As a professional Flash developer, nobody knows more about Flash MX 2004 than you or at least they better not! To make sure they don’t, you need this task-based guide. By applying the popular Visual QuickStart format--easy, step-by-step instructions and loads of visual aids--to more complex topics, this guide offers the quickest, easiest way to get up to speed on the advanced Flash features that can make or break a project. You’ll find straight-ahead, concise explanations of all the animation, navigation, and interactivity techniques you’ll need to master to create dynamic Web sites with Flash. You’ll also find complete coverage of all that’s new in Flash MX 2004: essential ActionScript 2.0 commands and standards, expanded support for rich media, a streamlined user interface, and more. By emphasizing methodology and problem solving over features inventories and long, techie discussions, this guide teaches Flash the way you use it--dynamically, interactively, and to get a job done!

Almost perfect
This book is well done and is good at simplifying the complexities of more advanced Flash concepts. However, I have found some typos in the book - one in particular that really threw me off while learning about absolute and relative paths (they had two diagram examples switched around so that they were saying one thing and showing another - my instructor even verified this). I have not read through the whole book and am hoping that there won’t be any more problems like that.

It is also hard to find the exercises on the CD that match with the book because they are not organized on the CD in a manner that corresponds with the book. You have to sort of go digging for the exercises on the CD and open the files based on what you’re looking at in the book. Not the best way to put so much info on a CD that goes with a book, if you ask me.

This is a good book to learn more advanced Flash concepts but it is probably not the best out there, in my opinion. I really like the books sold on lynda.com and I would recommend those if you are looking for self-paced learning tools.

Unbelievable
I bought this book along with the basics version because I am new to using Flash and web design in general. I know when first learned programs with the help of books like this it sometimes feels as though they are talking about a completely different program because you can get so confused, however, with this book I am pretty sure they actually have written about a different version of the program. I definately have version MX 2004, which is definately what it says on the cover of this book, yet even when I copy their code exactly letter for letter, space for space, it will not produce the outcome they describe. For example the book repeatedly states to, "select the first frame of the root timeline, and open the actions panel," and from there it will instruct you to apply actions to a frame. Unfortunately in MX 2004 in no situation are you ever able to apply any action to a frame, actions are only usable for movie and button instances.

When the code in this book isn’t completely not working, it kind of works if you trial and error long enough to figure out how it is really suppose to be entered, for example:

I am quoting this code directly from the book, on how to create a movable movie clip

instancename.onPress = function(){
this.startDrag();
}

MX 2004 will always let you know, however, that this is or contains a syntax error. After spending many hours playing the trail and error game, trying to figure out something that should be very simple with the help of an instruction book, I found the correct code was very similar to this

on (press) {
this.startDrag();
}

So more less I am saying this book is worthless unless you have an absorbant amount of time to waste trying to figure out why what they say in this book isnt working.

Indispensable
If you have some programming knowledge already, this book is a good way to learn how to apply your knowledge in the Flash environment. It has a good index and hundreds of pages of useful features explained so you may get on with whatever you are trying to create. I have found it so useful for user interface prototyping that I take it back and forth to/from the office whenever I am building prototypes.

Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Advanced for Windows and Macintosh
I found this Visual QuickPro Guide very informative, extremely helpful and an excellent learning tool. If you want to learn ANYTHING, these Visual QuickPro Guides are the way to go!

A Good Starting Point For The Already Seasoned
This book has helped tremendously. Before I looked into this book, I was afraid of true actionscripting. This book has helped me to understand what others made confusing and hard. I don’t think it is the final say so... as Flash is truly a vast application with many capabilities, but it’s a terrific start for those who are familiar to designing in flash, but not superb at scripting. It will "Demistify" the actionscripting fear for sure. Now I can open other more in-depth programming books and actually make sense of code. I recommend this for any web professional that has actually worked with, not just dabbled in Flash.

Convoluted confusion
I’m very disappointed in this book. It gives several ways to do one thing and they don’t work. It leaves out information and is unclear. I knew Flash 4 before I started, but was unable to follow this. I would not recommend this book.

Great book for the price!
We used this book as a textbook for a second flash course in our multimedia program and overall I would have to say that this book is an excellent introduction to some more advanced techniques in flash mx 2004. I especially like the short tutorial approach that these books use - quick and handy. My only beef is that there isn’t anything solid on components or xml, so that is why I say it is an introduction to more advanced topics. Topics like creating your own pull-down menus using tweening and actionscript (not components), attaching sounds, and stuff that requires using export for actionscript. If you are not sure what I am talking about then this is probably the book for you! Otherwise maybe consider something like "Flash MX 2004 actionscript" by Macromedia press.

Good intro to Actionscript 2.0 for non-programmers
I develop web applications (PHP, MySQL and some Javascript) for
our company and I was looking for an Actionscript 2.0 book after
reading "Show Me! Macromedia Flash MX 2004"from Que. I bought
this book because of the great reviews here. Am I disappointed?

Well, the content is good but the instructions are somewhat
repetitive. I was used to other books showing the code first,
then explaining what it does and moving on from there without
repeating previous instructions.

This book handholds its readers like they’re babies (I don’t
want to use the word "dummies") and this book could have been
halved if it didn’t treat its readers as such. I mean how many
times do the authors have to say, "Select the first frame of the
root Timeline, and open the Actions panel" or "Create a new line
after your last line of code from the preceding task". There
are other texts repeated this way. It wastes space that could
have been used for other tips (i.e. real and faked physics for
advanced animation).

If I were a non-programmer, this books scores 5 but since I’m
not I’d have to say its a 4. Personally, it could be 4.5 but I’d
have to take the 0.5 for the repetitive instructions.

If know you know how to program already, I suggest you look for
other Actionscript 2.0 books here that rates 5 (I’m sorry I
can’t recommend any as this is my first Actionscript 2 book but
not the last one I hope).

It’s worth the investment
Chun and Garraffo did an excellent job in creating a book that could be used in and out of a classroom setting. It is also a great reference tool if you need to brush up on something you once learned. Having come from a marketing background, this book is very easy to understand and can truly teach someone how to develop an entire Flash site.