OReilly flash hacks 100 industrial strength tips and tools jun 2004 ISBN 0596006454

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TableofContents
Index
Reviews
ReaderReviews
Errata
Academic

FlashHacks
ByShamBhangal

Publisher :O'Reilly
PubDate :June2004
ISBN :0-596-00645-4
Pages :480


ThiscollectionoffersexpertFlashtipsand
tricksforoptimization,creatinginteresting
effects,ActionScriptprogramming,soundand
videoeffects,andmuchmore--andyoudon't
needtobeanexperttousethem(although
you'llcertainlylooklikeone).Rangingfrom

practicalhackstothefunandquirky,the
bookcoversFlashMX,FlashMX2004,and
FlashMXProfessional2004.Ifyouwantmore


thanyouraverageFlashuser,FlashHacksis
foryou.



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TableofContents
Index
Reviews
ReaderReviews
Errata
Academic

FlashHacks
ByShamBhangal

Publisher :O'Reilly
PubDate :June2004

ISBN :0-596-00645-4
Pages :480



Copyright

Credits
AbouttheAuthor

Contributors

Acknowledgments


Foreword

Preface
WhyFlashHacks?




WhoThisBookIsFor




HowThisBookIsOrganized

UsingCodeExamples



HowtoUseThisBook
ConventionsUsedinThisBook
CommentsandQuestions
Chapter1.VisualEffects





Hacks#1-7




Section2.Per-PixelTextEffects




Section4.CreateSWFsfromAnimatedGIFs

Section6.ATreeGrowsinBrooklyn

Section1.FakePer-PixelTransitions
Section3.SimulateOldFilmGrain
Section5.AnimatePhotoshopPSDFileswithFlash
Section7.Blowin'intheWind:SimulateTreeMovement


Chapter2.ColorEffects
Hacks#8-13

Section8.VideoColorEffects




Section9.VideoFadetoBlackandFadetoWhite




Section11.CreateandOrganizeCustomSwatches

Section10.ACustomColorTransformClass
Section12.BorrowColorSchemesfromNature

Section13.SimulateSepiaEffects

Chapter3.DrawingandMasking
Hacks#14-25




Section14.CreateFilledCirclesQuicklyatRuntime




Section16.CreateSeamlessTiles




Section18.ImitateEscher




Section20.UseComplexShapesasMasks




Section22.FeatherBitmapEdges

Section24.SolvetheBitmap-ShiftBug

Section15.CreateSyntheticArt
Section17.FillAreaswithPatterns
Section19.FixAlphaPropertyInaccuracies
Section21.InterferencePatternsandRippleEffects
Section23.AddaVectorEdgetoaBitmap
Section25.APage-TurnEffect(ExploitSymmetryandMasking)


Chapter4.Animation
Hacks#26-34

Section26.SmoothScriptedMotion




Section27.Time-ControlledMovement




Section29.alt-Flash:MotionGraphicsAlternatives




Section31.HackingTheMatrix

Section28.Quick,Bandwidth-EfficientCharacterAnimation
Section30.DejaNewAnimations
Section32.Computer-GeneratedCharacterAnimation




Section33.ParticleEffects

Section34.ShapeTweeningComplexShapes


Chapter5.3DandPhysics
Hacks#35-41




Section35.Simulate3D




Section37.AnOptimized3DPlotter




Section39.SimulateaThrow

Section36.PanoramicImages
Section38.UseAccelerationtoSimulateGravityandFriction
Section40.DetectMultipleCollisions

Section41.TurnTowardaPoint


Chapter6.Text
Hacks#42-51




Fonts




Section43.AutocompleteTextFields




Section45.ImportComplexFormattinginFlash




Section47.UseAccessibilityTextasHelpText

Section49.TypewriterEffect

Section42.KeepTextLegible
Section44.StoreaListofAllInputWords
Section46.HTMLandCSSinFlash
Section48.TextEffectFramework
Section50.Time-BasedTextEffects

Section51.TimelineTextEffects


Chapter7.Sound
Hacks#52-60




Section52.CreateaFlashSpeechSynthesizer




Section54.TheUbiquitousSound-KickerHack

Section56.Real-TimeSoundEffects




Section58.OptimizeSound

Section53.ATalking,Lip-SynchedAvatar
Section55.TurnLow-BandwidthMonauralSoundsintoStereoSounds
Section57.QuicklyCreateUISounds
Section59.SoundTimeCodes(CuePoints)

Section60.ACustomSoundTransformClass


Chapter8.UserInterfaceElements
Hacks#61-64




Section61.Amit'sDials(InteractiveTesting)
Section62.RightandMiddleMouseButtons




Section63.ButtonMovieClips

Section64.Dude,Where'sMyScrollbar?


Chapter9.PerformanceandOptimization
Hacks#65-73




OptimizeFilesizeandDownloadTime




IncreaseCodePerformance




Section66.BandwidthTestingforComplexSites




Section68.OptimizeGraphicsforPerformance




Section70.AdjusttheAnimationComplexityDynamically

Section72.SubstituteBitmapsforVectors

OptimizeGraphics
Section65.BeatFlashFileBloat
Section67.HideLow-QualitySettings
Section69.BenchmarkRuntimePerformance
Section71.PerformanceBudget
Section73.OptimizeComponentDownloadingandUsage


Chapter10.ActionScript
Hacks#74-85

ChangesinFlashMX2004




Section74.ExternalScriptEditors




Section76.CodeHints

Section78.AnIdleTimer(TimeoutEvent)




Section80.LocktheactionsLayer




Section82.UndocumentedActionScript




Section84.ObscureOperators

Section75.StrictTypingandCasualScripters
Section77.CloneanObject
Section79.FastActionScriptSearches
Section81.Debugwithtrace()
Section83.ASnative()BackDoor
Section85.ImportASCFilesasXML


Chapter11.BrowserIntegration
Hacks#86-96

Section86.KeepYourSiteBrowserFriendly




Section87.AUniversalFlashPluginSniffer




Section89.PreferencesandPublishingDefaults



Section91.CSS-BasedBrowserCentering

Section88.TestMultipleFlashPlugins
Section90.CenterYourSWFWithoutScaling




Section92.DynamicallyResizeContent




Section93.CreateHTMLLinksinFlash

Section95.GivetheFlashSWFKeyboardFocus

Section94.IntegratetheBackButtonwithFlash
Section96.AddKeyShortcutstoYourSite


Chapter12.Security
Hacks#97-100

PrivacySettings




Cross-DomainPolicy




Section97.RecoverContentfromaSWF




Section99.MakeYourSWFPhoneHome

HandlingLocalExecutables
Section98.ProtectandObfuscateYourFlashFiles
Section100.ReviewCompiledActionScript
Colophon
Index


Copyright©2004O'ReillyMedia,Inc.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
PublishedbyO'ReillyMedia,Inc.,1005GravensteinHighway
North,Sebastopol,CA95472.
O'Reillybooksmaybepurchasedforeducational,business,or
salespromotionaluse.Onlineeditionsarealsoavailablefor
mosttitles().Formoreinformation,
contactourcorporate/institutionalsalesdepartment:(800)
998-9938or
NutshellHandbook,theNutshellHandbooklogo,andthe
O'ReillylogoareregisteredtrademarksofO'ReillyMedia,Inc.
TheHacksseriesdesignations,FlashHacks,theimageofa
spotlight,"Hacks100Industrial-StrengthTipsandTools,"and
relatedtradedressaretrademarksofO'ReillyMedia,Inc.
Manyofthedesignationsusedbymanufacturersandsellersto
distinguishtheirproductsareclaimedastrademarks.Where
thosedesignationsappearinthisbook,andO'ReillyMedia,Inc.
wasawareofatrademarkclaim,thedesignationshavebeen
printedincapsorinitialcaps.
Whileeveryprecautionhasbeentakeninthepreparationofthis
book,thepublisherandauthorsassumenoresponsibilityfor
errorsoromissions,orfordamagesresultingfromtheuseof

theinformationcontainedherein.


Credits
AbouttheAuthor
Contributors
Acknowledgments


AbouttheAuthor
ShamBhangalbeganontheroutetowebdesignin1991,
designingandspecifyinginformationscreensforsafety-critical
computersystems,asusedinplaceslikenuclearpowerplant
controlrooms.Hesoondiscoveredmoreconventionalinterface
design,animation,andmultimediatools,suchas3DStudio
Max,Photoshop,andFlash.Hehasbeenwritingbooksonthem
sincetheturnofthecentury.


Contributors
Thefollowingpeoplecontributedtheirhacks,writing,and
inspirationtothebook:
Anthony"Ant"Eden(a.k.a.arseiam)hasworkedforseveral
high-profileclientsincludingMicrosoft,Disney,andAdobe.
Hespendshissparetimecreatingwildandquirkyeffects
withActionScript,whichcanbesampledat
.
ZehFernandohasbeenworkingwithMacromediaFlash
sinceVersion2.CurrentlyworkingatBrazilian-baseddesign
studioGrafikonstruct(),

hecreatesreal-worldFlash-basedwebsitesdailyandis
searchingforbetterwaystodoitinhisfreetime.
Edwin"XemonerdX"HeijmenisaprofessionalFlash
developerlivingintheNetherlandswhoalsomoderates
severalActionScriptforums.Heenjoyscombining
mathematicsandcode,someresultsofwhichcanbeseen
at.BesidesActionScript,he
alsoenjoyscodingPHP,ColdFusion,Python,andevery
obscurelanguagehecangethishandson.Otherpassions
includehiswonderfulgirlfriend,undergroundmetalcore,
opensourcesoftware,Russianliterature,andhisfriends.
AdamPhillipsistheaward-winninganimatorbehind
biteycastle.com,hitchHiker,andtheBrackenwoodseriesof
Flashmovies.HewasaFlashForwardCartooncategory
winnerinNYC2003andagainafinalistinSF2004.Witha
desiretotellstoriesandmorethan10yearsoftraditional
2DanimationexperiencewiththeWaltDisneyCompany,
Adamcontinuestoproducehisownshortmovies,13of


whichcanbefoundat.
GrantSkinner()isan
internationallyrecognizedFlashdeveloperwithexperience
fusingcode,interfacedesign,usability,marketing,and
businesslogic.Heworkswithtopagenciesandprogressive
corporateclientsonFlashapplicationconceptualization,
architecture,andimplementation.Granthaswonmultiple
topFlashawards,hashadworkfeaturedintheSIGGRAPH
WebExpoof"Thefinestweb-graphicsworkof2003,"and
participatesregularlyinnumerousconferencesand

publications.
Stickmanhasaskedthathisrealnamebekeptsecretto
protecttheinnocent,butwecandivulgethatheworksin
webdesignforalargecontentsiteintheUKandisalsoa
freelancewriter.Oh,heisalsotallandthin.Youcancatch
upwithhisonlinepersonaat.


Acknowledgments
Thisbookhasbeenalongtimeinthemaking,andthanksgo
outtoallwhostayedonfortheride.Iguessit'sbeenastrange
tripforallinvolved!
Thanks,ofcourse,gotoMacromediaforcreatingFlashandto
thecontributorsforcontributinghacks.
ThankstoColinMoock()forhisgreat
books,technicalassistance,andinsightfulForeword.
Thankstothereviewteamforqueryingandcorrecting:Marc
Garrett,DavidHumphreys,ChaficKazoun,MarcMajcher,Sam
Neff,DarronSchall,JesseWarden,andEdoardoZubler.
ThanksalsotothefolksatO'Reilly,includingTimO'Reillyfor
theinitialcommentsandRaelDornfestforputtingthe"hack"
intoFlashHacks.ThanksalsotoBrianSawyerandClaire
Cloutierforproductionassistance,toRobRomanofor
convertingthenumerousscreenshots,andtoNormaEmoryfor
herdetailedcopyediting.SpecialthankstoBruceEpsteinfor
hisdeath-defyingnervesofsteelinthefaceofinsurmountable
deadlines,superhumaneditingstrength,andtimeforachat.
Thanksalsotomyagent,CaroleMcClendon,atWaterside
Productions.
ThankstothedesignerswithintheFlashcommunitywhohave

providedhelpfuladviceonthird-partytools,includingIgor
Kogan,DaveHayden,DamianMorten(Flasm),andAlexBlum
(FlashPluginSwitcher).ThankstoAlessandroCapozzo
()forallowingmetoreproduce
someofhisimagescreatedinProcessing.Thanksalsotothe
largenumberofdevelopers,designers,anddreamerswhose
workhasdirectlyorindirectlyinspiredportionsofthisbook;
theyincludeJoshDavis(),BrandenHall


(),ErikNatzke(),
JamesPaterson(),AmitPitaru
(),andHardino
().
Finally,thankstoBrianMolkoandcompany()forthefirstfourlinesof"PureMorning."Stufflike
thatkeepsmesmilingalldayasI'mwriting.Puregenius.


Foreword
Aboutsevenyearsago,IstartedworkingwithMacromedia
FlashVersion2.0tobeprecise.TheclientformyfirstFlash
projectwasLevi'sCanada,theworld-famousapparelcompany.
Levi'swaslookingfortheproverbial"reallycoolwebsite."I
guesscorporations,likeanyotherlivingentity,havean
aversiontodeath,andLevi'swaskeentorenewitsleaseonlife
byattractinganewgenerationofcustomers(read:teenagers).
Butkids,saidLevi's,don'tlikeclothingwebsites;toakid,a
clothingwebsiteisaboringshoppingcatalogwithaBuy
button.Thesolution?MakethenewLevi'ssiteaninteractive
comicstrip,wherethestoriesofthecharactersleadtoLevi's

products.Fillthecomicwithaction,romance,drama,and
intrigue...kidslovethatstuff.
Attheinitialprojectmeetings,thecreativedirectorpresented
theanimatedwebsiteconceptwhilewe,theHTMLjockeysand
webdesigners,shudderedatthethoughtoftryingtoimplement
it.Asenvisioned,thesiteevenincludedholdontoyourhatactual
soundsforthecharacters'voices!(Rememberthiswas1997;
audioandanimationonwebsiteswasalmostunheardof.)In
ourfirsttechnicalplanforthesite,weproposedtheuseof
animatedGIFimages,WAVsoundfiles,andJavaScriptimage
rollovers.Weknewthesitewouldn'tbeasspectacularasthe
creativedirectorhaddescribed,butwewereaccustomedto
playingthedeveloperscapegoat.Wewouldbetheonesto
breakthenewstotheclient:webbrowserscan'treallydo
animatedcartoons;thecreativedirector'sdescriptionofthesite
wasconceptual,intendedmerelyasinspiration,nottobetaken
literally.
ButthecreativedirectorhadseenanimationsontheWeb;he
wassureofit.HeaskedushowDisney'swebsitedidits
cartoons.WetoldhimwithMacromediaFlash.Forhim,the


nameofthesoftwareandtechnicaldetailswereirrelevant.The
Levi'ssitehadtobeanimatedatanycost.SowedidtheLevi's
siteinFlash(seeitat
/>ShortlyafterwecompletedtheLevi'ssite,thewebdesign
industrywentcrazyoverGabocorpandEYE4U,twoselfpromotionalwebagencysiteswithanimatedFlashinterfaces.
Bytoday'sstandards,thesetwositeslookcomicallysimpleand
naïve.(SeeforyourselfasofApril2004theoriginalEYE4Usite
isstillliveat.)GabocorpandEYE4U

consistedofnearlynoprogramming,arguablygaudydesign,
somemovingshapes,andsomeballsflyingaroundthescreen.
Sowhatmadethempopular?
LiketheLevi'ssite,theyprovedthatyoucouldhackthe
system.
Asabrowseradd-on,Flashisoneofthelargestscalehacksof
thepastdecade.Sinceitsinception,Flashhasbreathedlifeinto
thesomewhatsterilewebbrowser.Flashletsthecreative
communityexplorewhattheWebcanbe:acartoonnetwork,a
gameplatform,anOS-styleenvironmentforconnected
applications,anelectronicartgallery,avideochat,a
collaborativemultiuserenvironment,aremotemeetingroom,
anMP3musicplayerorprettymuchanythingyoucandreamup.
Fittingthatideal,Macromediaused"WhattheWebcanbe"as
itsmarketingsloganafewyearsback.
Accordingly,it'snosurprisethatFlashispervasivelyflexible,a
veritablehacker'splayground.Infact,Flash's"hackability"is
arguablythekeytoitssuccess.Here,I'musingtheword"hack"
tomean"acreativeexploration,usinganymeanspossible
(evenugly),thatleadstosomedesirable(evenexhilarating)
result."Flashgrewfromahumbleanimationtoytothe
expansive"RichInternetApplication"toolitistoday,largelyin
responsetothehacksintroducedbythedevelopment
community.


IrememberpeopleusingFlash3tocreategameslikeWhack-aMole,Leo'sGreatDay
(),andevencrude
prototypesofPacmanandchess.Mindyou,allwithoutasingle
lineofcode.Flash3hadnoscriptinglanguage!Inresponseto

thishackeddemandforgreaterinteractivity,Macromedia
introducedaverysimplisticversionofActionScriptinFlash4.
Littledidtheyknowitwouldfuelamotiongraphicsmovement
thatwouldinfluencedesigninprint,television,andmoviesfor
years.MonthsafterFlash4shipped,siteslikeMono-craft
(),PrayStation
(),LevitatedDesign&Code
(),andPresstube
()becamefamousfortheircreative
explorationsinreal-timeaudio/visualexpression(inother
words,fortheirhacks!).
PeopleuseFlashtoexplorethingsthatarehardorimpossible
todoinothermedia.It'shardtodomotiongraphicsinHTML,
butyoucandreamaboutamotiongraphicswebwithFlash.It's
hardtodoexpressive,customizeduserinterfacesintraditional
desktopapplications,butyoucanseebrandedFlash
applicationstodayonthousandsofwebsites.AsIwritethis
foreword,I'mfinishingupawebsiteinwhichyoucanobserve
otherconnectedusersinteractingwiththesite'sinterface(see
MeanwhileMarcos
WeskampisworkingonVersion2ofhisremotecontrolcar
application( />inwhichanyoneintheworldcandriveaphysicalremote
controlcarviaaFlash-basedwebinterface.It'shardtoimagine
buildingthesethingswithanytoolbutFlash.
SoFlashisahacker'sparadise.Itletsyouplay.Itgivesyouthe
freedomtoexploreyourideas.Anditforcesyoutopullsome
zanytrickstogetwhatyouwant.Foralongtime,thetricksand
hacksofFlashhavecirculatedthroughouttheonline
developmentcommunity.Manyofthem,newandold,arenow

committedtoprintinthisbook,inaqualityandstyledeserving
oftheO'Reillyname.
Iconsiderthisbookbothaserviceandachallenge.
Theservice:usewhatyoufindinthesepagestoyour
advantageonwhateveryou'rebuilding.There'stonsofgreat
infohere,boundtobeofhelponnearlyanyproject.You'll
benefitfromShamBhangal'sconsiderableexperienceinthe
fieldandaclarityofexpressionItrulybelieveonlyBruce
Epstein(thisbook'seditor)canguarantee.
Thechallenge:rememberthatexplorationandinventionare
yourgreatesttools.BeforetherewerebooksonFlashand
beforetherewereestablishedtricksandmethodologies,there
wasavisionofwhatcouldbeandtheclever,bullish,tinkering
desiretomakeitso.
ColinMoockApril2004


Preface
MacromediaFlash'sancestorstartedoutasacorecomponent
ofthepencomputer,akeyboardlessmachinethatusedapen
stylusforinput,makingitmuchmoreportablethantraditional
keyboard-baseddesignsandidealforhandhelddevices.The
systemfeaturedavector-baseddrawingengine,whichwas
moresuitedtoinputviaapenthanmoretraditionalbitmapbasedsystems.
Theideadidn'ttakeoff,butanewavenuewasbeginningto
presentitselftheWeb.Thepen-basedvectordrawingprogram
becameFutureSplash,whichwasreleasedaround1995asa
web-centricvectoranimationtool.FutureSplashwassoon
boughtbyMacromedia,andthefirstversionoftherenamed

application,Flash,wasreleasedin1996.
Latein2003,MacromediareleasedFlashMX2004(andFlash
MXProfessional2004)andthecorrespondingFlashPlayer7
browserpluginandActiveXcontrol.Inrecentyears,Flashhas
gainedanumberofimportantfeatures,includingmultimedia
handlingcapabilities(sound,images,video)andafull-fledged
scriptinglanguage(ActionScript)tocreatenonlinearanimation
orclient-sideprocessing,aswellasinterfacingwithremotedata
orserver-sidescripts.
Flashisnowthestandardwebmultimediadeliveryplatform.
TheFlashPlayer(thebrowserpluginthatplaysbackFlashSWF
files)isubiquitous,andFlashcanalsocreatedesktop
applications.Webdesigncontinuestomoveawayfrom
traditionalHTMLandtowardtheinteractivityandmultimedia
featuresofferedbyFlash.AndMacromediacontinuestoexpand
theFlashplatformwithproductslikeMacromediaCentral(a
personalbrowserforoccasionallyconnectedFlash-based
content),FlashCommunicationServerMX(areal-timevideo
andaudioserver),andFlashRemoting(enhancedremote


connectivitytowebservicesandserver-sideapplications).


WhyFlashHacks?
Theterm"hacking"hasabadreputationinthepopularmedia.
Theyuseittorefertobreakingintosystemsorwreakinghavoc
usingcomputersasweapons.Amongpeoplewhowritecode,
though,theterm"hack"referstoaquickanddirtysolutiontoa
problemoracleverwaytogetsomethingdone.Andtheterm

"hacker"istakenverymuchasacompliment,referringto
someoneasbeingcreativeandhavingthetechnicalchopsto
getthingsdone.TheHacksseriesisanattemptthereclaimthe
word,documentthegoodwayspeoplearehacking,andpass
thehackerethicofcreativeparticipationontotheuninitiated.
Seeinghowothersapproachsystemsandproblemsisoftenthe
quickestwaytolearnaboutanewtechnology.
FlashHacksisaboutcomingupwithnewideasforyourFlash
webdesigns,ActionScript,andFlashcontent.
Flashauthoringisallaboutcreativity,inbothdesignand
coding,andpushingtheenvelopeofwhatispossible.Although
multimediascriptinghasbecomemorestructuredand
formalized,thereisstillplentyofroom(andneed)forhacks
andworkaroundswhenthestandardroutesfail.
WhenIfirstopeneduptheFlashapplicationandstarted
readingtheofficialdocumentation,ittookmeawhileto
understandhowFlashisreallysupposedtobeused,andfrom
feedbackIhavereceivedsince,thisisacommonproblem.
Flashisthusanareainwhichexperimenting,hackingaround
limitations,andknowingalotofdesigntricksispartofthe
workflowbecausetheaimisoftentocreatesomethingoriginal
andengaging.ReadingtheMacromediaFlashdocumentation
willtakeyouonlysofarbeforeyouneedtostartlookingfor
cleverhacksandinsidetricksthatovercomemanyofFlash's
limitations.


Therefore,thisbookisnotjustaboutshowingyousome
interestinghacks,itisaboutshowingyousomeofthe
nonobvioustechniquesandideasthatwillmakeyourFlash

designsmoreoriginalandyourapplicationsmoreeffective.
Ofcourse,thisalsomeansthatyouwon'tbeusingmanyofthe
hackspresentedhereas-is,butinsteadwillusethemas
startingpointsforfurtherexplorationanddevelopment.
ExperimentationistobepromoteditiswhatFlashandtheFlash
communityareallabout.Thisbookborrowsmuchfromtherich
traditionoftheFlashcommunitybutalsopresentsmany
originalideastoteach,entertain,andinspireyou.


WhoThisBookIsFor
Okay,let'sfaceit.O'Reillyisbetterknownforitstechnical
referencesthanforedgierbooksliketheHacksseries.O'Reilly
haspublishedsomeofthemostadvancedbooksonActionScript
developmentavailable,includingthewell-respectedActionScript
forFlashMX:TheDefinitiveGuideandthehard-coreobjectorientedprogrammingguideEssentialActionScript2.0,bothby
ColinMoock.O'Reilly'sActionScriptCookbook,byJoeyLott,
presentsmorethan300practicalrecipesforawiderangeof
ActionScriptproblems,andFlashRemoting:TheDefinitive
Guide,byTomMuck,covershigh-endapplicationdevelopment
andremoteconnectivity.
Ithinkitissafetosaythatthisbookissubstantiallydifferent
fromthosebooks,whichisappropriatesincethebooksserve
differentpurposes,eveniftheiraudiencesoverlap.Whereas
thoseareserious,traditionalprogrammingbooksspeakingto
well-structuredcodeandbestpractices,thistomeisfullof
explorationandwhimsy.Whereasthosebooksspeakof
productivitytoexperiencedprogrammers,thisbookspeaksof
adventuretotheyoungatheart.Ifyou'renewtoFlash,this
bookisastantalizingasthearomaofawarmapplepie.Ifyou

areexperiencedwithFlash,andperhapsabitboredwithit,it
mightremindyouwhyyoufellinlovewithFlashinthefirst
place.Thatsaid,hard-coredeveloperswillfindlotsofserious
codingadvice,optimizationtechniques,andtipsandtricksfor
applicationdevelopment.
Frankly,ifyou'veneverusedFlash,someofthehackswill
confuseyou,butmanywillnot,asthereissomethingherefor
everyone.Inearlychapters,Imakeanefforttoexplain
occasionaloperationalbasics,suchascreatinganewempty
layer(Insert Timeline Layer)andattachingcodetoaframe
(selecttheframeintheTimelinepanelandopentheActions
panelusingF9orWindow DevelopmentPanels Actions).We'll


beplacingmostofourscriptsonadedicatedactionslayer
[Hack#80]butsomescriptsmustgoinexternal.asfiles[Hack
#10].
Becausethisbookispredominantlygearedtowardreaderswith
somefamiliaritywithFlash,ifyou'veneverusedFlash,you
shouldprobablypickuponeofthemanyfinetutorialbooks
availablefrom(gasp!)otherpublishers.(O'Reillyiscomingout
withaFlashtutorialbookFlashOutoftheBoxbyRobert
Hoekmaninthesecondhalfof2004.)Ifyoudon'thaveacopy
oftheFlashauthoringtool,youcandownloadatrialversion
fromMacromedia
( />product=flash)andgothroughsomeoftheincludedtutorialsto
learnthebasics,too.
Thatsaid,manyofthehacksinthisbookcanbeappreciated
evenifyou'veneverpickedupFlash.Icertainlyhopethisbook
inspirestheuninitiatedtotryFlashandthosewhoknowFlash

toappreciateitanew.
Ifyou'reatraditionalprogrammernewtoFlashoraserious
applicationdeveloper,beforewarned.Thisbookisn'taboutbest
practicesorobject-orientedprogrammingorRichInternet
Application(RIA)development.Andifyou'reprejudicedagainst
Flash,thelargenumberofhackscoveringanimation,drawing,
andmotiongraphicsmayturnyouofftoFlashforever.That
wouldbeashame.Whatispresentedhereisbutasmallslice
oftheFlashuniverse,myownpersonalcornerinfact(witha
littlehelpfromfriendsandcontributors).Skiparoundandyou'll
findnotjusteyecandyandearcandybutlotsofActionScript
examples,too.You'lllearnsomething,evenifitwasn'twhat
yousetouttolearn.
TheFlashuniverseisbothvastanddiverseandthisbook
doesn'ttrytobeallthingstoallpeople.Butalmostevery
developer,whetheranexperiencedFlasher,abeginningscripter,
orahard-corecoder,willfindmorethanafewinteresting


techniquesandtips.Ifyouwereeverachild,ifyouwereever
inlove,ifyoulikedrive-inmoviesorhowlingatthemoon,this
bookwillremindyoualittlebitofallthosethings.Andthat,to
me,seemslikeaverygoodthing.
SoreadalltheotherFlashandActionScriptbooksyoucanget
yourhandson,butleaveaplaceontheshelforyourdeskfor
thisone,too.