Essential ActionScript 3.0 (Essential) by Colin Moock
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Book Reviews of Essential ActionScript 3.0 (Essential)
Book Review: Provides a solid understanding and foundation of Actionscript 3.0
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a great resource for anyone wishing to gain a solid understanding of Actionscript 3.0. Colin Moock taught me Actionscript from scratch, and inspired me to continue my development with enthusiasm and confidence. If you are serious about learning Actionscript 3.0, whether as a beginner, or as a seasoned coder making a migration from Actionscript 2, but don't know where to really start, then use this book as your definitive resource as an introduction and in concert with any others you feel comfortable with.
For those just beginning in Actionscript 3 or object oriented programming (OOP), Colin Moock provides a thorough, yet easy-to-understand introduction to core concepts and theories while providing a methodic and detailed study of the areas of Actionscript that are essential to writing great code. While this book may seem a bit intimidating to the beginner that wants to just jump in a start coding right away, the payoff and value of this title becomes apparent by the end of the introduction and first chapter on Core Concepts. The reader is introduced to the history, main concepts, terms, definitions, and processes that go into grasping and writing code with Actionscript. I had no real programming experience prior to reading this book, but was able to read (and understand) Actionscript within the first 100 pages. But this title is also great for those who are already proficient in Actionscript 2, and need to learn enough about AS3 to make a smooth migration while maintaining the leverage of their experience and command of AS2. Colin points out key differences between AS2 and AS3 in a way that is non-threatening. Actionscript 3 is basically a new language compared to AS2; it is a full-fledged object oriented programming language with strict rules and syntax. But it is presented here in a way that is inspiring instead of intimidating.
This title will go into more depth than any video training or book you will find on the subject. Colin presents his lessons step-by-step using a 'Virtual Zoo' program that evolves from chapter to chapter as your understanding of the topic progresses. Most chapters are relatively easy to digest, but require you to think...and process the information for a while...to fully absorb the concepts that were just presented. Each chapter progresses a bit on the previous chapters. Beginners and seasoned coders alike will start to notice that many of the questions you were afraid to ask elsewhere, are answered here. More importantly, as you read each chapter, Colin masterfully presents information that has you asking questions that become answered within a few pages or chapters. He even points out where to find the information in later chapters in case you become curious to explore a topic that you are currently reading through. I found that i could only read through about 50-100 pages per day if i really pushed myself; not because the concepts or writing style were too difficult, but rather because Colin Moock presents complex information in such a way that inspired me to peer beneath the surface and really contemplate what I had just read. If you are serious about learning Actionscript, you will do yourself the favor of allowing yourself the time to absorb the key concepts presented in this book.
Essential Actionscript 3.0 is divided into three main parts:
I. Core concepts and an introduction to foundation Actionscript terms and elements. This basically runs provides an in-depth exploration of Actionscript from it's inception to the latest release in 3.0. You will learn what a function is, and how to write one while distinguishing the subtle difference between a method and function. Colin presents topics such as conditionals and loops, variables and methods, inheritance, data types, interfaces, statements and operators, arrays, event handling, scope, namespaces, and working with XML while quickly providing you with the ability to read and write AS3 using dot syntax. You'll completely understand how to write a class and a package, and how to organize them easily. I promise you will feel very confident in your understanding of AS3 by the middle of this section. You will feel like you can read any AS3 code and understand what's going on, and whether it is re-usable code, or whether it was slapped together by someone trying to just get something done. You will likely understand by this point, that writing Actionscript is both an art and a science--and that every coder has his or her own style. The key to this book is that it gets you to a point where you can start to develop your own style without wondering if you have a firm grasp on the Actionscript language. You will be at a point where you can feel comfortable tackling any code or concept without being intimidated. More importantly, you will learn that there is a simple pattern and set of rules for reading and writing solid Actionscript code. Once you get to this point, you'll feel like nothing is too complex to understand or develop.
II. Display and Interactivity. This section introduces and explores concepts necessary to create display elements and interactivity to your code using Actionscript 3.0's new display API and display list. The display list is new in AS3, and Colin explains why it is much more powerful, and ultimately easier to work with than in previous versions of Actionscript. Moock walks you through handling events and display hierarchies...discussing the event model and event flow. You will learn to write custom events with confidence, or at least understand them well-enough to know the questions to ask if you get stuck. Next, he moves on to adding interactivity with mouse and keyboard events...and more advanced events. You will be introduced thoroughly to programmatic animation, drawing with vectors, using bitmap data from loaded and external sources, working with static and dynamic text objects, and loading external display assets.
III. Applied Actionscript Topics. This section ties all that has been explored through this title together in a manner that you will understand when it comes to applying it to real-world projects. Colin doesn't leave you hanging with just a great introduction to key concepts; he shows you how to apply it...how to think logically when you approach applying it. And, he shows you how to write classes of code so they are reusable, and how to organize them so you can share easily with other programmers.
This book is not the only book on Actionscript you will ever need. You'll want to learn about design patterns in OOP and Actionscript. And it may not be the first resource for gaining an introduction to Actionscript 3. But once you have a basic understanding or interest in coding with Actionscript, this book becomes an invaluable tool. It will provide you with in-depth answers to questions that you won't get from video training or classroom lessons, or may feel intimidated by asking at user groups or workshops. In fact, you will get more from such training once you've read through this book, or parts of it. I have found that many seasoned Actionscript developers lack much of the understanding that come with reading through this book. In short, reading Essential Actionscript 3.0 by Colin Moock will accelerate your learning curve and evolution as a serious Actionscript developer. You will feel a sense of accomplishment just by gaining insight into a topic you previously may have thought too intimidating or daunting. You will realize that your journey as a programmer has just begun. But you will progress and grow with more confidence, and get more from any other source, by having read this book first.
After reading this book, I felt like I was on my way to becoming a successful Actionscript developer. And you will, too.
Book Review: One True Source for ActionScript 3.0
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a software engineer but a relative newcomer to programming with Flex 2 and ActionScript 3. I have been waiting for the definitive book on Actionscript 3 programming, as a companion to my copy of Programming Flex 2. Until now, I have made due with the online documentation and web searches for what I needed to know, but Essential ActionScript 3.0 has arrived and fits the bill nicely.
The author, Colin Mook, knows a thing or two about ActionScript programming and has obviously followed the evolution of the language from version 2 to version 3. The book has been reviewed by many engineers and architects at Adobe to ensure that, at the time of printing, the information presented is correct and up-to-date. It is also nice to know that the book is backed up by Oreilly's Safari service for staying current, even though I tend to go to the online documentation to get my updates.
So how does the book stack up? At over 900 pages, it definitely passes the lift test. The book is divided into three main sections; ActionScript from the ground up, Display and Interactivity, and Applied ActionScript Topics. I spent a pretty good amount of time reading through the first section both to get a good sense of Colins' writing style and because it was a very enjoyable read. The book does not assume that the reader has any prior programming experience, although any prior experience with object-oriented programming would be beneficial. The author starts out gently by explaining what objects are and how they are used in ActionScript. From there he guides the reader through the intricacies of object-oriented programming in ActionScript 3. Each chapter is devoted to a single topic and there is a running example of building a Virtual Zoo to help explain and illustrate the principles of each chapter.
When you get to part two (which is roughly a third of the book), you have a good understanding of ActionScript and, if you've been doing the examples, have some experience writing and running some fairly involved programs. The chapters of the second part then go into all the gory details of graphical programming with ActionScript. For many, this is where things get exciting as the author runs the reader through how to set up the Stage, create graphical objects, draw lines and blit bitmaps. Compared with the first part of the book, this section definitely has more "information density" and contains code samples that you will probably come back to a couple of times before you fully understand what is happening.
Part three of the book is a scant hundred pages long, and, to be honest, probably the least interesting part of the book. The chapter on ActionScript with Flash authoring is really only relevant if you are using the Flash Authoring tool. There is a token chapter showing a minimalistic MXML (Flex) program. There is also a chapter on distribution of your Class Libraries, which is probably the most useful chapter in this part of the book.
No book is perfect, and this book is no exception to that rule. There were a few small stylistic things that bothered me as I was reading. In the first part of the book, there are a few instances where the author forward references some keyword or concept to illustrate the current point. If you aren't already familiar with that keyword, you have to jump to a later chapter to brush up before continuing. To the authors' credit, he does tell you that when a topic hasn't been covered yet and tells you which chapter to jump forward to if you want to know more about it before proceeding. Personally, this wasn't a huge distraction because most topics were easy to figure out just from the context of the examples, but a reader without much programming experience might find himself jumping around a bit.
The part three chapters felt like they were just bolted on and didn't really add very much to the book. Admittedly they might be of some value if you happen to be using the Flash Authoring tool or need some help with deployment of your libraries. I am mildly disappointed that there wasn't a bigger chapter on Flex and MXML, but it is understandable given that Flex and MXML programming really are outside the realm of ActionScript programming.
I also found it sad that the quirky virtual zoo example was largely ignored during part two of the book. If anything, the virtual zoo would have made a great test bed for graphical programming topics. Fortunately there is an appendix that contains a complete code listing for the virtual zoo, including graphical elements, and the source code is downloadable from the author's website.
I would definitely recommend this book if you are new to ActionScript programming and want "one true source" to get you started. In addition to being a gentle introduction to object-oriented programming, it nicely points out the ActionScript idioms and terminology. Although nothing will beat the online documentation for timeliness and correctness, Essential ActionScript 3 is a good place to start.
Book Review: Flash Developers: You Will Be Ready to Start Using AS3 After Reading This.
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember reading the documentation for Flash MX back around 2003-2004. It had this big section about object-oriented programming and why it's so great. The idea of reusing snippets of code by arranging them as modular classes was easy to understand and get on board with, but it never stuck with me when it came time to build an app. That was partly because I had just barely gotten into scripting at that point, but it was also because you can't truly explain the practical benefits of of OOP in just a few pages.
This book makes OOP tangible. It is a long book, and it goes into exhaustive detail. When you finish reading the first half of it, you will have seen numerous examples of OOP in action, and you will have practical knowledge of when OOP can work for you and how to go about implementing it in basic ways. When I started reading the book, I had never bothered arranging my code into classes. After I read it, I couldn't wait to jump onto my computer and start building a few classes for future use. Each chapter started off kind of scary as I delved into new, unfamiliar subject matter, but by the end of each chapter I felt like a bulb had lit up inside my head and I was beginning to realize I had powers as a programmer that I never knew I possessed. It also shed a lot of light on terminology that I had heard thrown around before but that I never understood the significance of. I'll admit -- reading a couple hundred pages about programming can be a chore. I took lots of naps along the way. But when I started this book I was just a guy who could write scripts, and when I finished I was on my way to learning some serious programming.
You might wonder why the book is called "Essential Actionscript 3.0" if it is all about OOP. Well, in many ways the two topics are one and the same. I believe most potential readers are like myself. We have a background in Flash and maybe even Actionscript, but we are not full-time programmers by trade. In order to make the transition from Actionscript 2 to Actionscript 3, the main thing we have to learn is Object Oriented Programming. AS3 embraces OOP concepts much more closely than AS2, and if you start to understand OOP, you start to understand why AS changed the way it did in moving from version 2 to version 3. Even those who think that AS3 code looks unnecessarily cumbersome at first glance might come around and realize that its long-term benefits outweigh the cost of the learning curve once you start building truly object-oriented apps that run super fast.
People with a background in computer science might get a little less out of the book, as you should already be familiar with OOP. You could still learn a lot about what AS3 supports in comparison to other OOP languages, but the majority of that can be gleaned from any documentation of ECMA guidelines, as Adobe is adhering as closely as they can to those guidelines. There is a lot of documentation out there about AS3's built-in classes, and Adobe maintains a pretty excellent language resource on its website.
But again, for people who are Flash developers first, and programmers second, this book is an excellent way to go from AS2 to AS3. And if you find yourself drawn to AS3 programming and want to learn even more, check out "ActionScript 3.0 Design Patterns" by the same publisher. That book will take you from knowing how to build OOP apps in AS3 to structuring your applications in ways that professional programmers have considered standard for several decades.
Book Review: Fantastic, if you know your way already.
Summary: 5 Stars
This review is more of a 'heads-up' for any beginners considering this book. There are many reviews here telling about the book's contents, so I am going to talk about the level of the book instead.
I think it is important to state that this book is in NO WAY aimed or intended for beginners. None of the books in this series are, for that matter. Being fair, and I think this information is important for people even though a bit off topic: O'Reilly RARELY makes beginner level books. What they do make is insanely useful technical books which will tell you more than you probably ever wanted to know about a subject. But they are done, IMHO, very well. Still, when looking at books to buy I think it is important to keep this in mind, particularly if you are a beginner in any topic. Especially because most programming books are rather spendy.
When I bought Moock's first book, I had been using AS for a couple years (starting from Flash 4) and was still a beginner. However, I could manage my way through the very limited scripting options. When Flash 5 opened up the AS language to a full-blown environment, I was excited to get his book. Once it arrived, I was completely overwhelmed and immediately put it away. For about a year. During that time, I found other materials and boned up on my AS, THEN revisited the book. I found it much more useful.
When AS 2 came out, I thought the same thing. Ah-ha! I already know AS, so his book will get me up to speed. Wrong. The stuff which was pretty much lifted from the previous AS 1 book made sense, but I could not grasp what he was saying about the updates and new features in AS 2. Again, I put the book away for a year, found other resources to familiarize myself with, and revisited the book. I was surprised at the wealth of information I learned, but I learned it AFTER reading numerous other sources.
Leading to this book, I completely expect the same. I am buying it because I KNOW it will be a tome well worth the price based on my looking through it at local book sellers. No one, at least that I have read, has the depth of understanding of AS Moock does. He, IMHO, really understands the what and how. And he will tell you EVERYTHING about it. He does not, sadly, possess the 'layman language' to make this a beginner book. It barely makes sense to those well immersed in the topic. BUT, once you get to the level that you can absorb what he is saying, you catapult your Flash skills and usage.
For beginners, definitely start elsewhere. Books by Phillip Kerman or Joey Lott are marvelous entry level books. Both authors have a superior knowledge of Flash AS, but the also possess the ability to talk about it conversationally. A huge help in anyone's learning of a new subject. Flash AS is a huge uphill battle, but one which rewards richly for those who travel the path. I would just hate to have someone not try because they do not understand a book reportedly aimed at developers with 'no prior programming knowledge.'
Book Review: A Programmer's Reference; Not for Newbies
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is totally unlike other books on ActionScript, and that is both its strength and its weakness.
First of all, the claim that this book could be used by someone with no knowledge of programming is laughable and misleading. Chapter One goes through all of Object Oriented Programming, including such arcana as page 22's "Access-control modifiers for instance variables." No one without programming experience can understand why or how this woud be useful or learn how to use it. If you haven't done programming, choose a different book.
Other books begin with the Flash environment, and introduce bits of ActionScript on the timeline in an inductive manner:
on (press) {
amountPaid = Number(paid.text);
amountOwed = Number(owed.text);
}
You'll see none of that in this book, except for Chapter 29, which introduces programming in the Flash environment. None of the code sits on the timeline--this is ActionScript as a programming langusage, with packages, and stand-alone code files.
On the positive side, this book really does explain the language as a language, so for us programmers, there's no need to wonder about syntax, language features, error handling, etc.--it's all here. You'll learn how to create objects with their own events and listeners, about dynamic instance variables, about using try...catch...throw...finally error handling, and many other features unlikely to be covered in other books on ActionScript.
Because ActionScript is specific to Flash (and Flex), the book does cover the events you'll care about: mouse activity, key presses, screen updating, ENTER_FRAME vs. timer, stage resizing, loading, and so on. It provides excellent information on sandboxes and security I did not know and does a good job of dealing with text fields from a programming perspective. So it does cover much of value in the Flash context, and that in more detail than other ActionScript books I've read.
In summary, I find this more of a reference book than a tutorial. For the topics it covers, it goes into great depth. If you are a game developer or are writing a major application, you need this book. On the other hand, if you want to develop simple Flash programs and want to buy only one book, this isn't it. It won't teach you the simplest basics (putting stop(); on frame 1 of a movie clip) that you need for practical Flash programming. As a reference, however, it's indispensible.