Essential ActionScript 3.0

     Compiler Restrictions      The Compilation Process and the Classpath      Strict-Mode Versus Standard-Mode Compilation      The Fun's Not Over 8. Datatypes and Type Checking      Datatypes and Type Annotations      Untyped Variables, Parameters, Return Values, and Expressions      Strict Mode's Three Special Cases      Warnings for Missing Type Annotations      Detecting Reference Errors at Compile Time      Casting      Conversion to Primitive Types      Default Variable Values      null and undefined      Datatypes in the Virtual Zoo      More Datatype Study Coming Up 9. Interfaces      The Case for Interfaces      Interfaces and Multidatatype Classes      Interface Syntax and Use      Another Multiple-Type Example      More Essentials Coming 10. Statements and Operators      Statements      Operators      Up Next: Managing Lists of Information 11. Arrays      What Is an Array?      The Anatomy of an Array      Creating Arrays      Referencing Array Elements      Determining the Size of an Array      Adding Elements to an Array      Removing Elements from an Array      Checking the Contents of an Array with the toString( ) Method      Multidimensional Arrays      On to Events 12. Events and Event Handling      ActionScript Event Basics      Accessing the Target Object      Accessing the Object That Registered the Listener      Preventing Default Event Behavior      Event Listener Priority      Event Listeners and Memory Management      Custom Events      Type Weakness in ActionScript's Event Architecture      Handling Events Across Security Boundaries      What's Next? 13. Exceptions and Error Handling      The Exception-Handling Cycle      Handling Multiple Types of Exceptions      Exception Bubbling      The finally Block      Nested Exceptions      Control-Flow Changes in try/catch/finally      Handling a Built-in Exception      More Gritty Work Ahead 14. Garbage Collection      Eligibility for Garbage Collection      Incremental Mark and Sweep      Disposing of Objects Intentionally      Deactivating Objects      Garbage Collection Demonstration      On to ActionScript Backcountry 15. Dynamic ActionScript      Dynamic Instance Variables      Dynamically Adding New Behavior to an Instance      Dynamic References to Variables and Methods      Using Dynamic Instance Variables to Create Lookup Tables      Using Functions to Create Objects      Using Prototype Objects to Augment Classes      The Prototype Chain      Onward! 16. Scope      Global Scope      Class Scope      Static Method Scope      Instance Method Scope      Function Scope      Scope Summary      The Internal Details      Expanding the Scope Chain via the with Statement      On to Namespaces 17. Namespaces      Namespace Vocabulary      ActionScript Namespaces      Creating Namespaces      Using a Namespace to Qualify Variable and Method Definitions      Qualified Identifiers      A Functional Namespace Example      Namespace Accessibility      Qualified-Identifier Visibility      Comparing Qualified Identifiers      Assigning and Passing Namespace Values      Open Namespaces and the use namespace Directive      Namespaces for Access-Control Modifiers      Applied Namespace Examples      Final Core Topics 18. XML and E4X      Understanding XML Data as a Hierarchy      Representing XML Data in E4X      Creating XML Data with E4X      Accessing XML Data      Processing XML with for-each-in and for-in      Accessing Descendants      Filtering XML Data      Traversing XML Trees      Changing or Creating New XML Content      Loading XML Data      Working with XML Namespaces      Converting XML and XMLList to a String      Determining Equality in E4X      More to Learn 19. Flash Player Security Restrictions      What's Not in This Chapter      The Local Realm, the Remote Realm, and Remote Regions      Security-Sandbox-Types      Security Generalizations Considered Harmful      Restrictions on Loading Content, Accessing Content as Data, Cross-Scripting, and Loading Data      Socket Security      Example Security Scenarios      Choosing a Local Security-Sandbox-Type      Distributor Permissions (Policy Files)      Creator Permissions (allowDomain( ))      Import Loading      Handling Security Violations      Security Domains      Two Common Security-Related Development Issues      On to Part II! Part II. Display and Interactivity20. The Display API and the Display List      Display API Overview      The Display List      Containment Events      Custom Graphical Classes      Go with the Event Flow 21. Events and Display Hierarchies      Hierarchical Event Dispatch      Event Dispatch Phases      Event Listeners and the Event Flow      Using the Event Flow to Centralize Code      Determining the Current Event Phase      Distinguishing Events Targeted at an Object from Events Targeted at That Object's Descendants      Stopping an Event Dispatch      Event Priority and the Event Flow      Display-Hierarchy Mutation and the Event Flow      Custom Events and the Event Flow      On to Input Events 22. Interactivity      Mouse-Input Events      Focus Events      Keyboard-Input Events      Text-Input Events      Flash Player-Level Input Events      From the Program to the Screen 23. Screen Updates      Scheduled Screen Updates      Post-Event Screen Updates      Redraw Region      Optimization with the Event.RENDER Event      Let's Make It Move! 24. Programmatic Animation      No Loops      Animating with the ENTER_FRAME Event      Animating with the TimerEvent.TIMER Event      Choosing Between Timer and Event.ENTER_FRAME      A Generalized Animator      Velocity-Based Animation      Moving On to Strokes 'n' Fills 25. Drawing with Vectors      Graphics Class Overview      Drawing Lines      Drawing Curves      Drawing Shapes      Removing Vector Content      Example: An Object-Oriented Shape Library      From Lines to Pixels 26. Bitmap Programming      The BitmapData and Bitmap Classes      Pixel Color Values      Creating a New Bitmap Image      Loading an External Bitmap Image      Examining a Bitmap      Modifying a Bitmap      Copying Graphics to a BitmapData Object      Applying Filters and Effects      Freeing Memory Used by Bitmaps      Words, Words, Words 27. Text Display and Input      Creating and Displaying Text      Modifying a Text Field's Content      Formatting Text Fields      Fonts and Text Rendering      Missing Fonts and Glyphs      Determining Font Availability      Determining Glyph Availability      Embedded-Text Rendering      Text Field Input      Text Fields and the Flash Authoring Tool      Loading . . . Please Wait . . . 28. Loading External Display Assets      Using Loader to Load Display Assets at Runtime      Compile-Time Type-Checking for Runtime-Loaded Assets      Accessing Assets in Multiframe .swf Files      Instantiating a Runtime-Loaded Asset      Using Socket to Load Display Assets at Runtime      Removing Runtime Loaded .swf Assets      Embedding Display Assets at CompileTime      On to Part III Part III. Applied ActionScript Topics29. ActionScript and the Flash Authoring Tool      The Flash Document      Timelines and Frames      Timeline Scripting      The Document Class      Symbols and Instances      Linked Classes for Movie Clip Symbols      Accessing Manually Created Symbol Instances      Accessing Manually Created Text      Programmatic Timeline Control      Instantiating Flash Authoring Symbols via ActionScript      Instance Names for Programmatically Created Display Objects      Linking Multiple Symbols to a Single Superclass      The Composition-Based Alternative to Linked Classes      Preloading Classes      Up Next: Using the Flex Framework 30. A Minimal MXML Application      The General Approach      A Real UI Component Example      Sharing with Your Friends 31. Distributing a Class Library      Sharing Class Source Files      Distributing a Class Library as a .swc File      Distributing a Class Library as a .swf File Appendix Index