Adobe 38039336 - Flash CS3 Professional User Manual page 388

• Add Interactivity
• Work with Objects and Classes
ActionScript versions
Flash includes more than one version of ActionScript to meet the needs of different kinds of developers and playback
hardware.
• ActionScript 3.0 executes extremely fast. This version requires somewhat more familiarity with object-oriented
programming concepts than the other ActionScript versions. ActionScript 3.0 is fully compliant with the ECMAS-
cript specification, offers better XML processing, an improved event model, and an improved architecture for
working with onscreen elements. FLA files that use ActionScript 3.0 cannot include earlier versions of Action-
Script.
• ActionScript 2.0 is simpler to learn than ActionScript 3.0. Although Flash Player runs compiled ActionScript 2.0
code slower than compiled ActionScript 3.0 code, ActionScript 2.0 is still useful for many kinds of projects that
are not computationally intensive; for example, more design-oriented content. ActionScript 2.0 is also based on
the ECMAScript spec, but is not fully compliant.
• ActionScript 1.0 is the simplest form of ActionScript, and is still used by some versions of the Flash Lite Player.
ActionScript 1.0 and 2.0 can coexist in the same FLA file.
• Flash Lite 2.x ActionScript is a subset of ActionScript 2.0 that is supported by Flash Lite 2.x running on mobile
phones and devices.
• Flash Lite 1.x ActionScript is a subset of ActionScript 1.0 that is supported by Flash Lite 1.x running on mobile
phones and devices.
Ways of working with ActionScript
There are several ways to work with ActionScript.
• Script Assist mode lets you add ActionScript to your FLA file without writing the code yourself. You select actions,
and the software presents you with a user-interface for entering the parameters required for each one. You must
know a little about what functions to use to accomplish specific tasks, but you don't have to learn syntax. Many
designers and non-programmers use this mode.
• Behaviors also let you add code to your file without writing it yourself. Behaviors are prewritten scripts for
common tasks. You can add a behavior and then easily configure it in the Behaviors panel. Behaviors are available
only for ActionScript 2.0 and earlier.
• Writing your own ActionScript gives you the greatest flexibility and control over your document, but it requires
you to become familiar with the ActionScript language and conventions.
• Components are prebuilt movie clips that help you implement complex functionality. A component can be a
simple user interface control, such as a check box, or it can be a complicated control, such as a scroll pane. You can
customize a component's functionality and appearance, and you can download components created by other
developers. Most components require you to write some ActionScript code of your own to trigger or control a
component. For more information, see About ActionScript 3.0 Components in Using ActionScript 3.0 Components
or About Components in Using ActionScript 2.0 Components.
See also
"Script Assist mode and behaviors" on page 387
FLASH CS3 382
User Guide