ActionScript 3.0 is a huge upgrade to Flash's programming language. The enhancements to ActionScript's performance, feature set, ease of use, cleanliness, and sophistication are considerable. Essential ActionScript 3.0 focuses on the core language and object-oriented programming, along with the Flash Player API. Essential ActionScript has become the #1 resource for the Flash and ActionScript development community, and the reason is the author, Colin Moock. Many people even refer to it simply as "The Colin Moock book."

And for good reason: No one is better at turning ActionScript inside out, learning its nuances and capabilities, and then explaining everything in such an accessible way. Colin Moock is not just a talented programmer and technologist; he's also a gifted teacher.

Essential ActionScript 3.0 is a radically overhauled update to Essential ActionScript 2.0. True to its roots, the book once again focuses on the core language and object-oriented programming, but also adds a deep look at the centerpiece of Flash Player's new API: display programming. Enjoy hundreds of brand new pages covering exciting new language features, such as the DOM-based event architecture, E4X, and namespaces--all brimming with real-world sample code.

The ActionScript 3.0 revolution is here, and Essential ActionScript 3.0's steady hand is waiting to guide you through it.

• Core Concepts
• Conditionals and Loops
• Instance Methods Revisited
• Static Variables and Static Methods
• Functions
• Inheritance
• Compiling and Running a Program
• Datatypes and Type Checking
• Interfaces
• Statements and Operators
• Arrays
• Events and Event Handling
• Exceptions and Error Handling
• Garbage Collection
• Dynamic ActionScript
• Scope
• Namespaces
• XML and E4X
• Flash Player Security Restrictions
• The Display API and the Display List
• Events and Display Hierarchies
• Interactivity
• Screen Updates
• Programmatic Animation
• Drawing with Vectors
• Bitmap Programming
• Text Display and Input
• Loading External Display Assets
• ActionScript and the Flash Authoring Tool
• ActionScript and the Flash Authoring Tool
• Distributing a Class Library
• Appendix A: The Final Virtual Zoo