Learn how to unleash your creative potential with advanced tutorials on the industry's most advanced authoring environment for creating interactive websites.
Highlights
Expand your skills beyond the basics of Flash 8 Professional with interactive lessons designed to broaden your Flash skills set.
Tackle the advanced capabilities of ActionScript for looping movie clips, playing sounds, and creating menu buttons.
Learn how to create compelling 2D animations and take video where it has never gone before.
This title is available in the
Total Training All-Access library.
With the Flash Professional 8 Advanced: ActionScript series, you will learn scripting basics and then dive into how ActionScript works and how and where to include it in your applications.
Sample clip
Course outline
DISC 1 – EXPLORING ACTIONSCRIPT
Chapter 1: GETTING STARTED (1:05:12 min)
The Trace Function & Comments
ActionScript Preferences & the Check Syntax Button
The Actions Panel
Creating a Variable
Identifying & Measuring Movie Clips
Accessing the Values of Movie Clip Properties
Changing the Properties of Other Movie Clips
Adding Dynamic Text & Buttons
Using the TextField.text Property of Dynamic Text
Best Practices for Working with String & Number Variables
Using a Method to Add a Specific Action to a button
Understanding the Purpose of Objects e.g. Date
Using Various Methods to Obtain Specific Date Data
Creating a Named Dynamic Text Field
Chapter 3: TEXT & FORM HANDLING (54:20 min)
Creating Dynamic Text Fields from Static Text
Using ActionScript to Insert Text into a Field
Modifying TextField Properties to Size & Wrap Text
Overview of Creating Text Fields with ActionScript
Creating New Text Fields with ActionScript
Changing Text Color with ActionScript
Changing Text Properties with a TextFormat Object
Using setNewTextFormat, Grouping Scripts & Auto Format
Embedding Fonts into a Flash Movie
Creating Input Text Fields
Retrieving Data from Input Fields
Exporting Data to a Website via URL
Adding Navigation Between the Form & Home Text
Chapter 4: WORKING ON EXTERNAL DATA (1:11:43 min)
Importing Data from a Text File Using a LoadVars Object
Accessing Variables in a Text File
Setting Up How the Data Displays on Screen
Setting Up a Navigation System to Access Variables
Introducing Components
Setting Parameters & Using ActionScript to Load Lables
Using a TextArea Component
Linking the ComboBox Data to the TextArea Data
Setting Up an XMLConnector to Bring in Data
Setting Up a Binding in the Component Inspector
Binding an Array of Data to the ComboBox
Binding the Description to the ComboBox
Assigning the Default Value for the Selected Index
Adding Areas & Setting Up Their Bindings
Using a Loader Component to Load Graphics
Adding Image Loaders for the Sun & Water Indicators
Changing Styles with ActionScript
Chapter 5: ANIMATING WITH ACTIONSCRIPT (1:19:44 min)
Creating Simple Animations with ActionScript
Using Buttons to Play & Stop Animations
Writing Script to Control the Alpha of a Movie Clip
Using a Conditional Statement to Create Smarter Animations
Creating a Reusable Function
Adjusting the Speed of the Animation
Creating Buttons to Fade In & Out
Varying the Speed of an Animation
Creating & Using Functions
Animating with the SetInterval Function
Animating with Transitions
Animating with the Easing Parameter
Adding Tweens to an Animation
Comparing Di.erent Methods of Tweening
Final Comments & Credits
DISC 2 – PUTTING ACTIONSCRIPT TO WORK
Chapter 1: MAKING FLASH WEBSITE STRUCTURES (1:08:14 min)
Setting Up a Basic Slide Presentation
Masking JPEGs to Use as Background Images
Setting Up a Reusable Text Animation
Creating New Slide Screens Using Established Layout
Adjusting the Text Background to Match the Text
Working with Form Screens
Creating Buttons Based on ActionScript
Using ActionScript to Add Styles to Buttons
Using ActionScript to Set Up Button Behaviors
Using Tween Classes to Create a Tracking Pointer
Using the Go To Slide Method
Chapter 2: BUILDING A BASIC GAME (55:48 min)
Placing the Button & the Bubble
Using the Math Function for Random Placement
Using the Duplicate Movie Clip Function
Storing the Movement of a Bubble in an “initObject”
Making the Bubbles Move Randomly
Staying Inside a Frame with Conditional Statements
Setting Up a hitTest
Rotation, Alpha & Unloading the MovieClips
Making the Pin a Dragable Element
Creating More Bubbles with “for” Statements
Adding a Sound Object
Adding the Score & Starting Position of the Pin
Chapter 3: MORE GAME STRUCTURES (57:44 min)
Setting Up the Key Command
Creating Variables & Instances to Control Motion
Creating a Function to Listen to Keyboard Commands
Using the Attach Move Method
Creating an Init Bullet to Shoot from the Gun
Removing Unused Movie Clips
Creating an Init Function for the Aliens
Setting Up the Alien Movement
Using the Hit Test Method for Movie Clip Collision
Setting Up Sounds & Explosions on Contact
Setting Up Hits & Misses
Chapter 4: CONTROLLING VIDEO WITH ACTIONSCRIPT (59:42 min)
Importing Video & Changing Parameters
Managing Video Playback Options
Accessing the Control Bar & Video Content
Building a Control Bar & Customizing Buttons
Setting Up a Video Playlist
Placing Cue Points in the Video
Using Listener Objects to Get Data from a Cue Point
Animating Movie Clips to Sync with Cue Points
Setting Up Video & XML Files for Closed Captioning
Parsing the XML File
Setting up a “for” Loop
Assigning the Caption Text to the Cue Points
Chapter 5: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER (1:00:02 min)
Formatting a Slideshow in ActionScript
Extracting Data from an XML File
Adding Thumbnails into a Flash Movie
Perfecting Rollovers with Nesting & Tweening
Building a Function to Generalize Script
Loading Mulitple Images Using a Single Function
Arranging Thumbnail Positions in a Flash Movie
Using a SetInterval Function to Animate Images
Coordinating Animation with the User’s Mouse Movement
Presenter Info
John Ulliman has been working in interactive digital media since 1985 starting out his career on cutting edge applications for computer modeling and animation in the Aerospace industry with a number of companies, including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. He started his own studio, On The Wave Visual Communications in 1991 providing 2D and 3D graphics and animations for print, video and the web. He has consulted for many software firms in the industry, including Apple, Adobe, Macromedia, Microsoft, AutoDesk, and Alias Wavefront.
John has been teaching ever since he first picked up a computer, initially on hardware and programming languages, then on technical CAD software, and currently on all the products he uses to make animation magic work. He currently offers training on products for creating 2D and 3D artwork, assembling it into animations and interactive environments, as well as products which help him edit and produce the final work – whether that might be video, TV, CD-ROM, web or print.
John is an Adobe Certified Expert and an Adobe Certified Instructor for Flash, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Director, Flash Video and Flash Mobile environment. He only provides training on software products that he actually uses in production, with the intention to bring as much practical experience into his classes as possible.