ActionScript Article

ActionScript 3.0 for developers and designers – Part 1: Creating a preloader

Adobe Flash is unique in that the content you create with it is intrinsically artistic and programmatic. Even if you are working by yourself, design and development must work in harmony in order for a piece to reach its full potential. With ActionScript 3.0, Flash has become a far more powerful tool—and in some ways, far more intimidating.

In this first installment of my "ActionScript 3.0 for developers and designers" series, I provide an introduction to writing classes and walk you through some of the nuances of the new language by building a modular preloader. Along the way, I'll identify best practices to optimize performance and suggest strategies for reskinning artwork to achieve a desired look and feel.

Requirements

In order to make the most of this article, you need the following software and files:

Flash CS3 Professional

• Try
• Buy

Note: The ActionScript 3.0 FLVPlayback component comes with Flash CS3 Professional along with the new Flash CS3 Video Encoder.

Sample file:

• preloader_as3.zip (ZIP, 938K)

Prerequisite knowledge

This article covers the fundamentals of ActionScript 3.0. Some knowledge of ActionScript 2.0 is recommended but not necessary.

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