Getting to know AS3

programming flash
1

I’ve done AS2, but I’m just getting into AS3.

I understand that AS3 is designed for OOP, which is better for programming logic in general. I also know that you could do it (kind of) in AS2, but I never got that advanced with AS2 to worry about it.

I have a couple of questions though, which I haven’t found answers to yet.

In the the thread (kirupaForum), the person mentioned that AS2 is better for building websites:

What I’m trying to figure out is, is AS3, not really meant for websites, but rather more advanced applications?

If AS3 is perfectly fine for building websites, what is the preferred method to build a website? In the past I was always told to load external .swf files, but assume the there are more advanced methods that are better served for site development.

What I’m looking for is hopefully a couple answers and some guidance for a starting point.

I appreciate any help and offer my thanks in advance.

2

Am I not asking the right questions?

I guess in a sense, I’m looking for the best practices to build websites in AS3.

Any advice?

3

AS3 is as appropriate for building websites as AS2.
It’s a bit more demanding in terms of proper coding practices though.
I think there is a valid argument that banner ads and stuff like that should be coded in AS2 to maximize the potential audience.
I don’t think this logic applies to entire websites though.

Procedural programming is perfectly acceptable for small AS3 projects and websites.
You may want to learn OOP if you are working on large complex projects and elaborate scripts on a regular basis.
It’ll save you time and effort, since the custom classes will be much easier to manage and apply to future projects.
XML is another area to investigate; AS3 is much improved over AS2.

Here’s an AS3/TweenMax timeline script that works very nicely for setting up website navigation.
You can add pages and buttons to the script very easily, without the need for additional listeners or functions.

stop();
import gs.TweenMax;
import fl.motion.easing.*;

/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
fla setup instructions:
this script goes on frame1, layer "actions"
"pageGroup" is movieclip wrapper for movieclips "page1" "page2" "page3" - frame1, layer "pageGroup"
"buttonGroup" is movieclip wrapper for movieclip buttons "btn1" "btn2" "btn3" - frame1, layer "buttonGroup"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
buttonGroup.mouseEnabled = false;
buttonGroup.buttonMode = true;
buttonGroup.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OVER, action, false, 0, true);
buttonGroup.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OUT, action, false, 0, true);
buttonGroup.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, action, false, 0, true);

var pageArray:Array = [pageGroup.page1, pageGroup.page2, pageGroup.page3];
TweenMax.allTo(pageArray, 0, {autoAlpha:0, onCompleteAll:loadHome, overwrite:false});

function loadHome():void {
	TweenMax.to(pageGroup.page1, .4, {delay:.4, autoAlpha:1});
}

var button:String = "";

function action(event:MouseEvent):void {
	button = event.target.name;
	switch (event.type) {
		case MouseEvent.MOUSE_OVER :
			TweenMax.to(event.target, .8, {scaleX:1.3, scaleY:1.3, ease:Elastic.easeOut});
			break;
		case MouseEvent.MOUSE_OUT :
			TweenMax.to(event.target, .8, {scaleX:1, scaleY:1, ease:Cubic.easeOut});
			break;
		case MouseEvent.CLICK :
			TweenMax.to(event.target, .4, {scaleX:1, scaleY:1, ease:Cubic.easeOut});
			TweenMax.allTo(pageArray, .4, {autoAlpha:0, overwrite:false});
			switch (button) {
				case "btn1" :
					TweenMax.to(pageGroup.page1, .4, {delay:.4, autoAlpha:1});
					break;
				case "btn2" :
					TweenMax.to(pageGroup.page2, .4, {delay:.4, autoAlpha:1});
					break;
				case "btn3" :
					TweenMax.to(pageGroup.page3, .4, {delay:.4, autoAlpha:1});
					break;
			}
			break;
	}
}
4

Thanks for the reply…

So far, my research has pointed me to the MVC Design Pattern, which I understand the basic idea of. And I understand the general concept of OOP (I think).

Is MVC considered a “best practice”? Also, almost everything I’ve found about MVC refers to PureMVC… what is that and is it the only option?

What I wish I could find is a tutorial or a really good resource that could basically walk me through building a website from scratch so I can get back into the game. I don’t want to keep using my old and outdated practices, but I’m unsure of where to start to get caught up.

5

No, PureMVC is a framework - MVC is just a design pattern. It’s a theory, a goal, that sort of thing.

In response to the nut saying that AS2 is better for webpages, he’s dumb and has no idea what he’s talking about. :thumb:

6

Do you have any recommend resources that I could benefit from to learn?

7

“Learning ActionScript 3.0” Shupe/Rosser
"Essential Actionscript 3.0" Colin Moock

8

[QUOTE=snickelfritz;2339872]“Learning ActionScript 3.0” Shupe/Rosser
"Essential Actionscript 3.0" Colin Moock[/QUOTE]

Agree 100%

First “Learning AS3”, and a few weeks/months later try “Essential AS3” if you’re not a hard coder.

I first started AS3 with the Moock book and it was too deep for me. After having mastered “Learning AS3” now “Essential AS3” makes much more sense.

9

Thanks!

Do you know of any online tutorials or resources that would serve as a basic walk through?

10

Im searching for the same thing - I have a good working knowledge of AS2 - trying to get into AS3, I’ve got the ‘Making things move book’ which is is great for math based animations ( I certainly need help in the maths department ) but Im looking for something thatis a best practise for building a website in AS3 ( using some XML too)

So, with AS3 all functions & importing XML etc should reside out of the timeline!? or is it just a bit of both.

11

EOJ,

What I’ve found is that with AS3, it is much better to do everything as OOP. Although you can do things within the timeline, you can do a lot more with OOP. YOu would basically make each object of your website a seperate class.

I got the AS3 Bible book, which covers just about everything. I also got advanced AS3 with Design Patterns book, which talks about different patterns and methods to builind apps.

Good luck with your search.

12

I could understand someone saying AS2 was “better” for websites if they were referring to Flash 9 / AS3’s penchant to not want to unload things if they aren’t entirely dereferenced from memory (kind of fixed of sorts in Flash 10 with unloadAndStop, which will be interesting to see how well it works), but if you’re neat and tidy you shouldn’t run into any major issues.

The way you design AS3 projects is quite a bit different from AS2 I’ve found, approaching things based on events, less so timelines.

13

[QUOTE=dthought;2353875]I could understand someone saying AS2 was “better” for websites if they were referring to Flash 9 / AS3’s penchant to not want to unload things if they aren’t entirely dereferenced from memory (kind of fixed of sorts in Flash 10 with unloadAndStop, which will be interesting to see how well it works), but if you’re neat and tidy you shouldn’t run into any major issues.[/QUOTE]

That’s the same in AS2.