ActionScript™ 3.0 Bible

Chapter 1. Introducing ActionScript 3.0

Introduction

In this chapter

• Introduction to ActionScript 3.0

• Understanding where to use ActionScript

• Summary of new features of ActionScript 3.0

ActionScript 3.0 is vastly new and different and at the same time remarkably familiar for those who have worked with ActionScript 2.0. ActionScript 3.0 is new because it's built from the ground up, based on a new edition of the ECMA specification, and runs in a new virtual machine (AVM2). Yet despite all the newness of ActionScript 3.0, it is still similar enough to ActionScript 2.0 that those who have previously worked with Flash will find their footing without much difficulty.

In this chapter we look at what ActionScript is, where you can use it, and the specifics of what's new to ActionScript 3.0.

What Is ActionScript?

Presumably, if you're reading this book, you already have a general sense of what ActionScript is, but further clarification will help you to better understand how to build content using ActionScript. In a nutshell, ActionScript is a programming language that is used to create content for Flash Player. You can use tools such as Flash CS3 Professional or Flex Builder to create content using other tools and technologies such as drawing tools, library symbols, timelines, and MXML. However, ActionScript can be used either as a complement to these things or in place of these things in order to create Flash content. ActionScript is often necessary when you want to create Flash applications that ...