the document.  
> \*\*Availability: \*\*ActionScript 1.0; Flash Player 2  
> **Parameters**
> 
> **scene** :[String](http://www.kirupa.com/forum/00002157.html#475500) [optional] - A string specifying the name of the scene to which the playhead is sent.  
> **frame** :[Object](http://www.kirupa.com/forum/00002035.html#421878) - A number representing the frame number, or a string representing the label of the frame, to which the playhead is sent.  
> **Example**
> 
> In the following example, a document has two scenes: sceneOne and sceneTwo. Scene one contains a frame label on Frame 10 called newFrame and two buttons, myBtn\_btn and myOtherBtn\_btn. This ActionScript is placed on Frame 1, Scene 1 of the main Timeline.  
> stop();  
> myBtn\_btn.onRelease = function(){  
> gotoAndPlay(“newFrame”);  
> };
> 
> myOtherBtn\_btn.onRelease = function(){  
> gotoAndPlay(“sceneTwo”, 1);  
> };
> 
> When the user clicks the buttons, the playhead moves to the specified location and continues playing.  
> **See also**
> 
> [gotoAndPlay[URL=“[kirupaForum](http://www.kirupa.com/forum/00001925.html#381033)”] (MovieClip.gotoAndPlay method), [URL=“[kirupaForum](http://www.kirupa.com/forum/00001198.html#151365)”]nextFrame function, [URL=“[kirupaForum](http://www.kirupa.com/forum/00001207.html#154486)”]play function, [URL=“[kirupaForum](http://www.kirupa.com/forum/00001208.html#154669)”]prevFrame function](file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/All%20Users/Application%20Data/Adobe/Flash%20CS3/en/Configuration/HelpPanel/Help/ActionScriptLangRefV2/00001925.html#381033)

In the case of AS3 you would get

> [@ActionScript 3.0 Language Reference](#):
>
> Package flash.display  
> Class public final class Scene  
> Inheritance Scene Object
> 
> Language version: ActionScript 3.0  
> Player version: Flash Player 9
> 
> The Scene class includes properties for identifying the name, labels, and number of frames in a scene. The MovieClip class includes a currentScene property, which is a Scene object that identifies the scene in which the playhead is located in the timeline of the MovieClip instance. The scenes property of the MovieClip class is an array of Scene objects. Also, the gotoAndPlay() and gotoAndStop() methods of the MovieClip class use Scene objects as parameters.
> 
> See also
> 
> MovieClip.currentScene  
> MovieClip.scenes  
> MovieClip.gotoAndPlay()  
> MovieClip.gotoAndStop()
> 
> * * *
> 
> Public Properties  
> Hide Inherited Public Properties  
> Show Inherited Public Properties  
> Property Defined by  
> constructor : Object  
> A reference to the class object or constructor function for a given object instance. Object  
> labels : Array  
> [read-only] An array of FrameLabel objects for the scene. Scene  
> name : String  
> [read-only] The name of the scene. Scene  
> numFrames : int  
> [read-only] The number of frames in the scene. Scene  
> prototype : Object  
> [static] A reference to the prototype object of a class or function object. Object
> 
> Public Methods  
> Hide Inherited Public Methods  
> Show Inherited Public Methods  
> Method Defined by  
> hasOwnProperty(name:String):Boolean  
> Indicates whether an object has a specified property defined. Object  
> isPrototypeOf(theClass:Object):Boolean  
> Indicates whether an instance of the Object class is in the prototype chain of the object specified as the parameter. Object  
> propertyIsEnumerable(name:String):Boolean  
> Indicates whether the specified property exists and is enumerable. Object  
> setPropertyIsEnumerable(name:String, isEnum:Boolean = true):void  
> Sets the availability of a dynamic property for loop operations. Object  
> toString():String  
> Returns the string representation of the specified object. Object  
> valueOf():Object  
> Returns the primitive value of the specified object. Object
> 
> Property Detail  
> labels property
> 
> labels:Array [read-only]
> 
> Language version: ActionScript 3.0  
> Player version: Flash Player 9
> 
> An array of FrameLabel objects for the scene. Each FrameLabel object contains a frame property, which specifies the frame number corresponding to the label, and a name property.
> 
> Implementation  
> public function get labels():Array
> 
> See also
> 
> FrameLabel  
> name property
> 
> name:String [read-only]
> 
> Language version: ActionScript 3.0  
> Player version: Flash Player 9
> 
> The name of the scene.
> 
> Implementation  
> public function get name():String
> 
> numFrames property
> 
> numFrames:int [read-only]
> 
> Language version: ActionScript 3.0  
> Player version: Flash Player 9
> 
> The number of frames in the scene.
> 
> Implementation  
> public function get numFrames():int

I used gotoandplay as an example because it was simple to under stand but, in the AS3 books no where does it show an example of it’s use, or the parameters of its use. There is almost no info on it’s proper uses at all. So what kinda help it that gonna give me if I don’t know any action script at all?

I find the new format of help almost worth less, unless I all ready knew all about that function and even then it’s still a question about proper use.