Phillip Kerman’s Macromedia Flash 8 @work: Projects and Techniques to Get the Job Done approaches learning from a different perspective than the typical book on a web graphics application.  Rather than simply describing how to use each feature of a product, Macromedia Flash 8 @work introduces key tools in a single chapter and then moves on to what you really want to know -- how to use Macromedia Flash to complete the projects you’re likely to face every day on the job.

You’ll get step-by-step coverage of how to complete 10 common projects chosen by a panel of Flash users. Plus, tips, tricks, and notes will provide you with the information you need to apply what you learn on these projects to others you’ll undoubtedly be asked to create at work. 

Phillip Kerman's Macromedia Flash 8 @work: Projects and Techniques to Get the Job Done approaches learning from a different perspective than the typical book on a web graphics application.  Rather than simply describing how to use each feature of a product, Macromedia Flash 8 @work introduces key tools in a single chapter and then moves on to what you really want to know -- how to use Macromedia Flash to complete the projects you're likely to face every day on the job.

You'll get step-by-step coverage of how to complete 10 common projects chosen by a panel of Flash users. Plus, tips, tricks, and notes will provide you with the information you need to apply what you learn on these projects to others you'll undoubtedly be asked to create at work. 

Most books on creative applications provide descriptions of how to use tools and make some reference to putting those tools into a real-world context. Macromedia Flash At Work approaches learning from a different perspective by introducing key tools in a single chapter and then moving on to what you really want to know - how to use Macromedia Flash to complete the projects you face every day. You'll get step-by-step coverage of how to complete 10 common projects verified by a panel of Flash users. Plus, tips, tricks, and notes will provide you with the information you need to apply what you learn on these projects to others you'll undoubtedly be asked to create at work. 

Satisfactory
The book is ok. It might not give you the "punch" that you need to open your eyes about Flash, but its fine for bigginers who want a hands on approach to learning.

If you really want to learn how to make things work in Flash, this is the book for you because
I have tried to learn Actionscript for around 5 years and bought several books about this theme so far. So, this year I told myself: "You love Flash... So you HAVE TO understand Actionscript because you need to be more professional!". Ok... So I started studying again from the begining searching on the internet for the meaning of terms like variables, events, methods, object, classes, etc... just to check if I had left some important concepts behind. But even knowing those concepts, I still could not find myself writing code from the scratch! This book from Kerman cleared my mind and taught me how to implement code within the scope of a real Flash project. It guided me troughout the whole process of making a Flash application and made me understand how a Flash professional like Kerman deals when facing to everyday’s Actionscript’s challanges. So that’s really a good choice for you to understand how you can implement a Flash project from the basis. Important: read every page carefully. If you dont’t undestand a single line, try do do it so. You will realize that you have a priceless book in your hands to really get your job done!

Can’t recommend
I wouldn’t say the book is "totally useless" but the decision the author made to serve up ActionScript without explanation because he thought we "didn’t want to get our hands dirty" was a bad one. I see in his reply that he says he never claimed to do otherwise, but you don’t realize this until you have read two chapters.

I would prefer it if he had given us less projects but gone over the code in his .as files for us.

Also, the author should understand that no one buys a book to get ready-made projects. We are buying these books to learn how to do these things on our own. If I just wanted a ready-made project I could just Google what I want and find one of the countless FLA examples people are good enough to share online. When I buy a book, its so I can learn to do it myself.

Better books elsewhere... Not for those trying to Learn quickly
With all due respect to the author, (who obviously knows his stuff quite well), this book is terrible for learning. The author, however, does not promise to teach you, which is in its way his safeguard. You are not meant to be taught, so do not expect to learn. The information the book contains is mostly lots and lots (and lots) of discussion ABOUT Actionscript put in a way as though Actionscript gurus would sit around discussing functions and classes and whatnot. If you are not up to reading ’about’ Actionscript, skip this book. The first 57 pages bored me to tears... I guess I suffer a bit too much from A.D.D. to be able to sit and read ’about’ Actionscript. Instead, I want to LEARN Actionscript, so that perhaps one day I, too, can be a guru sitting around, drinking my Red Bull and discussing Actionscript like some people discuss nuclear fission or jet propulsion.

If you are the type who can handle reading and reading and reading in order to learn some minor information regarding a complex scripting language, best of luck to you with this book. However, if you’re (obviously) dull minded like myself and cannot learn from reading paragraph after paragraph of stuff like this:

"...although the third-pary product Captionate...is needed to inject Caption and Marker cue points, these cue point types are definitely worth including in this list...." then this book is not for you. For me, however, just tell me WHY and show me HOW.

When will someone write a book which is clear and concise, which demonstrates step-by-step in as few words as possible how to do something (other than tweening and drawing) in Flash? I’ve got a dozen books from which I’ve been able to learn a few things, but for the most part I find myself falling asleep reading the same thing over and over again. I don’t want theories on how I can write a function and an array; I don’t want simplistic examples that leave me wondering how to do something a bit more complicated. I need real world examples, real world learning. Write a complex function and teach me how to do it! Don’t tell me I can use XML, show me HOW to use XML. Be creative! Inspire me! I have projects to do, and don’t have time to sit and read and read and read... I don’t have time to cross reference with the Flash Bible to try to figure out what you’re talking about, either.

Lynda publishes some better books, (in particular to learning Actionscript in a real-world example), the Beyond the Basics book is excellent.

Not worth it a nickel
I bought this book last month due to some good feedbacks. But when I read, it seems the book is too much unnecessary words just to make it look thick but the actual content is thin. I would suggest to learn from the help section of the flash program itself. It’s much more clear and right to the point not like this book. From there then google up and you will find a lot of more better tutorials than this book and best of all, it’s free!

great book, shows how it is done
I enjoyed this book for the very fact that it was project based, using Flash 8 features as well as traditional uses. As an experienced Flash user I appreciated the format, but this would not be a good book for a novice. I enjoyed the use of XML in projects as it allows users to leverage the capabilities of Flash to a whole new level.

I bought this book as I enjoyed his other book "Macromedia Flash MX 2004 for Rich Internet Applications" as it too explored great but practical uses. There are not enough project based books out there as most Flash books are aimed at novices that offer a general overview, but lack substance that you can really chew on.

This book was incredibly helpful!
I’m getting back into Flash again after a few years of not working with it and Phil’s book has been invaluable in helping me bring my skills up to date as well as providing me with ready-made engines for a variety of projects. It’s made Flash 8 and ActionScript a lot less intimidating.

Just what I was looking for
This book is a great resource on how to a variety of tasks you may be asked to do for a client or for yourself as a freelancer.

The projects "Creating an Assessment Quiz" and "Saving and Evaluating Quiz Results" were particularly helpful to me, as my team (Maritz Learning) had just finished building an XML-driven, Flash-based assessment engne for a client. After looking at Phillip’s methods, we were able to add a bunch of functionality for other question types.

The fact that it’s not a beginner’s book is a huge plus also. There are so many Flash books that go over the basics in Flash - do we really need another one?

Note to generic Flash book publishers: We know what Flash is and how the interface works - show us how to DO things with it. This book answers that request.

Newbie thoughts on Flash@Work
Although I was new to the world of actionscripting when I purchased and read Flash@Work for the first time, I rather enjoyed the read and its logical approach to scripting. In particular it gave me a solid starting point regarding how to plan and build real world projects which I am still learning. Flash@Work introduced me to the concept of modular design and beginning with the end in mind which is invaluable with flash projects. Overall, I recommend Flash@Work however, I suggest you pick a primer on actionscript first before digging into this book. Concepts and project are well explained and most importantly projects are practical in scope.

Zero to Sixty in no time
If you are looking for a book that provides easy to customize Flash solutions, this is it.

"Flash 8 @work" is a rare computer software book in that it provides practical solutions and it also clearly teaches methods as you implement the solutions.

If you are looking for a "Flash 101" type book, try the author’s "Flash 8 in 24 Hours." It will build your skills step by step.

If your boss is asking you to build something like the applications presented in this book, there is no better way to get the job done than to pick up this book. You will make the boss happy and learn new skills along the way.

If you are serious
If you are interested in creating a professional quality web site(s) with Flash 8, get a grip on yourself and understand it is not simple. Flash 8 is an intense program for serious people. This book is a great start, in what will be a long road of learning. If you are a beginner and want to learn "programming" the first 2/3 of his book "ActionScripting in Flash MX" will get you going.

A very useful book
I’ve bought more than my share of Flash books over the years and I can tell you that here’s one that I return to a lot. The title is very appropriate: I’ve used this book for a number of jobs at work and each one has worked fine and made me look good. The projects are all very practical. The video chapter, in which you create captions for video, was particularly helpful. The "gathering tool", which helps you attach captions to your video, is, as they say, worth the price of admission alone, as is the powerpoint-style flash presentation technique. I don’t know any other way to accomplish what Kerman has done here: without an advanced level of Flash (an intermediate understanding of Flash is good) a person is able to do some pretty advanced projects. Kerman has taken away the need to do many of the advanced and no doubt confusing parts of the project and allows the reader to do the rest on their own. And, in the end you understand enough of what you did so you can customize the projects. Heck, I’d like to see him do another one of these books. I’ve got a lot of other projects at work that need his expertise. 5 stars.

A great work companion
I am a fulltime Flash developer and this book is exactly what it says it is. Projects to get you started in the right direction. Beyond that I’m impressed by the architecture of each project. Mr. Kerman has made his templates as effortless to update as I imagine they could be.

major kudos to this book. It’s a fantasitic addition to an Flash users library.

Clearly not for dummies
A great book for non-dummies. I enjoy reading it and I think Phillip did a great job explaining how to get the job done in such effective and entertaining ways.

For some people this book may be one of the worst books they ever bought. That’s because there’s a big gap between their knowledge/skill and this book itself; not because the way this book is written.

Phillip wrote that this book is intended for Flash veterans so if you are not one of them, go for another.

Utterly useless, unless you’re already an expert
Ya know the strange thing about the lessons in this book? They don’t teach you anything, beyond how to take the lessons in this book.

The author apparently suffers from the delusion that everyone understands actionscripting as much as he does. His "introduction to actionscript" dsoesn’t really explain much, and is remarkable in its superficiality. The author then then plunges into a series of lessons that are long on script, but pretty much devoid of any explanation of what you’re actually doing.

If you like following pages of directions, and not actually LEARNING anything, this book is DEFINITELY for you. If you’re looking for an educational resource that that will allow you to grasp actionscripting, and know how to customize it to your needs, look elsewhere, because this book just doesn’t deliver.

Deceptive Title - Beware
This book is definately NOT for beginners. The author assumes you are a veteran Flash designer (which I hope to become someday). I just wanted a step-by-step guide to show me how to animate an object, move it, fade it in and out and make it react like a button to trigger another event. That’s all. Once I get that, the rest should come easily. Also, good luck if you own a Mac. The .swf file titled "gathering_tool.swf" contained on the accompanying CD will NOT play on my G5 - that’s where the tutorial ended for me. There is no indication that the CD is strictly for PC. I can’t believe there is a problem with this G5. It’s brand new. Maybe I’m just trying too hard. I dunno.

I’ll go against my better judgement and try the Flash tutorial that came with the app. Then I might revisit this book down the road for reference - or sell it on Ebay!

Finally a practical, highly useful flash/actionscript book!
Not only are the examples clear, but the projects are all practical and useful. I applaud Philip Kerman for his great work as well as the great tools he makes available on the CD. The captioning tool by itself made this book worth the purchase!!

Practical API to get the job done
I debated whether to give it 4 stars or 5 stars, at the end I gave it 5. Here is the run down of the book:

What this book does NOT do:

Teach you how to create an API.

Teach you Flash 8 from beginner to expert (this is NOT a tutorial or anything similar)

What this book does do:

Give you working APIs for real projects.

Explain to you how to work with his APIs.

Get you thinking about ActionScript as a full featured programming language.

Get your work done, hiding in the API a lot of the complexity .

If you are looking for a tutorial on flash, you will find many, though I haven’t been particularly impressed by any Flash tuotrial book up to date. And this book was never set to be a tutorial, it goes straight to the project.
I would highly recommend this book for those busy professionals that have a lot of projects come up and who don’t have the time to learn yet another programming language. I consider myself at an intermediate level in flash, but a beginner in Actionscript.
Phillip Kerman did a very good job in providing several "projects and techniques to get the job done". Which was what he set up to do with this book, and hence he gets 5 full stars. This book saved me about 20-30 hours of research already. It has payed for itself many times over.

Great guide for users looking to expand their skills.
My overall feeling on this book is that it is great guide for those readers transitioning from one skill set in Flash to another. While it is ok for beginners it is best you have had some experience with Flash before reading this book as it is designed more to make existing users better then getting newbies up to speed in a hurry. The author uses a most practical perspective in each chapter to solve common problems and makes it a point to highlight best practices and the common pitfalls to avoid and why. In this way the he carries the reader through the logical reasoning behind each technique so that one can relate the more complex and technical aspects of programming to the visual design elements with which you are already familiar.
There are many examples where the author shows how various techniques can be achieved without programming in the timeline, which some readers may be more comfortable with, and he then shows how the same goal is accomplished with programming for comparison. He takes the sensitive tone of a mentor as he shares his insight on the benefits and drawbacks of each approach in order to help the reader decide which may be best for their own projects.
Those wanting to jump into scripting have the benefit of the file templates provided on the CD-ROM. The book walks through the design and construction of each project. Completed samples are provided with the book and more templates are available for download from the author’s web site,. This way you can focus on the concepts of design and construction or the details of implementation depending on your needs and interests.
If you have a background in JavaScript programming or you have been doing ActionScript 1 for some time this book provides assistance with project design and architecture. Many of the examples and templates make use of custom classes and Object Oriented Programming with ActionScript 2. In my personal opinion practical examples are about the best way to pick up a new language. Between the guidance in each chapter and the example files, a causal script writer can easily go from copying code snippets that create nifty visual effects to writing their own from scratch.
Whenever possible the author encourages the reader to remember the end user’s experience as they develop their design. He points out how the use of visual effects should enhance the experience of the content for the user and not distract from it. He also shows how the techniques in programming and some practical steps in authoring can be leveraged in other projects, thus saving time and effort.
I think that the practical project based approach used in the book and the author’s familiar and casual tone is really what distinguishes it. It makes the large range of topics easier to absorb and many of the concepts and techniques used to develop each project are indicative of what is required for most website and e-learning applications. Regardless of your focus and reasons for using Flash, this book will help you to expand your skills and provide a useful reference as you embark on new territory with your own projects.

A much needed Flash 8 book!
I was very pleasantly surprised to find this book. I’ve enjoyed Mr. Kerman’s books in the past, they’re always very informative and practical. And I think that’s the key: practical. I like using Flash and I love making Flash projects, but I find ActionScript a really cumbersome language. It’s no Ruby. That’s fine, but I don’t want a book that’s cumbersome too.

Creating Flash projects over and over again, you definitely realize there are certain patterns to your work. You need video, you need a preloader, you need to parse XML files, etc. A lot of books try to cover everything available to a Flash programmer and end up really telling you very little. By focusing in on what’s important, Mr. Kerman has written something very close to a masterpiece in the field.

Chapter 1 is an excellent overview of the new features in Flash 8, and frankly I wasn’t even aware of half of them because Macromedia doesn’t really emphasize the new features of the ActionScript language, they emphasize the authoring environment and the visuals. Chapter 2 is an overview of constructing a real-world Flash project and it is priceless. You become a great Flash developer when you see how a Flash project is really just a lot of pieces put together. You learn in this chapter how to break apart your projects, how to arrange content, and so forth. It’s an excellent prelude to the rest of the book.

The rest of the chapters of the book (and contents of the CD-ROM) cover eight projects similar to the types of real-world projects I’ve been doing lately. I’m not going to cover them all, they’re all really good, but let’s take some examples from the Portfolio chapter. This is an excellent example of what’s great about this book. This chapter takes you through building modular components that you put together to make a portfolio. The thumbnails are separate from the larger views, and they are separate from the chapter navigation. You don’t build one project, really, but as many as you want! You can combine these things as much as you want. And when you’re ready, dig into the libraries that you didn’t have to study in detail. You have worked up from a great foundation, but you’re well entitled to play with the foundation too, if you want!

If you find yourself building Flash projects, especially websites, that are of any real size, you should really get a copy of this book. The writing is great, the code is solid and the possibilities are endless. And for this price it’s a downright bargain.

Finally, a really great book on Flash 8!

A Handy Reference
I have accumulated a number of Flash 8 related books in the past little while. Flash 8 @ Work is a book I find myself going back to regular basis. I particularly appreciate the section that shows you how to caption video using an XML document. This was particularly helpful as I completed a nagging project last week.

The book is well organized and quite readable. I find I am able to get at specific techniques quickly. I also appreciate the fact that the example are not overly complicated. Sometimes I come across books where the step by step examples involve combinations of techniques that one would normally not combine which leaves you scratching your head. This is NOT one of those books. I suspect I will be reference this book until Flash 9 @ Work comes out :)