What is actionscript and why should i care?

Table of contents

• Preface
• What is ActionScript?
• Why should I care?
• Prerequisites for study
• Resources
• Miscellaneous

Preface

This tutorial lesson is the first in a continuing series of lessons dedicated to teaching object-oriented programming (OOP) with ActionScript.

Developing ActionScript programs

There are several ways to develop programs using the ActionScript programming language. For most of the lessons in thisseries, I will use Adobe's Flash Builder 4 or the free FlashDevelop as an integrated development environment (IDE) .

An earlier lesson titled The Default Application Container provided information on how to get started programming with Adobe's Flex Builder 3, which was the predecessor to Flash Builder 4. (See Baldwin's Flex programming website. ) You should read that lesson before embarking on the lessons in this series.

What is ActionScript?

According to the ActionScript Technology Center,

"Adobe ActionScript is the programming language of the Adobe Flash Platform. Originally developed as a way for developers toprogram interactivity, ActionScript enables efficient programming of Adobe Flash Platform applications for everything from simple animations to complex,data-rich, interactive application interfaces.

First introduced in Flash Player 9, ActionScript 3.0 is an object-oriented programming (OOP) language based on ECMAScript -- thesame standard that is the basis for JavaScript -- and provides incredible gains in runtime performance and developer productivity."

What is the Adobe Flash Platform?

According to Adobe Flash Platform ,

"The Adobe Flash Platform is an integrated set of technologies surrounded by an established ecosystem of supportprograms, business partners, and enthusiastic user communities. Together, they provide everything you need to create and deliver the most compellingapplications, content, and video to the widest possible audience."

The primary delivery mechanisms for applications built with the Adobe Flash Platform are the Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Air .

What is the Adobe Flash Player?

According to Adobe Flash Player ,

"Flash Player is a cross-platform browser plug-in that delivers breakthrough Web experiences to over 99% of Internetusers."

What is Adobe Air?

According to Adobe Air ,

"The Adobe AIR runtime lets developers use proven web technologies to build rich Internet applications that run outsidethe browser on multiple operating systems."

What about game programming?

As of November 2009, a significant portion of the game programming marketplace involved Flash games that are launched fromFacebook and similar social networking sites. According to the Adobe Facebook page ,

"The Adobe Flash Platform and Facebook Platform provide the ideal solution for building rich, social experiences onthe web. Flash is available on more than 98% of Internet-connected PCs, so people can immediately access the applications, content, and video that enablesocial interactions. The Facebook Platform is used by millions of people every day to connect and share with the people in their lives. Together, bothplatforms allow you to:

• Share: Create rich interactions for users to share with friends.
• Have fun: Make games social; let users compete against their friends.
• Connect: Let users connect to your RIAs with Facebook Connect.
• Solve problems: Build RIAs that harness the power of community.
• Reach people: Reach millions of Facebook users through social distribution.

The new ActionScript 3.0 Client Library for Facebook Platform API, fully supported by Facebook and Adobe, makes it easy tobuild applications that combine the strengths of the Flash Platform and Facebook Platform."