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Here are the first 3 paragraphs of Chapter 9 of Essential ActionScript 3.0 9. Interfaces An interface is an ActionScript language construct used to define a new datatype, much as a class defines a datatype. However, whereas a class both defines a datatype and provides the implementation for it, an interface defines a datatype in abstract terms only, and provides no implementation for that datatype. That is, a class doesnýt...

Here are the first 8 paragraphs of Chapter 8 of Essential ActionScript 3.0 8. Datatypes and Type Checking So far, weýve developed our virtual zoo program without making a single coding error. Error-free development happens in training courses and booksýand nowhere else. In real-world development, programmers make errors all the time. For example, when invoking eat() on a VirtualPet object, a programmer might make a typographical error, such as the...

Here is the first paragraph of Chapter 7 of Essential ActionScript 3.0 7. Compiling and Running a Program After all our hard work on the virtual zoo program, we are now ready to compile and run our code. In this chapter, weýll learn how to compile a program with the Flash authoring tool, Flex Builder 2, and mxmlc. In each case, weýll assume that the program being compiled resides in...

Here are the first 3 paragraphs of Chapter 6 of Essential ActionScript 3.0 6. Inheritance In object-oriented programming, inheritance is a formal relationship between two or more classes, wherein one class borrows (or inherits) the variable and method definitions of another class. In the practical, technical sense, inheritance simply lets one class make use of the code in another class. But the term inheritance implies much more than code reuse....

with the recent release of adobe's apollo on adobe labs, there's a lot of new info to digest. ignoring the many technical details, my personal favourite high-level overview of apollo is mike downey's ebay demo. at only 6 minutes long, it's well worth a watch. >> view mike's apollo demo...

Here are the first 2 paragraphs of Chapter 5 of Essential ActionScript 3.0 5. Functions A function, or more specifically a function closure, is a discrete set of instructions that carry out some task, independent of any class or object. Functions closures have the same basic syntax and usage as instance methods and static methodsýthey are defined with the function keyword, can define local variables, are invoked with the parentheses...

Here are the first 2 paragraphs of Chapter 4 of Essential ActionScript 3.0 4. Static Variables and Static Methods In Chapter 1, we learned how to define the characteristics and behavior of an object using instance variables and instance methods. In this chapter, weýll learn how to manage information and create functionality that pertains to a class, itself, rather than its instances. Static Variables Over the past several chapters, weýve...

Here are the first two paragraphs of Chapter 3 of Essential ActionScript 3.0 3. Instance Methods Revisited In Chapter 1, we learned how to create instance methods. In this chapter, weýll expand that basic knowledge by studying the following additional instance-method topics: * Keyword this omission * Bound methods * State-retrieval and state-modification methods * Get and set methods * Extra arguments Along the way, weýll continue developing the virtual...

Here are the first two paragraphs of Chapter 2 of Essential ActionScript 3.0. 2. Conditionals and Loops In this chapter, weýll depart from the general topics of classes and objects. Instead, weýll focus, on two essential types of statements: conditionals and loops. Conditionals are used to add logic to a program, while loops are used to perform repetitive tasks. Both conditionals and loops are extremely common, and can be found...