Overview

Adobe Flash CS3 Professional software is the most advanced authoring environment for creating rich, interactive content, including websites, online advertisements, instructional media, presentations, games, and mobile device content.

Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator import

Import Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator files, while preserving layers and structure, and then edit them in Adobe Flash CS3. Optimise and customise the files during import with advanced options.

Frame-based timeline

Quickly add motion to your creations with the easy-to-use, highly controllable, frame-based timeline inspired by traditional animation principles such as keyframing and tweening.

Shape primitives

Easily create pie wedges, round off rectangle corners, define an inner circle radius, and do much more. Visually adjust shape properties on the stage. And create custom shapes with the included JavaScript API.

ActionScript 3.0 development

Save time with the new ActionScript 3.0 language, featuring improved performance, increased flexibility, and more intuitive and structured development.

Sophisticated video tools

Create, edit, and deploy streaming and progressive-download FLV content with comprehensive video support Ensure the best video experience with a standalone video encoder, alpha channel support, a high-quality video codec, embedded cue points, video import support, QuickTime import, closed captioning, and much more.

MP3 audio support

Integrate audio into your projects by importing MP3 files. Integration with Adobe Soundbooth makes it easy to edit files as needed, without requiring audio production experience.

Rich drawing capabilities

Visually adjust shape properties on the stage with smart shape drawing tools, create precise vector illustrations with the new Pen tool inspired by Adobe Illustrator, paste illustrations from Illustrator CS3 into Flash CS3, and more.

Extensible architecture

Leverage the Flash application programming interfaces (APIs) to easily develop extensions that add custom functionality.

Convert animation to ActionScript

Instantly convert timeline animations into ActionScript 3.0 code that can be easily edited, reused, and leveraged by developers. Copy animations from one object to another.

Device Central

Design, preview, and test mobile device content using Adobe Device Central CS3, now integrated throughout Adobe Creative Suite 3. Create and test interactive applications and interfaces viewable with Flash Lite software.

Course Summary

The Adobe Flash CS3 ActionScript course, provides experienced Flash designers with the knowledge and hands-on practice they need to create dynamically generated event-driven animation and interactive games with Flash. The course teaches fundamental programming techniques. It begins by introducing core concepts including instance names, variables, functions, properties, and methods; then proceeds through conditions, loops, event handling, and animating with ActionScript.

Audience

To take this course, you should have: Completed the Flash CS3 Rich Content Creation course, or have equivalent experience. It is essential that you have the desire to learn how to program Flash content using ActionScript.

On Completion

This ActionScript training course teaches you all the core ActionScript skills you need in order to successfully build your first ActionScript-powered Flash applications.

Course Content

Introducing the Course

Understanding the course format
Reviewing the course objectives and prerequisites
Looking at the course outline

Controlling Visual Objects with ActionScript

Using the Actions and Help panels
Declaring variables and their data types
Using the trace() function
Using code hinting
Assigning instance names and using them to assign runtime property values
Using the with operator
Introducing core properties of visual built-in classes: MovieClip, Button, and TextField
Controlling Button and MovieClip position and visual state
Controlling TextField content
Introducing core properties of non-visual built-in classes
Using mathematical operators
Understanding data type conversion

Using and Writing Functions

Working with Flash Player global functions
Converting values returned from functions and assigning them for display
Writing user defined functions
Returning, or not returning, data from a function
Understanding variable scope
Adding code within a MovieClip symbol’s own timeline
Introducing the this operator
Understanding object methods
Introducing core methods of visual built-in classes: MovieClip and TextField
Controlling the MovieClip playhead within its timeline
Loading external MovieClip content
Understanding cross-domain security issues
Exporting and attaching MovieClip symbol instances at runtime
Writing and using user defined functions to create visual content
Understanding depth
Dynamically referring to instance names and property names at runtime

Using Text, Dates, Math, and Paths

Controlling TextField formatting through code
Creating and formatting TextFields at runtime
Using Date objects
Working with String concatenation
Generating random numbers and integers using the Math class
Understanding relative path names
Controlling nested MovieClip objects

Understanding and Handling Events

Understanding event driven programming
Working with event handler syntax
Moving from symbol-based to timeline-based event handling
Introducing core events of visual built-in classes: Button, MovieClip, and TextField
Controlling the playhead within an event handler
Understanding the this keyword inside an event handler
Creating rollover effects
Responding to TextField focus events
Calling a single function from multiple event handlers
Referring to a parent object from within an event handler

Managing Color, Sound, and Data with Built-In Classes

Understanding complex (aggregate) variables
Working with Arrays
Working with generic Objects
Transforming MovieClip objects using Transform and ColorTransform objects
Generating random color transformations
Using Sound objects
Creating audio feedback with event-driven sounds linked from the Library

Animating with ActionScript

Dragging and dropping a MovieClip object
Testing for collision between MovieClip objects
Initializing attached MovieClip objects
Using the onEnterFrame event handler
Controlling visual change rate
Testing and responding to position at runtime

Dates

Duration: 3 days
Price: £690