1. ActionScript Fundamentals

   1. Chapter 1 A Gentle Introduction for Non-Programmers

      1. Some Basic Phrases
      2. Further ActionScript Concepts
      3. Building a Multiple-Choice Quiz
      4. Onward!

   2. Chapter 2 Variables

      1. Creating Variables (Declaration)
      2. Assigning Variables
      3. Changing and Retrieving Variable Values
      4. Types of Values
      5. Variable Scope
      6. Some Applied Examples
      7. Onward!

   3. Chapter 3 Data and Datatypes

      1. Data Versus Information
      2. Retaining Meaning with Datatypes
      3. Creating and Categorizing Data
      4. Datatype Conversion
      5. Primitive Data Versus Composite Data
      6. Onward!

   4. Chapter 4 Primitive Datatypes

      1. The Number Type
      2. Integers and Floating-Point Numbers
      3. Numeric Literals
      4. Working with Numbers
      5. The String Type
      6. Working with Strings
      7. The Boolean Type
      8. Undefined
      9. Null
      10. Onward!

   5. Chapter 5 Operators

      1. General Features of Operators
      2. The Assignment Operator
      3. Arithmetic Operators
      4. The Equality and Inequality Operators
      5. The Comparison Operators
      6. The String Operators
      7. The Logical Operators
      8. The Grouping Operator
      9. The Comma Operator
      10. The void Operator
      11. Other Operators
      12. Onward!

   6. Chapter 6 Statements

      1. Types of Statements
      2. Statement Syntax
      3. The ActionScript Statements
      4. Statements Versus Actions
      5. Onward!

   7. Chapter 7 Conditionals

      1. The if Statement
      2. The else Statement
      3. The else if Statement
      4. Simulating the switch Statement
      5. Compact Conditional Syntax
      6. Onward!

   8. Chapter 8 Loop Statements

      1. The while Loop
      2. Loop Terminology
      3. The do-while Loop
      4. The for Loop
      5. The for-in Loop
      6. Stopping a Loop Prematurely
      7. Timeline and Clip Event Loops
      8. Onward!

   9. Chapter 9 Functions

      1. Creating Functions
      2. Running Functions
      3. Passing Information to Functions
      4. Exiting and Returning Valuesfrom Functions
      5. Function Literals
      6. Function Availability and Life Span
      7. Function Scope
      8. Function Parameters Revisited
      9. Recursive Functions
      10. Internal Functions
      11. Functions as Objects
      12. Centralizing Code
      13. The Multiple-Choice Quiz Revisited
      14. Onward!

   10. Chapter 10 Events and Event Handlers

       1. Synchronous Code Execution
       2. Event-Based AsynchronousCode Execution
       3. Types of Events
       4. Event Handlers
       5. Event Handler Syntax
       6. Creating Event Handlers
       7. Event Handler Scope
       8. Button Events
       9. Movie Clip Events Overview
       10. Movie-Playback Movie Clip Events
       11. The User-Input Movie Clip Events
       12. Order of Execution
       13. Copying Clip Event Handlers
       14. Refreshing the Screen with updateAfterEvent
       15. Code Reusability
       16. Dynamic Movie Clip Event Handlers
       17. Event Handlers Applied
       18. Onward!

   11. Chapter 11 Arrays

       1. What Is an Array?
       2. The Anatomy of an Array
       3. Creating Arrays
       4. Referencing Array Elements
       5. Determining the Size of an Array
       6. Named Array Elements
       7. Adding Elements to an Array
       8. Removing Elements from an Array
       9. General Array-Manipulation Tools
       10. Multidimensional Arrays
       11. The Multiple-Choice Quiz, Take 3
       12. Onward!

   12. Chapter 12 Objects and Classes

       1. The Anatomy of an Object
       2. Instantiating Objects
       3. Object Properties
       4. Methods
       5. Classes and Object-Oriented Programming
       6. Built-in ActionScript Classes and Objects
       7. Onward!

   13. Chapter 13 Movie Clips

       1. The "Objectness" of Movie Clips
       2. Types of Movie Clips
       3. Creating Movie Clips
       4. Movie and Instance Stacking Order
       5. Referring to Instances and Main Movies
       6. Removing Clip Instances and Main Movies
       7. Built-in Movie Clip Properties
       8. Movie Clip Methods
       9. Applied Movie Clip Examples
       10. The Last Quiz
       11. Onward!

   14. Chapter 14 Lexical Structure

       1. Whitespace
       2. Statement Terminators (Semicolons)
       3. Comments
       4. Reserved Words
       5. Identifiers
       6. Case Sensitivity
       7. Onward!

   15. Chapter 15 Advanced Topics

       1. Copying, Comparing, and Passing Data
       2. Bitwise Programming
       3. Advanced Function Scope Issues
       4. The movieclip Datatype
       5. Onward!

2. Applied ActionScript

   1. Chapter 16 ActionScript Authoring Environment

      1. The Actions Panel
      2. Adding Scripts to Frames
      3. Adding Scripts to Buttons
      4. Adding Scripts to Movie Clips
      5. Where's All the Code?
      6. Productivity
      7. Externalizing ActionScript Code
      8. Packaging Components as Smart Clips
      9. Onward!

   2. Chapter 17 Flash Forms

      1. The Flash Form Data Cycle
      2. Creating a Flash Fill-in Form
      3. Onward!

   3. Chapter 18 On-Screen Text Fields

      1. Dynamic Text Fields
      2. User-Input Text Fields
      3. Text Field Options
      4. Text Field Properties
      5. HTML Support
      6. Working with Text Field Selections
      7. Empty Text Fields and the for-in Statement
      8. Onward!

   4. Chapter 19 Debugging

      1. Debugging Tools
      2. Debugging Methodology
      3. Onward!

3. Language Reference

   1. Chapter 20 ActionScript Language Reference

      1. Global Functions
      2. Global Properties
      3. Built-in Classes and Objects
      4. Entry Headings
      5. Alphabetical Language Reference

4. Appendixes

   1. Appendix A Resources

      1. ActionScript and Programming
      2. ECMA-262 Resources
      3. Object-Oriented Programming
      4. SWF File Format

   2. Appendix B Latin 1 Character Repertoire and Keycodes

   3. Appendix C Backward Compatibility

      1. Updates to the Flash 5 Player, Build 41
      2. Controlling Movie Clips

   4. Appendix D Differences from ECMA-262 and JavaScript

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 ActionScript: The Definitive Guide is a siren, a particular type of salamander found in North American freshwater habitats. Salamanders are amphibians with tails; they diverged from other amphibian species (including frogs) early in amphibian evolution. All salamanders have smooth skin that is kept moist by secretions from numerous glands. When their environment becomes too dry, too hot, or too cold, the cold-blooded salamanders burrow into mud and their body functions slow down. Sirens develop cocoons to shelter themselves until conditions improve.

Sirens are considered very primitive salamanders, as they are aquatic (live permanently in water), lack hind legs, have reduced front legs, gills, and other larval features into maturity, and their offspring are fertilized externally in the water. They are active at night, coming out and swimming much like eels do, using their dorsal fin in side-to-side motion to propel them forward. As they do so, they feed by gulping at insects and larvae. They expel plant matter through their gills.

Like all amphibians, sirens are an important part of a balanced ecosystem. They are small predators who in turn are preyed upon by fish and birds. Their glandular skin and fragile systems put sirens in the unfortunate position of being early pollution indicators in their freshwater habitats. Siren intermedia, an unusual siren subspecies that inhabits a large North American range and is known for its ability to produce vocal clicks and shrills, has nearly disappeared from Michigan, perhaps due to the presence of Rotenone, a chemical tool used to manage fisheries. Darren Kelly was the production editor, Norma Emory was the copyeditor, and Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary was the proofreader for ActionScript: The Definitive Guide. Claire Cloutier, Linley Dolby, and Rachel Wheeler provided quality control. Judy Hoer wrote the index. Interior composition was done by Matthew Hutchinson, Sada Preisch, Edith Shapiro, Mary Sheehan, and Gabe Weiss.

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 QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout based on a series design by Nancy Priest. Clifford Dyer converted the files from Microsoft Word to FrameMaker 5.5.6 using tools created by Mike Sierra. The text and heading fonts are ITC Garamond Light and Garamond Book; the code font is Constant Willison. The illustrations that appear in this book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. This colophon was written by Sarah Jane Shangraw.