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---
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seoTitle: ActionScript Programming Reference – Flash and AIR Developer Guide
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description: "Comprehensive ActionScript 3.0 reference covering classes, event handling, display list, graphics, XML (E4X), and runtime scripting for Adobe Flash and AIR."
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keywords: "ActionScript, AS3, Flash, Adobe AIR, event handling, display list, E4X, graphics, animation, script reference, cheat sheet, VR-Rathod, Code-Note, code note vr, vr book"
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displayTitle: ActionScript
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---
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- # History
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- **How**:
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- **ActionScript** originated as a simple scripting language for Macromedia Flash (supporting basic play/stop actions). It evolved into a full-fledged Object-Oriented language based on the **ECMAScript** standard.
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- Key milestones:
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- **ActionScript 1.0 / 2.0**: Prototypes and basic class declarations.
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- **ActionScript 3.0 (AS3)**: Released in **2006** with Flash Player 9. AS3 was a major ground-up rewrite, introducing a high-performance virtual machine (**AVM2**), strict compiler typing, XML support (E4X), and a structured Event Dispatcher model.
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- Adobe acquired Macromedia in 2005. Following Flash Player's deprecation in 2020, ActionScript continues to live on through the open-source **Apache Flex** project and **HARMAN's Adobe AIR** runtime for building mobile and desktop apps.
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-
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- **Who**:
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- Developed by **Macromedia** (later **Adobe**), now maintained by **Apache** and **HARMAN**.
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-
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- **Why**:
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- Created to control vector animations, handle complex user interactions, process XML data feeds, and render real-time vector graphics on web browsers and standalone desktop/mobile applications.
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-
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- # Introduction
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- ## Advantages
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collapsed:: true
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- **Robust Event-Driven Model** — Unified EventDispatcher handles touch inputs, rendering loops, and network requests cleanly.
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- **Advanced Vector Graphics Rendering** — High-performance vector drawing APIs (lines, shapes, gradients) built natively into the runtime.
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- **E4X XML Parsing Integration** — Native XML handling makes parsing, filtering, and query operations on XML feeds exceptionally simple (treating XML like regular objects).
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- **AIR Runtime Cross-Platform** — Build native desktop (macOS, Windows) and mobile (iOS, Android) applications using a single codebase.
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-
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- ## Disadvantages
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collapsed:: true
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- **Deprecated Ecosystem** — Flash Player browser plugin is no longer supported, making web distribution impossible without third-party runtimes like Ruffle.
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- **Single-Threaded Execution** — Heavy computation freezes the user interface unless broken up using asynchronous timers or worker threads.
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- **Slow Performance for 3D** — Native Vector graphics render on CPU; advanced 3D requires using Stage3D APIs, which add code complexity.
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-
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- ## Remember Points
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collapsed:: true
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- **AVM2 Engine** — AS3 runs on AVM2, which compiles code down to bytecode.
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- **The Display List** — Visual objects are only rendered on screen if they are explicitly added to the display hierarchy using `addChild()`.
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- **Packages and Filenames** — Class names must exactly match their file names, and they must be placed in matching directory package folders.
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-
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- # Basics
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- ## Hello World & trace Output
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- ```actionscript
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package {
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import flash.display.Sprite;
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public class HelloWorld extends Sprite {
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public function HelloWorld() {
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// trace sends text output to the debugging console
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trace("Hello, World!");
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}
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}
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}
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```
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- `package` defines the namespace namespace folder containing this class.
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- `extends Sprite` inherits visual display characteristics.
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- The function `public function HelloWorld()` is the constructor (executed upon instantiation).
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-
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- ## Variables and Primitive Data Types
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- ```actionscript
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// Variables and Constants
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var username:String = "VR Rathod";
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const PI:Number = 3.14159;
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// Primitive Types:
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var count:int = -10; -- Signed integer (32-bit)
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var index:uint = 42; -- Unsigned integer (32-bit, recommended for colors/indices)
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var ratio:Number = 0.75; -- Double-precision floating-point (default numeric type)
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var isReady:Boolean = true;
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// Collections:
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var list:Array = [1, "two", 3.0]; -- Heterogeneous untyped array
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var vec:Vector.<int> = new Vector.<int>(); -- Strongly-typed dense array (much faster than Array)
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vec.push(10, 20, 30);
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```
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-
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- # Object-Oriented Programming
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- ## Class Structure & Access Modifiers
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collapsed:: true
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- ```actionscript
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// File: com/app/User.as
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package com.app {
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public class User {
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// Public properties (accessible everywhere)
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public var username:String;
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// Protected properties (accessible in class and subclasses)
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protected var score:int;
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// Private properties (accessible only inside this class)
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private var _password:String;
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// Constructor
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public function User(name:String, initialScore:int) {
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this.username = name;
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this.score = initialScore;
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}
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// Getter and Setter
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public function get password():String {
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return _password;
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}
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public function set password(value:String):void {
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if (value.length >= 6) {
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_password = value;
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}
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}
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}
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}
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```
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-
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- ## Inheritance & Interfaces
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collapsed:: true
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- ```actionscript
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// Inherit class behavior using 'extends'
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public class AdminUser extends User {
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public function AdminUser(name:String) {
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super(name, 1000); // Call parent constructor
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}
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// Override methods explicitly using the 'override' keyword
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override public function set password(value:String):void {
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super.password = value + "_admin"; // call parent setter
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}
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}
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```
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-
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- # Event Handling
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- ## Event Dispatcher Model
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collapsed:: true
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- ```actionscript
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import flash.events.MouseEvent;
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import flash.events.Event;
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// 1. Add event listener (syntax: target.addEventListener(type, listener_function))
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myButton.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, onButtonClicked);
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// 2. Event Listener Callback
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private function onButtonClicked(event:MouseEvent):void {
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trace("Button clicked at x: " + event.localX);
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// Remove event listener to prevent memory leaks when no longer needed
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myButton.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, onButtonClicked);
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}
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```
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-
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- ## Custom Events
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collapsed:: true
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- ```actionscript
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// Custom event declaration
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import flash.events.Event;
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public class GameEvent extends Event {
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public static const LEVEL_UP:String = "levelUp";
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public var newLevel:int;
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public function GameEvent(type:String, level:int, bubbles:Boolean = false, cancelable:Boolean = false) {
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super(type, bubbles, cancelable);
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this.newLevel = level;
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}
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// Overriding clone is required for custom events to work in bubble dispatching
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override public function clone():Event {
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return new GameEvent(type, newLevel, bubbles, cancelable);
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}
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}
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// Dispatching event:
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// dispatchEvent(new GameEvent(GameEvent.LEVEL_UP, 5));
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```
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-
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- # Display List & Graphics
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- ## Display Objects Hierarchy
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collapsed:: true
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- ```actionscript
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import flash.display.Sprite;
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import flash.text.TextField;
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var container:Sprite = new Sprite();
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addChild(container); // Adds container to stage Display List
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var label:TextField = new TextField();
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label.text = "Visual Element";
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container.addChild(label); // Nested inside container
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// Access properties
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container.x = 100;
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container.y = 50;
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container.alpha = 0.5; // transparency
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```
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-
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- ## Vector Graphics Drawing API
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collapsed:: true
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- ```actionscript
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import flash.display.Shape;
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var box:Shape = new Shape();
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addChild(box);
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// Clear and draw vector shape
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box.graphics.clear();
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box.graphics.lineStyle(2, 0xFF0000); // 2px red outline
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box.graphics.beginFill(0x0000FF); // Blue fill
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box.graphics.drawRect(0, 0, 100, 100); // draw 100x100 square
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box.graphics.endFill();
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```
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-
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- # E4X (ECMAScript for XML)
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- ## XML Parsing and Navigation
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collapsed:: true
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- ActionScript parses XML natively without using DOM nodes lookup.
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- ```actionscript
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var menuXML:XML =
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<menu>
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<item category="drink">
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<name>Coffee</name>
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<price>2.50</price>
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</item>
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<item category="food">
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<name>Sandwich</name>
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<price>5.99</price>
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</item>
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</menu>;
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// Accessing nodes using dot notation
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trace(menuXML.item[0].name); // Coffee
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// Reading attributes using '@' character
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trace(menuXML.item[1].@category); // food
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// Filtering nodes dynamically (XPath equivalent in E4X)
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var cheapItems:XMLList = menuXML.item.(price < 3.00);
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trace(cheapItems.name); // Coffee
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```
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-
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- # Memory Management
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- ## Weak References to prevent Leaks
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collapsed:: true
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- Strong event listeners keep visual objects alive in memory, causing leaks:
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- ```actionscript
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// Use 5th argument of addEventListener to establish a weak reference:
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// addEventListener(type, listener, useCapture, priority, useWeakReference)
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stage.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, onLoop, false, 0, true); // true = weak reference
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// When this object is removed from display, GC can clean it up automatically
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```
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-
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- # Build Tools & Project Execution
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- ## Compilers
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- **mxmlc**: Adobe standard compiler for building `.swf` files.
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- **adt**: AIR Developer Tool for packaging apps for desktop/mobile (.exe, .dmg, .apk, .ipa).
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- ```bash
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# Compile ActionScript file to SWF
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mxmlc src/Main.as -o bin/Main.swf -compiler.source-path=src
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# Run AIR desktop debugging application
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adl src/Main-app.xml
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```
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-
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- # More Learn
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- Explore valuable resources for ActionScript:
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-
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- [Adobe ActionScript 3.0 Reference](https://help.adobe.com/en_US/FlashPlatform/reference/actionscript/3/)
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- [HARMAN Adobe AIR (Official Developer SDK Portal)](https://airsdk.harman.com/)
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- [OpenFL (Modern Haxe-based alternative to Flash)](https://www.openfl.org/)
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- [Starling Framework (GPU-accelerated 2D graphics)](http://gamua.com/starling/)

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