MACROMEDIA FLASH 8-LEARNING ACTIONSCRIPT 2.0 IN FLASH Manual page 20

The following features were added to both Flash Basic 8 and Flash Professional 8 (unless
noted otherwise):
ActionScript editor enhancements let you show hidden characters in your scripts. For
more information, see
Debug options are now available in the Script window, as well as the Actions panel, for
ActionScript files.
The Configuration directory that includes XML files and Class files is reorganized. See
"Configuration files that install with Flash 8" on page 65
You can set a preference to reload modified script files when working on an application,
which helps you avoid working with older versions of script files, and overwriting newer
script files. For more information, see
The Script window feature is available in Flash Basic 8 and Flash Professional 8. That
means you can now create an ActionScript file in either program.
Script Assist (similar to Normal Mode in earlier editions of Flash) helps you code without
needing to understand syntax. For more information on Script Assist, see
Assist" on page 58.
You can load new kinds of image files at runtime, which include progressive JPEG images,
and non-animated GIF and PNG files. If you load an animated file, the first frame of the
animation appears.
You can assign linkage identifiers to bitmap and sound files stored in the Library, which
means that you can attach images to the Stage or work with these assets in shared libraries.
Bitmap caching lets you improve the performance of your applications at runtime by
caching a bitmap representation of your instances. You can use ActionScript code to access
this property. For more information, see
performance" on page
9-slice scaling lets you scale movie clip instances without widening the strokes that outline
the movie clip. You can use ActionScript code to access this feature in Flash Basic 8 and
Flash Professional 8, or in the Flash 8 authoring tool. For more information, see
with 9-slice scaling in ActionScript" on page
scaling in the authoring tool, see
on page 79 in Using Flash.
You can now add metadata information to your FLA files in the Publish Settings dialog
box. You can add a name and description to your FLA file using the dialog box to help
increase online search visibility.
The Strings panel is improved to include multiline support in the String field and a
language XML file. For more information, see
20 What's New in Flash 8 ActionScript
"Showing hidden characters" on page
"About ActionScript preferences" on page
"About bitmap caching, scrolling, and
480.
"About 9-slice scaling and movie clip symbols"
53.
for details.
558. For information about accessing 9-slice
"About the Strings panel" on page
42.
"About Script
"Working
452.