1. The ActionScript 2.0 Language

   1. Chapter 1 ActionScript 2.0 Overview

      1. ActionScript 2.0 Features
      2. Features Introduced by Flash Player 7
      3. Flash MX 2004 Version 2 Components
      4. ActionScript 1.0 and 2.0 in Flash Player 6 and 7
      5. Let's Go OOP

   2. Chapter 2 Object-Oriented ActionScript

      1. Procedural Programming and Object-Oriented Programming
      2. Key Object-Oriented Programming Concepts
      3. But How Do I Apply OOP?
      4. On with the Show!

   3. Chapter 3 Datatypes and Type Checking

      1. Why Static Typing?
      2. Type Syntax
      3. Compatible Types
      4. Built-in Dynamic Classes
      5. Circumventing Type Checking
      6. Casting
      7. Datatype Information for Built-in Classes
      8. ActionScript 2.0 Type Checking Gotchas
      9. Up Next: Creating Classes—Your Own Datatypes!

   4. Chapter 4 Classes

      1. Defining Classes
      2. Constructor Functions (Take 1)
      3. Properties
      4. Methods
      5. Constructor Functions (Take 2)
      6. Completing the Box Class
      7. Putting Theory into Practice

   5. Chapter 5 Authoring an ActionScript 2.0 Class

      1. Class Authoring Quick Start
      2. Designing the ImageViewer Class
      3. ImageViewer Implementation (Take 1)
      4. Using ImageViewer in a Movie
      5. ImageViewer Implementation (Take 2)
      6. ImageViewer Implementation (Take 3)
      7. Back to the Classroom

   6. Chapter 6 Inheritance

      1. A Primer on Inheritance
      2. Subclasses as Subtypes
      3. An OOP Chat Example
      4. Overriding Methods and Properties
      5. Constructor Functions in Subclasses
      6. Subclassing Built-in Classes
      7. Augmenting Built-in Classes and Objects
      8. The Theory of Inheritance
      9. Abstract and Final Classes Not Supported
      10. Let's Try Inheritance

   7. Chapter 7 Authoring an ActionScript 2.0 Subclass

      1. Extending ImageViewer's Capabilities
      2. The ImageViewerDeluxe Skeleton
      3. Adding setPosition( ) and setSize( ) Methods
      4. Autosizing the Image Viewer
      5. Using ImageViewerDeluxe
      6. Moving Right Along

   8. Chapter 8 Interfaces

      1. The Case for Interfaces
      2. Interfaces and Multidatatype Classes
      3. Interface Syntax and Use
      4. Multiple Type Inheritance with Interfaces
      5. Up Next, Packages

   9. Chapter 9 Packages

      1. Package Syntax
      2. Defining Packages
      3. Package Access and the Classpath
      4. Simulating Packages in ActionScript 1.0
      5. Just a Little More Theory

   10. Chapter 10 Exceptions

       1. The Exception-Handling Cycle
       2. Handling Multiple Types of Exceptions
       3. Exception Bubbling
       4. The finally Block
       5. Nested Exceptions
       6. Control Flow Changes in try/catch/finally
       7. Limitations of Exception Handling in ActionScript 2.0
       8. From Concepts to Code

2. Application Development

   1. Chapter 11 An OOP Application Framework

      1. The Basic Directory Structure
      2. The Flash Document (.fla file)
      3. The Classes
      4. The Document Timeline
      5. The Exported Flash Movie (.swf file)
      6. Projects in Flash MX Professional 2004
      7. Let's See It in Action!

   2. Chapter 12 Using Components with ActionScript 2.0

      1. Currency Converter Application Overview
      2. Preparing the Flash Document
      3. The CurrencyConverter Class
      4. Handling Component Events
      5. Components Complete

   3. Chapter 13 MovieClip Subclasses

      1. The Duality of MovieClip Subclasses
      2. Avatar: A MovieClip Subclass Example
      3. Avatar: The Composition Version
      4. Issues with Nested Assets
      5. A Note on MovieClip Sub-subclasses
      6. Curiouser and Curiouser

   4. Chapter 14 Distributing Class Libraries

      1. Sharing Class Source Files
      2. Sharing Classes Without Sharing Source Files
      3. Solving Real OOP Problems

3. Design Pattern Examples in ActionScript 2.0

   1. Chapter 15 Introduction to Design Patterns

      1. Bring on the Patterns

   2. Chapter 16 The Observer Design Pattern

      1. Implementing Observer in ActionScript 2.0
      2. Logger: A Complete Observer Example
      3. Memory Management Issues with Observer
      4. Beyond Observer

   3. Chapter 17 The Singleton Design Pattern

      1. Implementing Singleton in ActionScript 2.0
      2. The Singleton Pattern in the Logger Class
      3. Singleton Versus Class Methods and Class Properties
      4. A Warning Against Singletons as Globals
      5. On to User Interfaces

   4. Chapter 18 The Model-View-Controller Design Pattern

      1. The General Architecture of MVC
      2. A Generalized MVC Implementation
      3. An MVC Clock
      4. Further Exploration

   5. Chapter 19 The Delegation Event Model

      1. Structure and Participants
      2. The Flow of Logic
      3. Core Implementation
      4. NightSky: A Delegation Event Model Example
      5. Other Event Architectures in ActionScript
      6. From Some Place to Some OtherPlace

4. Appendixes

   1. Appendix A ActionScript 2.0 Language Quick Reference

      1. Global Properties
      2. Global Functions

   2. Appendix B Differences from ECMAScript Edition 4

1. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Essential ActionScript 2.0 is the coral snake (Micrurus fulvius tenere). This highly dangerous snake is found in the southeastern states of North America and can also be found in Mexico. It likes wet, humid, and thick foliage-littered forests, but can be found in any environment.

The coral snake is recognized by its vibrant red, yellow and black bands. These colors ward off would-be attackers. On the head and tail are bands of black and yellow; on the midsection are black, yellow, and red bands. The red bands are always adjacent to the yellow bands. The average length of a snake is 24 inches, with a maximum length of 47 inches. The coral snake is the only venomous snake in North America to hatch its young from eggs.

Coral snakes have short, grooved, and hollow fangs located at the front of the mouth. They feed on lizards and other snakes. Coral snakes bite their prey to inject neurotoxic venom, which paralyzes the victim; however, unlike snakes of the viper family, which use a stabbing method, when a coral snake bites its victim, it hangs on for a long time to inject as much venom as possible. Coral snakes are seldom seen, due to their habit of living underground, or in cracks and crevices, and their nocturnal tendencies. Coral snakes usually do not bite humans unless handled. If a human or pet is bitten, treatment should take place as soon as possible, since coral snake bites are often fatal. Sarah Sherman was the production editor and proofreader, and Norma Emory was the copyeditor for Essential ActionScript 2.0 . Colleen Gorman and Claire Cloutier provided quality control. Ellen Troutman-Zaig wrote the index.

Ellie Volckhausen designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with Quark XPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout. This book was converted by Julie Hawks to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. This colophon was written by Janet Santackas.