Designing for different resolutions can be tricky if you are a novice flash user.  There are those who feel once they understand how to design a liquid stage in flash they have become masters, while others consider it just a milestone.  It’s a bit of both for me, but you should be able to design a Fluid width site which accommodates all screen resolutions.
 

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Take a look at the above example, download the file and embed it into your html page.  Change your screen resolution or maximise your window to see how the movie-clips adapt to different resolutions whilst positioning themselves through the onstage.Resize functions.  The code is well commented, however if you are a complete noob then you’ll have some tinkering to do!!

NOTES

-  No need to install tween libraries as the file uses native classes that ship with flash.
-  Aligns all elements to stage.
-  ActionScript 2 and saved in Flash CS 3 format.

Happy Flashing!!

Do you want to learn Flash? Better yet do you want to learn about the programming language Actionscript that is the impetus of most of the best flash designs in the world? Well here is a list of ways to learn Flash and Actionscript. Flash might look daunting to master for beginners but if you just grit your teeth and sink into it you will be amazed how quickly you can understand some of the basic concepts.

1. Some great tutorials for learning flash from the beginning to the advanced at Kirupa’s website. The list here is long and quite honestly very good for all levels. Do yourself a favor and check them out. You will see a mix of tutorials from animation to AS2 and AS3 and a whole hell of lot more. The team has really done a good job by bundling these tutes together for you all to learn from. Check out their forums as well.
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2. One great way to learn Flash is fire up the application and goto the inbuilt help file that ships with Flash. You can reference many books that Adobe has already selected for you with very useful and pertinent examples. If you read through the documentation you will surely be able to master the IDE (Internal Development Environment) quickly. What better way to learn than from the creators of the software?
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3. Also, be sure to look at the ActionScript 2.0 Migration document to see what functions and classes have been changed, moved, or removed. When changes exist between AS2 and AS3, this document often includes instructions for how you should change your approach.
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4. If you are seriously looking to learn flash then head over to Flashden and check out some of the stock flash files they have there. They are reasonably priced and by picking up just a couple of files you could learn a lot! Matter of fact some authors upload their files solely for learning purposes.
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5. You might want to learn from video tutorials – step by step instructions on how to code or animate in Flash Lynda.com offers many hours of video focused on Flash CS3 and ActionScript 2-3 for a low subscription price. Lee Brimlow’s site gotoAndLearn also offers free video tutorials about Flash.
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6. For the novice or advanced users there is no better way than to view the documentation at Adobes website. Be sure to check out Adobes Flash Developer Center and the Actionscript Technology Center. Or you could just goto the Adobe Developer Connection for a broader view of topics.
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7. All documentation available in the Flash CS3 product is available online on Adobe’s website, including many parts that may be downloaded in PDF form (if that’s your preference). For those that are new to programming, or maybe if you just need a bit of help learning about classes and objects, check out Getting Started with ActionScript in the documentation.
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8. Be sure to check out Senocular’s website and tutorial sections. They extremely helpful and they post a thread at the Kirupa forums called ActionScript 3.0 Tip of the Day.
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9. Another great way to learn Flash or Actionscript is by picking up a book on it. Here are some of the better titles out there.
   • Essential Actionscript 2
   • Essential Actionscript 3
   • Foundation Flash 8 for Actionscript
   • Foundation Actionscript for Flash CS3: Making things Move!
   • Actionscript 3 Cookbook
   • Actionscipt 2 Cookbook
   • Learning Actionscript 3
   • Object Orientated Actionscript
   • Actionscript 3 Bible
   • Foundation Actionscript 3.0 with Flash and Flex 2
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10. There are many forums out there to learn flash at. Google them or use your favorite search engine to find them.
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11. A great place to get free files is at FFiles Website. If you register with them you will be able to download free files from the website. They have many different categories of files for all levels and they are pretty darn useful!
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12. Use a flash decompiler to view other peoples code…Though it is not ethical to directly use anyone else’s code it is a great way to learn how professional build their websites. There are many out there so you can choose which one best suits you or which is the most accessible of the lot! Or ask someone for their code which you could learn from. If you asked me i most probably would be happy to help you on your way with small snippets of re-usable code.
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13. Lastly use a Java Bit Torrent Client such as Azureus to download torrents of your favorite flash books. Goto Extratorrent and type in Flash books and see what results you get. Just download that torrent and add it to you torrent Client to start the downloads. Better yet HERE is the direct link. You might also want to try Rapid Share Downloads and Repository.

Though there are alot more references for Flash on the web, these are the ones that come to my mind throughout my eternal search to learn more. Good Luck!

Recursion, in mathematics and computer science, is a method of defining functions in which the function being defined is applied within its own definition. The term is also used more generally to describe a process of repeating objects in a self-similar way. For instance, when the surfaces of two mirrors are almost parallel with each other the nested images that occur are a form of recursion.

Recursion is also the basic building block of fractals as their patterns re occur over and over again. So lets go through a simple recursive function.

function traceMe(a) {
//First lets check the value of the paramater and start or stop the loop based on the if statement.
if (a<10) {
//We output the current value of the parameter.
//Therefore, the first time that piece of code is executed,
//Flash outputs 1th, because it’s the firth time we step into the loop.
//Then it will be the second, the third, etc.
trace(”This is the “+a+”th time that the function is run.”);
//We call the same exact function from within a function with the parameter(a) incremented.
traceMe(a+1);
//This is the interesting part. If you look at your output panel you will notice that after
//all the traceME functions have been executed this line of code gets executed at the end.
//There is a simple reason for that and that is because flash executes lines of code sequentially.
trace(”End of the “+a+”th function.”);
}
}
traceMe(1);

Thats about it. Simple functions for complex recursions.

[kml_flashembed movie="/experiments/bitmap_pl.swf" height="300" width="500" /]

Stage.scaleMode = “noScale”
import flash.display.BitmapData
import flash.geom.Point
import flash.geom.Rectangle
import flash.geom.Matrix;var hiddenBitmapData:BitmapData = new BitmapData(500, 300, false, 0×00000000);
var bitmapData:BitmapData = new BitmapData(500, 300, false, 0×00000000);
var smallBitMap:BitmapData = new BitmapData(100, 60, false, 0×00000000);

_root.attachBitmap(bitmapData,1)
container._visible = false

for( var a=0;a<100;a++){
var n = container.attachMovie(”node”, “n”+a,a, {
xSpeed:Math.random()*1-.5,
ySpeed:Math.random()*1-.5,
_x:Math.random()*100,
_y:Math.random()*60,
onEnterFrame:function(){
this._x += this.xSpeed
this._y += this.ySpeed

this._x = this._x % 110
this._y = this._y % 70

if( this._x <= -10 ) this._x += 110
if( this._y <= -10 ) this._y += 70
}
})
}

var translateMatrix:Matrix = new Matrix();
translateMatrix.scale(5,5)

_root.onEnterFrame = function(){

smallBitMap.draw(container)

hiddenBitmapData.draw( smallBitMap,translateMatrix, null, “normal”,bitmapData.rectangle, true )
bitmapData.draw( col )

bitmapData.threshold(hiddenBitmapData, bitmapData.rectangle, new Point(0, 0), “>=”, 0×00bbbbbb, 0×00FFFFFF, 0×00FFFFFF, false);
bitmapData.threshold(hiddenBitmapData, bitmapData.rectangle, new Point(0, 0), “<=”, 0×00888888, 0×00000000, 0×00FFFFFF, false);
}

The Adobe ActionScript Reference for Rich Internet application development provides an alphabetical reference for all native ActionScript APIS for the Adobe technology platform rntimes – Adobe Flash Player, Adobe AIR, Adobe Flex Framework.  Great for those who want to learn about the ActionScript APIs that are available within the runtimes.

I have been blogging for about a year now. Its an addictive habit and to be very honest with you not an easy task to keep up with your blog and the trends of other blogs. I have also been on a constant journey developing my Actionscript skills and just recently migrating from AS2 to AS3. Along the way i have viewed many peoples code and of course tried to write clean code myself. It can be a daunting task especially when you start authoring/writing 100’s of lines of code.

Here is a list of Mistakes i feel that beginner to advanced coders make. The spectrum is broad and even those who have been coding Actionscript in the Flash IDE for some time now will make these mistakes. It’s not that advanced users of Actionscript dont know correct syntax its just a matter of time and eventually laziness on the developers part.

1. NOT USING CAMEL CASE AND SUFFIXES:
   Once you have dragged a symbol onto the stage the property inspector gives you a neat little way to designate that instance with its own unique name. Flash devlopers who instantiate the symbol through Actionscript should always follow this method to refer to that instance of a symbol, movieclip or button.
   As you can see in the below screeenshot myClip_mc is the correct naming convention to use as the symbols instance. myClip is how you would use the correct camelCase structure and _mc would be the correct suffix to use so thatwhen you see it in code you know exactly immediately that its referring to a movie clip.
   myClip_mc.stop(); – The actionscript code and correct naming conventions that help you easily recognize and seperate different symbols in your code.

1. STRICT DATA TYPING:
   Strict data typing also allows for Flash to associate a variable with an object to help you with code hints when using that object. Before, this was only possible using underscore suffixes in your variable naming. Now you have the option of using strictly typed variables instead, allowing for more room in your own naming conventions. (Note: XML definitions will still be needed for code hints to function properly.)Typing is always placed following a variable or function declaration. For variables, the type is placed immediately after the variable name separated by a colon (:). For functions, placement directly after the parameters list, also separated by a colon. Function types here, however, refer to the type of the value that the function is returning. If the function has no return, Void is used. Also, for functions, the parameters used can too be strictly typed.var variableName:Type = value;
   function functionName(parameter:Type):returnType {}
2. ERRORS IN THE FUNCTION CHAIN:
   When creating complex movies, you will have several functions that act as event handlers for various objects, as well as generic user-defined functions. Some functionality may not work at all when you test your movie. Before checking for any other error, please, check if the relevant function is actually called. Just place a trace(’in’); action at the beginning of the function to see if it is called. If you don’t see ‘in’ in the output panel when you test your movie the function is never called. Most likely this is simply a targeting error; double-check your object and function names to see if they are coherent.
3. FILES DON’T WORK ON THE SERVER:
   Please, before anything else, when files don’t work online, first check if all the support files are correctly uploaded. I once had a problem on a server when i didn’t change the persmissions of the xml files to read the swf.Place your HTML file and your SWF in the SAME folder, OR use absolute URLS. Of course, update the HTML file to match the situation. When Flash encounters a load command that uses a relative URL it passes it along to the browser. The browser must decide whether that URL is relative to the Flash file or to the HTML file. If they are in the same folder, there is no ambiguity. However, if that is not the case, do you know what it will choose? I don’t either! Save yourself the trouble, keep the main swf in the same folder as the HTML.When files are loaded through one of Flash’s numerous load functions (loadMovie, MovieClipLoader.loadClip, XML.load, Sound.loadSound, etc.), there is always a lag between the load call and the data being received. You must take that into account. Never play with a movie you’re not 100% sure is loaded. Using MovieClipLoader and LoadVars is safer than loadMovie and loadVariables because of all the neat loading events they fire.

   Double-check if your preloaders are working. If you don’t have them, use them! Check out the progress bar component, it can hook to most loading functions and objects, so you’ll have visual feedback.

[kml_flashembed movie="/experiments/circular navmenu.swf" height="225" width="445" /]
A Circular menu built on Actionscript completely. (Click inside then start scrolling) Enjoy…..

Please visit HERE for the code by Soulwire.

ARRAYS:

One of the most commonly used datatypes is an array. The easiest way to describe an array is like a container for a collection of variables which you can access easily using a single name. If you are looking in from the outside it looks like one singular unit or rather one single entity. The great thing about that one single unit or entity is that it has the capability of holding lots of values at any one given time.

If you are trying to visualize how an array would look like in the real world, it would not be so different to a file cabinet. The cabinet has a name (Office File Cabinet) and contains several drawers, each of which drawer can contain its own information.

When you are examining a variable array, all you really need to do is to specify two things:

• The name of the array
• The index (or offset number) of the element (or “drawer”) you want to use .

For example say you have an array called myAhad that contains eight pieces of information eight elements. To refer to the first element which is the bottom drawer in the cabinet you would use this syntax:

myAhad[0]

The index of 0 gives you the base element. The second element would be (the first drawer UP from the base):

myAhad[1]
myAhad[2]
myAhad[3]
myAhad[4]
myAhad[5]
myAhad[6]
myAhad[7]

REASONS FOR USING ARRAYS:

1. Arrays let you store related information together.
2. Arrays let you hold information in a specific order.
3. Arrays let you index information.
4. Arrays let you link information.

CREATING A NEW ARRAY OBJECT:

Before trying to do any cool stuff with arrays you should now how to use the syntax for arrays and funnel in information. Its not Rocket Science you all.

my_array = new Array();

my_array[0] = “Ahad”;
my_array[1] = “Faisal”;
my_array[2] = “Sarah”;
my_array[3] = “Michelle”;
my_array[4] = “Aamer”;
my_array[5] = “Arianna”;
my_array[6] = “Danielle”;

There is another way to define an array.

myGirlfriends_array = new Array(”Michelle”, “Danielle”, “Kari”, “Arianna”, “Nadiah”); //note i used the _array to remind myself that this variable is an array. It might not mean much right now but if you are working with 100’s of lines of code then it is very important to define what datatype you are using.

Please note:

It is perfectly legal that an array can hold a mixture of the three different types of variables: number, string, boolean. This is perfectly legal:

my_array = new Array();
my_array[0] = “Michelle”;
my_array[1] = 26;
my_array[82] = false;

EXAMPLE: POPULATING AN ARRAY USING
DYNAMIC TEXT AND A UI SCROLLBAR

[kml_flashembed movie="/experiments/arrays.swf" height="400" width="450" /]

*Note that the names in this list weren’t added to be malicious to any woman or to show a male chauvinistic attitude…Just thought that i would add some spice into life and makes things fun for me.

FOR LOOPS

Whenever building a loop that uses some kind of counter variable to count how many cycles you have gone through, its worth noticing the for loop. Lets consider this loop:

var myCounter:Number = 0;
while (myCounter < 10) {
trace(myCounter);
myCounter++;
}

There are four important parts of this loop each one each of the first four lines.

• Initialize the counter variable myCounter.
• Specify the loop condition myCounter < 10.
• Perfrom the main loop action trace(myCounter).
• Bump up thevalue of the counter with myCounter++.

If you rewrite this loop as a for, you can cut it down to two lines.

for (var myCounter:Number =0; myCounter < 10; myCounter++) {
trace(myCounter);
};

So basically you have defined the whole range of the loop withing the first line, so there’s no need to set up a counter before the loop and no need to change its value as one of the looped actions. Its all being taken care of by Actionscript.

Still you can use the counter for all sorts of things other tan simply counting how may times you have looped. For example, as the index for an array or variable, or for deriving a sequence of numbers (such as multiplication tables).

Great…so lets take a closer look at each of the three arguments you stick in a for() action.

INIT

The first argument is where you set up the counter variable. It’s normal to set this to 0, though you may use any value that you like. You may also name the counter as you wish. Just remember the total number of loops must always turn out to be a numeric value so the valid counter values are as follows:

• counter = 0: the Counter starts at 0.
• i = startValue: The counter i starts at the value of numeric variables startValue.

CONDITION

This is just like the condition in an if statement or a while loop (the while loop is the simplest of all loops). As long as the expression is true it will continue cycling. Inside a for loop, though, the condition should always refer explicityly for the counter. Normally like “the counter is less than the stop value”. Some examples would be:

• i < 1: Loop as long as i is less than 10.
• counter>= 200: Loop as long as counter is greater than or equal to 200.
• x < xMax: Loop as long as x is less thn xMax.

One condition that beginners often get stuck with is ==10. Although this is ok as a condition, its probably not what you want for a for loop – unless counter equals 10 on the first loop.

NEXT

This is where you specify what should happen to the counter after every loop. Possible arguments you can add here are as follows.

• i++: Add 1 to 1
• counter–: Subtract 1 from the counter.
• i = i+2: Add 2 to i.

There are many ways simple for loops may help you. Just remember that loops are very useful for making lots of actions run in a very short time. The more you will practice, the more you will understand the power of a loop.

[kml_flashembed movie="/experiments/random1.swf" height="300" width="300" /]

These are some random text effect for a dynamic text field..Check out the code:

createTextField(“my_tf”, 100, 10, 10, 250, 500);
my_tf.wordWrap = true;
my_st = “Curie, Marie\r(1867-1934) b. Warsaw, Poland (née Maria Sklodowska)\r\rHumanity needs practical men, who get the most out of their work, and, without forgetting the general good, safeguard their own interests. But humanity also needs dreamers, for whom the disinterested development of an enterprise is so captivating that it becomes impossible for them to devote their care to their own material profit. \r\rWithout doubt, these dreamers do not deserve wealth, because they do not desire it. Even so, a well-organized society should assure to such workers the efficient means of accomplishing their task, in a life freed from material care and freely consecrated to research.”;
step = 30;
onEnterFrame = function(){
var nowStep = Math.min(step, my_st.length)
var stringChunk = my_st.substr(-nowStep);
my_st = my_st.slice(0, -nowStep);
my_tf.text = stringChunk+my_tf.text;
if(my_st.length<1){
onEnterFrame = null;
}
}