# Learning action scripting **URL:** \ **Category:** Uncategorized\ **Created:** [July 11, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372 "2003-07-11T22:44:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![somdow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@somdow](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/somdow)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/1 "2003-07-11T22:44:00Z")
sup ppls, im in the quest to learning more action scripting but my dilemma is this, everytime i go to sites that claim they teach u to do certain things right, the only thing that they really do is provide the fla as if thats to really teach some 1. the problem with this is that you never really learn. some ppls scripting is messy and all over the place (like mine) and all this really does is sho ppl how to reverse engineer a persons work. which i have done in the past to get to where i am now. most even give an fla that all it really has inside is a component. now my ? is where do you guys learn your scripting teqniques. every time i try to look at someones scripts in flash, its like looking at a 3 yr olds doodles. i cant know where im going without knowing the begginer stuff you know n e help on good sources is appreciated. somdow, aku:sleep: ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/2 "2003-07-11T23:36:38Z")
have you followed all the tutorials on kirupa? Even though some of it might have no use for you, at least you’ll learn AS. Do it just to practice. Most of my stuff I’ll never end up using. I just do things to try to learn, and I still don’t know enough, not even close. and you should always buy a book in my opinion. just in case you need to learn a function. you know it wil be there and there should be a good explanation, if you buy a decent book. i have flash mx unrealesed, i really liked it. there is a new book on kirupa’s homepage that looks pretty good as well. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 12:33am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/3 "2003-07-12T00:33:20Z")
searching the forums is the key to advanced programming ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/4 "2003-07-12T00:54:58Z")
well i mean im familiar with the basics and some intermediate stuff but the more complicated stuff is what i cant figure out, and 70 a book isnt cheap seeing as a few of em come out every few but i understand ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 8:22am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/5 "2003-07-12T08:22:04Z")
I gave up on following tutorials on AS here and in other places ages ago… I just didn’t understand them. (I’m not saying the tutorials are bad or anything, I just don’t feel they explain well enough to a total beginner.) I got Colin Moock’s Definitive Guide to ActionScript, and that took me to where I am now. And ahmed is right, the topics posted on the forum can help a lot. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/6 "2003-07-12T15:15:50Z")
if there was a book to get, what would be the best one, cause i cant afford multiopple 70+ on books you know, my college days are over, and then i usrd to pay much more for em ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/7 "2003-07-12T15:52:45Z")
without a doubt Colin Moock’s Definitive Guide to Actionscript[[link](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/059600396X/qid=1058025101/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-0660880-7050426?v=glance&s=books)]. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/8 "2003-07-12T16:59:18Z")
ok i wnet there and read a few revs and all and it seems like the book to get. um my only one ? is, what should i get, the 1st or 2nd edition. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/9 "2003-07-12T17:02:40Z")
1st edition is Flash 5, 2nd edition is Flash MX, so depending on your version of Flash you have, get the one you need 🙂 The book is a great book, and every Flasher should have it. I personally don’t have any AS books, I learned all my actionscript from various forums (mostly this one though), tutorials, and just experimenting. Go through the AS dictionary in Flash and look through some of the commands of AS, pick out something that seems insteresting to learn and use [google.com](http://google.com) to run a search to find more information on how and what you can do with that command and then just experiment with it and try to create something. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/10 "2003-07-12T17:02:56Z")
The second one is newer. It’s the one I decided to get. Lost, I thought you knew JavaScript before you learnt AS. That might have given you a little advantage over us non-scripters 😉 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/11 "2003-07-12T17:15:08Z")
I did know JS before I learned AS. That did help me, but things work differently in Flash than they do in a browser, so it took a bit of relearning on some things, then there are a bunch of things in Flash that don’t exist in JS as well. Learning AS was/is still a task for me, but knowing JS beforehand just saved me some time because I knew how some things worked already so I was able to skip researching those things I knew. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/12 "2003-07-12T17:59:52Z")
what are some good but more or less easy languages to learn ive dabbled in css js and now im about to get in depth with as i was wondering whats good to more or less have a handle on??? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/13 "2003-07-12T18:12:52Z")
It all depends on what you are trying to do. HTML, CSS, JS, DHTML (css+js) are all web design languages that involve the browser. They can be a bit complicated with cross browser coding and just getting to work in general. AS is as we know for Flash, and isn’t too bad to learn, it has a nice learning curve and is a good language to start off with, and learning AS will help you learn some things with JS, ive learned more about JS the more I learned AS, and vice versa. But pretty much the question of learning JS, CSS, or AS is like asking whether it would be better to learn PHP or C++, they are pretty much different even though they have some of the same commands. If that makes any sense 😛 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/14 "2003-07-12T18:36:08Z")
yeah i feel yu lib but its like i dunno what i should learn you know, i mean flashis a given being that i use that alot but other than that, i dunno what i should learn cause the need for whatever it is that i wanna know hasnt arisen yet, if that makes any sense so thats why im like lost. i always wanna learn but dont know what . ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/15 "2003-07-12T18:54:45Z")
Well if you are looking for a web language I would recommend PHP or ASP (although I prefer PHP). They are rapidly replacing languages like CGI and Perl, and slowly overtaking Javascript. I have yet to learn PHP, but as I always say… I plan to (just too lazy to 😛 ) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/16 "2003-07-12T21:37:53Z")
> i always wanna learn but dont know what lol…good for you anyways! at least you’re not a lazy b\*\*\* like lost, lol 🙂 (no offense, i’m in a good mood). It all depends on what you wanna use stuff for, or if it’s hobby or career etc… If you want to be able to build a good, dynamic, flashed website, learn [list] [_]actionscript [_]html (some) [_]PHP (for the dynamic content, and because it’s easy, a lot like AS…) [_]Javascript (talks to swf and browser, enhanced communication…) [_]CSS (for the latest layout techniques) [_]XML (if you really feel you have to, even tho’ everybody says it’s a must, I’m not convinced…) [/list] now that you know, go ahead (Just do it! lol) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/17 "2003-07-12T21:48:16Z")
and php is for, and being that im a noob is php good for me or something like js ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/18 "2003-07-12T23:17:03Z")
Well everyone is a “noob” when learning a new language, pick the one that best fits what you need to do. I would probably go with PHP if I were you, but the final decision is all yours 😉 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/19 "2003-07-13T00:53:11Z")
but what i mean is, i dont have any current need for anything besides the need to learn something you know. at the same time i dont wanna learn nothing. (i know im confusing) but ok. php it is i suppose. but my main prob is thta i dont know what any of these things do whats php mainly 4 and whats javas. mainly 4??? somdow ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372/20 "2003-07-13T01:33:01Z")
Yes, even in that case you may want to learn PHP. PHP is server-side language used for dynamic content, and it is also quite useful for it’s ability to connect, add, remove, or modify information from a mySQL database. This comes in handy for easy updating and much easier dynamic content (which is why I want to learn PHP). Javascript is a client-side language that is just basically used for dynamic content. It certainly isn’t anywhere near as powerful as PHP, you can do most (if not all) of what Javascript can do via PHP and much more. [Next page](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/learning-action-scripting/25372.md?page=2)