|
|
Message from Dean - May 8th 2007
I am currently testing out a new version of the APF Bridge Component - If you notice any errors within this demo store please drop me a line.
List Price: $54.99Amazon.com's Price: $34.64 You Save: $20.35 (37%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 006.696
EAN: 9780596526948
Edition: 1
ISBN: 0596526946
Label: Adobe Dev Library
Manufacturer: Adobe Dev Library
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 946
Publication Date: June 22, 2007
Publisher: Adobe Dev Library
Studio: Adobe Dev Library
Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category:
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
ActionScript 3.0 is a huge upgrade to Flash's programming language. The enhancements to ActionScript's performance, feature set, ease of use, cleanliness, and sophistication are considerable. Essential ActionScript 3.0 focuses on the core language and object-oriented programming, along with the Flash Player API. Essential ActionScript has become the #1 resource for the Flash and ActionScript development community, and the reason is the author, Colin Moock. Many people even refer to it simply as "The Colin Moock book." And for good reason: No one is better at turning ActionScript inside out, learning its nuances and capabilities, and then explaining everything in such an accessible way. Colin Moock is not just a talented programmer and technologist; he's also a gifted teacher. Essential ActionScript 3.0 is a radically overhauled update to Essential ActionScript 2.0. True to its roots, the book once again focuses on the core language and object-oriented programming, but also adds a deep look at the centerpiece of Flash Player's new API: display programming. Enjoy hundreds of brand new pages covering exciting new language features, such as the DOM-based event architecture, E4X, and namespaces--all brimming with real-world sample code. The ActionScript 3.0 revolution is here, and Essential ActionScript 3.0's steady hand is waiting to guide you through it.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Even for someone who has been using Flash since version 1, AS3 is extremely difficult to learn. It's drastically different from AS2 and most authors do not fully explain basic concepts the way Colin Moock does. This book is very long but covers everything in great detail. I don't know If I could have continued using Flash in my career if not for this book.
Rating: -
With no previous programing experience but basic Flash timeline coding this book got me hand-coding pure object-orientated as3.
And it's usually a more accurate and faster reference than what I find via Google.
In short, would be an intimidating introductionto Flash, but if you've got the basics of AcitonScript, this book will you give a very solid foundation to build upon.
Rating:  -
This book starts with the concepts of packages and classes first, then works its way down to primitive data types and arrays. You have to get to page 153 to read about primitive data types! Statements and operators are not covered until you get to page 172. A book that purports to be for beginners should start with basic concepts and build up to more complex concepts, but this one doesn't. This book is not for beginners at all. Nor is there an easy way for an experienced OO programmer to get the gist of the differences between ActionScript and other OO languages like C++. The book is extremely detailed (good for a reference, bad for beginner tutorials), but leaves out at least one maddening chunk. For example, the String class is hardly addressed at all! The VirtualZoo example built in pieces through the book would be easier to follow if the author simply introduced its final, intended behavior in 10 or 12 bullet points at the start. The elements of its implementation in small pieces leave ... Read More
Rating: -
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 ... Read More
Rating: -
The content is good and rather thorough, but only if you're a cover-to-cover reader. If you're looking for a reference, this is not the book for you. The index is absolutely terrible, and the table of contents is no help at all. It's impossible to find the simplest things. The only way you're going to find what you want is to scan or read the entire book.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
|
Amazon Store 