[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]New Tutorial on Enter Frame event in AS3.[/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]I have added a new tutorial on the EnterFrame event in ActionScript 3. This tutorial is almost 40 minutes in length and goes into the syntax of using the EnterFrame event and as an added feature there is a discussion on adding filters to a Sprite in ActionScript 3.
I have also completed the polling system on the website. There are now three active polls asking the users of the site for their opinions on the tutorials, the website itself and what they would like to see developed in the way of future tutorials. Users can vote more than once, but I am tracking the user IP so that when it comes time to slice the data I can gather accurate information. Just thought I would announce that up front.
The next group of tutorials under development will be the conditional statements used in ActionScript. The IF, ELSE IF and SWITCH statements. I am looking forward to those tutorials as we can now start making the tutorials much more interesting putting all we have learned together.
Keep the comments and emails coming, I really appreciate the input that I am receiving, and I hope you are enjoying the site. I will see you in the forums.
Mike, in the future, please don’t post the same message across multiple forums. Also, if you are going to be copying and pasting text, at least make it look less spam-like by not posting it in Times New Roman
[quote=kirupa;2334476]Mike, in the future, please don’t post the same message across multiple forums. Also, if you are going to be copying and pasting text, at least make it look less spam-like by not posting it in Times New Roman
Besides that, keep up the nice work![/quote]
Would you rather it be in the ActionScript Forum or the Flash CS3. Didn’t mean to have it look like spam either. I will watch for that. I was just basing it on the Adobe Forums. They had requested that I post the published tutorials in all pertinent categories. This way it reaches the highest probable audience.
Mike, if you want a bit of feedback, I think it might be nice to update your site, and the practices you teach, to better match modern design and programming practices. You advocate multiple frames, which is generally accepted to be a sub-par method of coding, you don’t strict type many of your variables… it’s just generally sloppy and seems untrained. (And like you shouldn’t be teaching anyone.)
On the design end, besides a general lack of typographic and structural principles, your site features rather significant misuse of drop shadows - and the outdated style really takes away from your credibility.
I wish you all the best, I just hope that you can update your practices.
I always appreciate candid feedback. I am a programmer and have very little experience in actual website design. I am willing to learn all that I can from anyone that is actually in to the graphic design side of website architecture.
The only variables that I am aware of not strict data typing are the Number variables that are being assigned to dynamic text fields. Since that type of assignement requires changing the data typing to allow a Number to reside in a String container and I have not covered that in the tutorials yet. It will be covered, just in a future tutorial. Most tutorials that are out there assume that the participants understand many of the basic concepts which many of them do not.
If you have any suggestions I would be more than willing to listen to them, I admit when it comes to the site design itself I could use all the help that I can get.
[QUOTE=Anogar;2334509]On the design end, besides a general lack of typographic and structural principles, your site features rather significant misuse of drop shadows - and the outdated style really takes away from your credibility.[/QUOTE]
I’m sorry but I have to agree on that. I never like telling a harsh truth…
Mike, if you really want your site to look profesional (and credible) you need someone to do the design for you, at least for now.
I’m sure there are thousands of starting designers that will do the work cheap (or even free depending on the work load) if they think the website could be a great addition to their empty portfolio.
I know I’m going off topic, but… Here are some general guidelines on website design. Of course these are not rules, but a good starting point IMO:
usually better 3 colors than 10 (start monochromatic and then add other colors)
usually better 3 fonts than 10 (start with 2 fonts for titles and text and then add more if you need them)
be consistent: if a title is red here, it should be red there too.
check your margins around elements and be consistent again. Usually better to have the same value (like 15px) over the whole website than to have always a different margin (12 there, 17 there, 9 there, etc.)
usually it’s better not using gradients or effects like drop shadow, glow, etc if you don’t know what you’re doing
-check your layout proportions
make decisions based on goals, not on how you’re feeling today because tomorrow you’ll feel different. Example: this bold text is red because this is something REALLY important
state your goals and check examples before starting the actual design work. Is it a site for teenagers that want to see cool flashy things, or a website for ultra hip designers that will orgasm with a style based only on typography?
2 phases. 1 the conceptual design or CUI (conceptual user interface) based on features, navigation, content and elements… and 2 the actual graphic design which generates the look and feel of the website (colors, fonts, positions, etc). Don’t start phase 2 until phase 1 is finished, because you’ll have to re do your work most of the times.
investigation and documentation is as important as the work itself, just like programming.
I watched some of your tutorials and found them to be very helpful in gaining insight to some of the basic concepts of Flash programming.
I disliked the PowerPoint-like formatting of the chapter info, and the video cannot be paused with the spacebar. (this is critical for following a video tutorial while you are working, IMO)
The video would be nicer in Quicktime format, so it can be easily saved for later viewing.
I agree with the others regarding the layout of the site.
It looks vaguely like the thousands of outdated company websites done by the “administrative assistant” over the weekend in MS FrontPage.
IMO, you should just use a professionally designed template for the tutorial site; it’s only 60 bucks and you certainly have the wherewithal to set it up correctly.
I appreciate that you’re teaching to an audience that’s totally new to any of this. That’s a very valid niche. Good stuff man. I’d love to see you walking them through how easy it is to use the document class and proper object oriented practices, but I guess that really opens a can of worms that’s hard to shut.
I think you’ll find that the members of this forum are very helpful when it comes to design critiques. I’m sure if you posted your site in the Showcase and Critiques forum you’d get plenty of good feedback. :thumb:
I’m fairly comfortable with most aspects of AS2 but completley new to AS3. Just wanted to say thanks for your tutorials.
I’ve looked at a few of them already and I’m not finding the lack of an amazing design is slowing me down at all. I think if you were trying to teach design work with your site, you might need a redesign, but for teaching coding, your site seems to do a pretty good job.
I appreciate your feedback, you had many really good suggestions and it is information like that that I have been lacking. I have tried to read some books on the subject of design but unless a person is artsy fartsy, which I am not, it is really difficult to visualize how things should look to attract an audience.
The guidelines that you suggested sound to me to make good sense. I have never heard it put that way before but I guess that is where I should begin.
Thanks for the information, I will take it to heart and relook at how the site has been constructed. I appreciate the time you spent on the response.
I disliked the PowerPoint-like formatting of the chapter info, and the video cannot be paused with the spacebar. (this is critical for following a video tutorial while you are working, IMO)
The video would be nicer in Quicktime format, so it can be easily saved for later viewing.
IMO, you should just use a professionally designed template for the tutorial site; it’s only 60 bucks and you certainly have the wherewithal to set it up correctly.
It is interesting that you should mention the Powerpoint Introductions as that has been the area that I have received the most positive feedback on as being useful to new learners.
I hadn’t thought about adding the spacebar as a pause key, that is a really good idea and I will try to put that in the code as soon as possible.
As I am sure you are aware it would be very difficult to get the video quality and size of a Quicktime move down to an appropriate size for streaming when they are in lengths such as these. I have been using Sorenson Squeeze 5 and it is about a four to one difference in FLV’s and Quicktime. These FLV files run anywhere from 35 to 55 MB.
The template idea is a great idea and I will look into that, if you have any suggestions on who is a good reputable dealer let me know.
Thanks for all your input, I appreciate the time spent.
I’m fairly comfortable with most aspects of AS2 but completley new to AS3. Just wanted to say thanks for your tutorials.
I’ve looked at a few of them already and I’m not finding the lack of an amazing design is slowing me down at all. I think if you were trying to teach design work with your site, you might need a redesign, but for teaching coding, your site seems to do a pretty good job.[/quote]
Thanks Andrew, I could use a little positive feedback once in awhile. I do want to make the site better and it is interesting reading all the comments on what I thought was a pretty good site layout. But that is how we learn, through constructive critique.
All of us are always learning. Thanks for your comments and I hope you continue to enjoy the tutorials as they progress through the scripting language.
I’d love to see you walking them through how easy it is to use the document class and proper object oriented practices.
I think you’ll find that the members of this forum are very helpful when it comes to design critiques. I’m sure if you posted your site in the Showcase and Critiques forum you’d get plenty of good feedback. :thumb::)[/quote]
It is a ways down the road but it is part of the plan to walk them through the document class and OOP programming, but that would be after much more basic information is covered.
I have really thought about your earlier post throughout the day and I may need to reevaluate the way I am covering some of the material. You made a very valid point on the variable data typing. Though it is a little more difficult to understand for a beginner about changing the data typing of dynamic text fields it should be taught that way from the beginning. That was a very good point and one that I need to correct.
I pride myself on following BEST PRACTICES when I program professionally, I should do the same as I develop these tutorials. Thank you for pointing that out.
I have found the forums to be very helpful and the members to be quite friendly. I will look at the Showcase and Critique forum, it sounds like a good starting point.
[quote=Mike01;2335176]Thanks Andrew, I could use a little positive feedback once in awhile. I do want to make the site better and it is interesting reading all the comments on what I thought was a pretty good site layout. But that is how we learn, through constructive critique.
All of us are always learning. Thanks for your comments and I hope you continue to enjoy the tutorials as they progress through the scripting language.
Mike[/quote]
No problem, it kind of felt like I was back at uni, but actually learning something instead of falling asleep! Keep up the good work
[QUOTE=Mike01;2335169]
Thanks for the information, I will take it to heart and relook at how the site has been constructed. I appreciate the time you spent on the response.
Mike[/QUOTE]
You welcome
Of course you can also buy a cheap template, but there’s no other way to learn than by doing it.
