Updated to cover Flash MX, the newest version of Macromedia Flash, ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition is the one book no serious Flash developer should be without.

ActionScript is Macromedia’s programming language for Flash MX, the popular authoring tool for creating rich internet applications and animations for the Web. With Macromedia’s new focus on application development, ActionScript now includes a direct drawing API, loading of external MP3 and JPG files, improved sound control, an extensive set of text formatting tools, complete support for component development using movie clip subclasses, local data storage, accessibility features, and much more. And ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide is the most complete, up-to-date reference available for the latest version of this language.

Author Colin Moock, one of the most universally respected developers in the Flash community, has added hundreds of new code examples to show new Flash MX techniques in the real world: how to draw circles, save data to disk, convert arrays to onscreen tables, create reusable components, and preload variables, XML, and sounds. The book’s language reference alone has nearly doubled from the first edition, with more than 250 new classes, objects, methods, and properties. You’ll find exhaustive coverage of dozens of undocumented, under-documented, and mis-documented features.

Along with the new material, Colin Moock has meticulously revised the entire text to conform to Flash MX best-coding practices. In particular, objected-oriented programming and the new event model get special attention in light of changes to Flash MX ActionScript. From sending data between two movies to creating getter/setter properties, the new edition of this book demystifies the often-confusing new features of Flash MX, giving developers easy access to its powerful new capabilities.

ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide is structured so non-programmers can learn how to use ActionScript and programmers can take their skills to new heights. If you are in the market to really learn about the hows and whys of ActionScript, then this is the book for you.

Cover ActionScript2 which will not run on Flash CS3
This book looks pretty good and the first chapter was very promising. However I must tell my experience so at least people don’t waste time and get frustrated like I did.

The very first example of the book, the Multiple-Choice Quiz will NOT run on latest Flash CS3. It turns out that Flash CS3 (ActionScript3) decided to kill backwards compatibility and throw away the onRelease method for its buttons. So you get a bunch of compile errors. I managed to find out by myself that with AS3 you must use addEventListener to handle clicks to SimpleButton.

Anyways, the line:

totalOutput_txt.text = "Your final score is: " + totalCorrect + "/2.";

Is not compiling either with the error:

1120: Access of undefined property totalOutput_txt.

The totalOutput_txt is being created by "reflection" with the line:

createTextField("totalOutput_txt", 1, 150, 200, 200, 20);

But it looks like Flash CS3 does not like this. Again, another compatibility problem with CS3...

There goes my first star out. Now comes my second start out:

This book assumes that you DO KNOW how to play with FLASH, how to play with the timeline, etc. It does make a good effort to guide you through the steps to create the movie frames, etc, but I felt that I needed a flash designer near me to explain me what was going on.

Anyway, I was looking for a book like: Flash + AS for Java Programmers, but I guess I am asking too much. If anyone has a recommendation for me, please reply in this comment!

A difficult read but good for AS references
This book proved to be valuable for looking up new ways of implementing Action Script into my Flash projects. There were many examples of action script that can easily be found in the books index.

Glad I didn’t throw it away
Was going through my books looking to get some space on the shelf for new ones and had this in my hand ready to go but for some reason couldn’t do it. I hadn’t done Flash/Flex (Flesh? Flax?) in a couple of years (moved mostly to C#) then recently I got a chance to do the quirky & kludgey beast of computing again with Flash8 and This Old Book Still Had The Goods.

If you don’t own it, buy it. If you are thinking it’s past its prime... buy it anyway :)

Oh, gotta say this: if you’re thinking of buying into FMS... buy Wowza instead - it’s more flexible and it’s not priced as arrogantly as the ancient "Adobe" server.

The best
Hands down, the best ActionScript book in my library. Good for building a solid understanding of AS, but definitely not for someone looking for a few quick tricks, effects or tutorials.

A good book for coders, but designers will probably want something far less intense.

Best ActionScript foundation
It is a book that directly is recommendable for whatever it wants to program with ActionScript.





It is not necessary to enter the details of the book because everything is recommendable.





All the proportionate examples are practical and functional.





The author is a recognized programmer of ActionScript and has the Web www.moock.org.





It is necessary to consider that includes neither the components nor classes MX.





To be a programmer it is necessary to know how everything what the book author explains.





Directly recommendable, whatever the direction that is wanted to give later to the programming with ActionScript.





Next to this book also it is recommendable "Essential ActionScript 2.0" of he same author.

Best ActionScript foundation
It is a book that directly is recommendable for whatever it wants to program with ActionScript.





It is not necessary to enter the details of the book because everything is recommendable.





All the proportionate examples are practical and functional.





The author is a recognized programmer of ActionScript and has the Web www.moock.org.





It is necessary to consider that includes neither the components nor classes MX.





To be a programmer it is necessary to know how everything what the book author explains.





Directly recommendable, whatever the direction that is wanted to give later to the programming with ActionScript.





Next to this book also it is recommendable "Essential ActionScript 2.0" of he same author.

A must have
This book got a reluctant, occasional designer-turning-programer into serious Actionscript.
Although a bit hard to fully understand at first, it provided, then, an excellent introduction to serious ActionScript programming.
Today, working with Actionscript 2.0 alongside "Essential Actionscript 2.0" for its OOP practice tutoring, from the same author, it remains true to its self-explanatory title : a definitive guide.

I’ve re-read to complete my knowledge and now still use it almost daily when I code, for its exhaustive, relevent and easily understandable language reference.

A must have.

A must have
This book got a reluctant, occasional designer-turning-programer into serious Actionscript.

Although a bit hard to fully understand at first, it provided, then, an excellent introduction to serious ActionScript programming.

Today, working with Actionscript 2.0 alongside "Essential Actionscript 2.0" for its OOP practice tutoring, from the same author, it remains true to its self-explanatory title : a definitive guide.



I’ve re-read to complete my knowledge and now still use it almost daily when I code, for its exhaustive, relevent and easily understandable language reference.



A must have.

Great For Understanding Flash concepts
I am a programmer and also a teacher of Flash at a Tech school. I don’t use this in class--yet--but I do reference it for lecture. I have the older Flash 5 version of this book and have perused the MX version. I love this book! It gave me the information I initially needed to program effectively in Actionscript. If you’re a programmer working in Flash and need to get underneath the hood of Flash MX this book is worth having in your arsenal. I agree with some of the other reviews, this book is what Macromedia should package with their overpriced products.

WHAT THIS BOOK IS NOT:
I agree this book isn’t for a beginner unless you are the kind of person that picks up on computer related technical concepts quickly. This also isn’t a cook book on how to make killer looking sites.

WHAT THIS BOOK IS
It is a conceptual break down of the Flash object model, events and functionality--when code gets executed and in what order. The first part of this book will help you understand the Flash object model (methods, and properties), event based programming concepts, syncronous and asyncronous code execution, and variable scope. The last part of the book is a nicely organized Actionscript Language Reference with simple code examples.

OTHER FLASH BOOKS I RECOMMEND:
For the serious Flash animators in the world check out FLASH CARTOON ANIMATION--It’ll give you production ideas based on tradional methods. It’s written by Kevin Peaty and Glenn Kirkpatrick (Hanna-Barberra and Disney) Cool Stuff!

Also, check out ACTIONSCRIPT ANIMATION - MAKING THINGS MOVE. This book approaches animation from a programming standpoint and does a good job explaining acceleration, velocity, springing, inverse kinematics, and even some 3D concepts. You’ll have to be creative enough to apply these ideas to your own projects.

Not five star but ten!
Amazing book !
At last I can write my own code without failure.

Simply the best!
I can keep this review real short.. this book still applies even in Flash 8. It has great concepts, holds nothing back and exposes the reader to the intense power and capabilities of Flash.

Simply put, if you use Flash, this book is for you.

The Source for Actionscript
This book has just about everything I could have ever wanted in an Actionscript book. It covers the ins and outs and tiny details overlooked by so many other `quick tutorial’ type books. This book is touted as the primary source for learning Actionscript and undoubtedly it is. You really need to get a good handle on movieclips, levels, timelines, depths, and classes so you’re not banging your head later or chasing your tail for hours asking yourself, "What is going on here? This Flash Actionscript is really doing odd things with my movieclips (objects), none of which I expected to happen." Moock dispels all uncertainty about Actionscript with Flash.

I thoroughly enjoyed the in-depth yet concise descriptions outlining the core concepts of Actionscript. Where one book may tell you there’s a wide range of depths to assign to objects, this book breaks it down further explaining why negatively assigned movieclips behave one way in certain areas and why positively numbered depths are safer in others. The book also shares many insightful examples, though you can’t ever have too many helpful hints. At the end of the book a complete guide to the API is listed with good documentation that’s easy to follow and understand and great for quick reference.

I thought the book could have tied in Flash a little bit more to give a better picture of how Actionscript functions within the Flash GUI. Since Moock is haled as the chief Actionscript authority, I would have liked to have seen more creative code secrets or maybe a section of case studies with lengthy real world examples. By looking at the low low price of this book at Amazon might hamper one’s view of the book’s overall quality or indicate a sharp decline in demand. I would point out that, although the book illustrates plainly the most important methods and ideas fundamental to Actionscript, the book is aging quickly in technology terms while the language of Actionscript continues to evolve leaving behind a pile of deprecation to deal with. You might say it’s the John Deere of Flash. It has complete functionality just built on yesterday’s technology.

For me, the book helped solidify many core concepts that are crucial to building a successful coder’s foundation. Also, I found myself adopting new sleeker coding methods and even learning more about those subtle yet almost undocumented nuances that will help the direction of my focus when I tackle a new project.

If you’re a coder and plan on devoting a significant amount of time working in Flash you must read this book. I don’t know if Moock will release an updated version for Flash 8 but in the meantime grab a hold of a copy and at $4 you can’t afford not to. Even if you’re not a coder but plan on working in Flash this book is well suited for you.

This book is by far the best book on AS!
I have many many books on both AS and Flash and this book is by far the most informative, well written and most comprehensive book on ActionScript for beginning to intermediate developers that I have found. Colin Moock clearly knows his stuff and he has a teaching style that is rare with authors this day and age. It is very clear that Mr. Moock loves what he is doing because his love for AS gleems through the perfectly written tutorials of this book.

The Defacto learning tool and resource for every Actionscripter
This book has it all; an overview to general programming, a focus on Actionscript specific problems, solutions, and workflow, and a resource that’s value lasts long into expert level Actionscripting.

Still a good book
Author Colin Mook’s phraseology is engaging, no easy task for what is dry subject matter, he translates computer language into a form that humans are able to interpret.
He breaks things down to their core elements pulling away the curtain so you can see what the mysterious esoteric language that is known as actionscript is made of.
Everyone I know that uses actionscript owns or has read this book. Open the cover and look at the impressive array of reviews by such flash luminaries as Robert Penner, Jared Tarbell and Gary Grossman

Even though it is only AS1 and alot of it is outdated, the core concepts of the structure and flow of code is there. It is still very worthwhile to own it. It has been tremendous help to me in my quest to learn actionscript.

This is an excellent introduction to the world of how computers interpret data. If you are a complete beginner or if you are on an advanced level this can be an indispensible reference book for you. Keep in mind because actionscript is constantly evolving, not all here is gospel. It does give you insight on this evolution. Perhaps we will see one like this for AS3 someday but for now its still the definitive guide.

time for a third edition
lots of the sections on this book are now obsolete.

it is very confusing to read this book then to read the "essential actionscript 2.0" book to find out that lot of the things you just learnd in this book is no longer supported.

for example, i read the chapter on prototype chain just to find out later that it is no longer the recommended method.

Best Yet
I own a number of different flash/action script books. Most of which I buy, skim through, and then put on my shelf so that passerbys think I know what I’m talking about. But, THIS book is totally different. I keep this one close by my side taking it to and from work on a regular basis.

Moock is a master at explaining each and every piece of the flash action scripting language. How does one know this much?! The examples he has given have never failed me either.

So, if you don’t know everything there is to know about the language and need a side kick to your flash help files or online tutorials, this is the one to buy!

The best Actionscript book there is
I have used Flash since version 3, and I can say with no doubts that there is not another book about Actionscript that will give you a more complete understanding of the language and power of Flash. Every command in Flash is presented here with working examples, giving you the easiest way to understand how Actionscript works. Colin Moock presents his explanations easy enough for beginners to grasp the programming lingo and pick up Flash quickly. He also has many great source code examples at his website for you to examine within Flash, and see how they work. If you only plan on buying one book to learn about Flash, let it be this one.

Truly Definitive!
This is the very best book on Actionscripting out there. I have successfully used it as the text book in my Actionscripting course for several years. Nothing else comes close to really describing how Flash works. It functions as both a text, explaining various aspects of Flash, and as a reference manual, with detailed explanations of everything you can do in ActionScripting. Truly a definitive guide.

This is THE book
I’ve been a professional Flash user for many years, and got to the point where I could pull off just about anything using tweens, and simple actionscript like gotoAndPlay();, etc.

But the time came recently when I was truly ready to learn Actionscript. I looked at some other books, and even bought the Actionscript for Dummies book, which is fine if you don’t really want to learn to script, but only want to fake your way through it. I already knew how to do this.

Then I bought this book. I can’t believe it. I’m actully scripting! Just like that! Where was this book when I was trying to learn how to code in Flash 4? It didn’t exist yet, that’s where. But, now, luckily for you, here is THE BOOK FOR LEARNING FLASH ACTIONSCRIPT. BUY IT NOW!!!

Josh Mehler
www.translucentstudios.com

If you’re writing ActionScript you need this book
I continue to be impressed by the depth and accuracy of this book, it has become an invaluable resource for writing ActionScript. This book combines an excellent overview of ActionScript with an extremely detailed reference section. I originally thought I wouldn’t need the reference section (I could just find it on the web, right?) but the reference section is the part I turn to most often. My only knock on the book is the relatively light treatment of ActionScript 2.0 (the vast majority of material is written in AS 1.0). Thanks to Colin for providing this excellent text.

Can’t live without it.
if you do lots of flash work, you really can’t work without this book. great for reference and for excelling and growing in your work.

a must have.

The better guide from many
From someone who has purchased and read four other books on ActionScript, Colin Moock’s book is the one I’d rather have read first.

Don’t even try to learn actionscript without it
This book does what most other actionscript books simply don’t: it tells you how actionscript works. Nothing else even comes close to giving you the kind of in-depth understanding of WHY things behave the way they do in actionscript.

Are you experienced programmers ?
Excellent book for experienced programmers, but if you don’t have any programming experience, this book will drive you away.
This book has a lot explanations on conceptually theories but very lack of hands on examples.
If you want to learn how to use Flash effectively and fast, this is not the book.
If you want to take it to the next step (which will be a tiny step compared to what flash can already do without action script), then this book is excellent as it teach a lot of the basic and has a lot of reference.

I am lucky I am an experienced programmer, so I give it 5/5, but if I am not an experienced programmer, I will give it 1/5 only.

Experiened programmer, I mean if you know any of the VB, C++, or Java.

As advertised
In response to the review by "casa", page xxv of the Preface clearly states under "What’s Not in This Book" that the Flash authoring tool isn’t covered. The book is intended to cover programming alone.

For an introduction to the Flash MX 2004 authoring tool, see "Flash Out of the Box", also by O’Reilly (ISBN: 0596006918)

Very Frustrated
I am a programmer, but am very intimidated by Flash. I have a fairly strong background in JavaScript so ActionScripts don’t worry me too much. I cannot get past the first chapter with this book. The steps for running through the tutorials are very unclear. Maybe it’s because of different versions of Flash, but I’m totally lost. The book assumes that the reader know his/her way around Flash, which I don’t.

Luckily this is a borrowed book so I’m not out the $$$. I’m looking for something ultra current and VERY basic.

obviously the bomb.
Lets just say this is THE most dog-eared book in my flash library. Most days it even gets prized desk space. Makes all the other books in the bookshelf jealous.