This document provides an overview of development with Adobe Flash, including recommended development tools such as Flash Develop and Adobe Flash CreativeSuite 4. It discusses ActionScript 3.0 syntax and how it compares to Java. It also explains what an FLA file is, how it structures visual objects, and how ActionScript interacts with and animates the visuals in an FLA file to produce an output SWF file.

1. Development with Adobe Flash
Ignite OÜ

2. Content
• Development tools
• About ActionScript
• What is a FLA file and what do you eat it with?
• ActionScript + FLA file
• Some magic: animations
• Compilation and output

3. Development tools
• Coding: Flash Develop
• Graphics: Adobe Flash CreativeSuite 4
• Flash Player 10.1 (Debug version)
• Flash Tracer (Firefox plugin)

4. ActionScript
• Use ActionScript 3.0!
• From Java world to ActionScript
o Syntax
o Semantics
• Data types

5. Java vs ActionScript syntax
• Variable definition:
o Java
String bar = "foo";
o AS
var bar:String = "foo";
• Method definition
o Java
void baz(int i) {}
o AS
function baz(i:int):void {}

6. Java vs ActionScript syntax (2)
Collections:
• Java -> Map
o HashMap: HashMap.put(...),HashMap.get(...)
• AS -> Associative Arrays
o var friends:Array = new Array();
o friends["best"] = "Bill";
o var bestFriend:String=friends["best"];

7. FLA file
• What is a FLA file?
• Structure of FLA
• Rich set of designer tools
• Basic visual objects

8. Actionscript + FLA file
• Do not embed code into FLA!
• Classpaths
• Stage exported to document root class
• FLA visuals exported to ActionScript classes
• Objects on stage - instantiated
• Output binary - .swf file
• Embedding binary to HTML

9. Some magic: animations
• Timeline animations
• Tweener animations

10. Some magic: animations
• Timeline animations
• Tweener animations