Flash

Of all the Flash 5 ActionScripting books in my collection (and I have them all), this one has the most pages flagged with post-it tags, and the most highlighted paragraphs. It offers clear, easy to understand instructions, with friendly tips and advice. The exercises helped me grasp key concepts of working with ActionScript. Gary shares the full scope of how to create games and activities; he doesn't just flash bits of esoteric code for effects you will never use. Although the book's focus is games, it's an excellent resource for learning basic ActionScript. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn ActionScripting.

Gary Rosenzweig's _ActionScript for Fun and Games_ is hands down the most clear, concise, easy to understand, and well written programming book I have ever read. I can not recommend it highly enough. Rosenzweig's style takes the best aspects of the "Dummies" books (clarity and humor) and combines it with the level of depth and detail you expect from a reference book. For the first time programmer, he breaks down every line of code into its component parts and explains what each part does and why. For the more advanced programmer, his layout and organization allows you to go to exactly the section you need without skimming through introductory material first. Whether you are totally new to ActionScript or an advanced Flash programmer, this book belongs on your shelf.

I bought this book thinking, "45$ is a lot for a book with no cd." Boy, was I wrong. This book is full of incredible documentation of how to write games using Flash 5 and ActionScript together. The aim is towards the total novice and is right on target with helpful insight, advice, and just the right phrasing to establish the reader as a skilled AS writer.

I agree with that reviewer from Nashville. This book was quite disappointing. I thought i'd learn in detail how to create animation in Flash. DID NOT HAPPEN. I bought an animation book along with this one as a supplement sort of. Now I'm glad I bought the extra book, so I don't feel like my purchase and weeks of waiting were totally in vain.

This is by far the best book on the market for anyone interested in using Flash as an animation tool. It is superbly written BY an animator, FOR animators!!! Final, a book that cuts throught the technical mumbo-jumbo and gets to the heart of what artists, not programmers, need to know. The author obviously has a deep understanding of animation as an Art form and relays tips and tricks on how to use Flash for what it is... a FANTASTIC tool for animators!

The book is filled with amazing artwork and clear illustrations (not to mention great characters!) I have not seen a book out there that can compare.

From the computer savy to the traditionalist, if you are an animator this book is an absolute MUST!

This book is a terrific. It explains flash animation and entertains at the same time with creative examples and illustrations. Great ideas and the CD Rom is a bonus. Sandro Corsaro is truly cutting edge and has a vision of the future that will allow fash animation to lead the way to affordable uses and adaptations of this entertaining art form.

I've been developing and designing in Flash for over a year and a half and have built a small library of books on the subject, but Advanced Flash 5 ActionScript In Action by Dan Livingston is the only book that covers it all in a clear and straightforward manner; every block of code presented is explained in such detail and clarity the one can not help but learn. This is also one of the very few books out there that uses "real" examples, not just shapes, such as an online store and games. Even without the CD-ROM with all of the source files (invaluable in-and-of-itself) this book presents each example in such a way the one can not help but understand what is going on and how it all works. The ActionScript reference guide is the most comprehensive and useful one I have come across and will be the only one I return to again and again as it not only explains all the different bits and pieces of ActionScript, it presents clear examples and offers up "real-world" uses for them as well. Buy this book if you want to lear ActionScript, you won't be sorry.

This is the third actionscript book I've bought and the last. It has everything I needed - great examples, rock-solid code, seriously professional yet friendly explanations, complete reference, cool web site. It covers games, ecommerce front ends, funky effects, XML, and it's just darn easy to read and understand - that's really why I like it. It's one of the top 3 computer books I've read - ever. Like I said, Dan's the Flash Man.

Like having an instructor walk you through with examples.

This book claims to be "The Definitive Guide," but it contains not a single word about ActionScript to support Flash Remoting. For example, where's the discussion of NetServices.createGatewayConnection()? For help in writing ActionScript to interact with a database, you will have to consult another reference source.

The author has an annoying writing style in which he repeatedly refers to "we," as in: "When we export...a .swf file from a .fla file, we can incorporate...." Sometimes, though, he switches to "you," as in: "To append or insert script text instead of replacing it, you must manually copy and paste...." What we/you need here is a good edit.

Aside from the two criticisms addressed above, I'd rate this book as average in quality in completeness, clarity, and accuracy. Code samples work. The index is a bit thin. Some of the more complicated topics (e.g., "Move Clip Subclasses and Components") could have been enhanced through the use of additional examples.

As an O'Reilly book, this book is below average in quality.

I bought Colin Moock's previous book (on flash 5) the day it was released because as an investor of many other sub-standard flash books, I knew the one from O'Reilly (the book's publisher) would be the most valuable. Without fail, "Actionscript: A Definitive Guide" blew me away. Not only was his book extremely informative, but his writing style was conversational, concise, and accessible. Though I had experience with actionscript, my background wasn't in programming, so it was nice to have an "in" to the advanced features of actionscript with Moock's example scripts and corresponding explanations. After a few months of employing the ideas and concepts found easily in Moock's first book...I felt like I finally had a firm grip on Flash 5...

Then Flash MX was released. Immediately I bought it and quickly transitioned myself into the new work enviornment (love it). Then I read up on all the new features...and thought to myself...I wish Colin would write a book for Flash MX's actionscript...it is way more powerful...and more complicated...

He did. It took longer than my patience would have liked...but the wait was well worth it...and the book explains its own delay...IT IS HUGE. Almost twice the size of the first edition...and that's because almost every chapter is edited, has new important explanations and the same easy-to-understand commentaries and examples. Indeed there are entirely NEW chapters...that specifically discuss new immensely more powerful Flash MX actionscript features. Also, all the appendices are new and updated (I frequently use them).

If you own Flash MX and you want to be a serious flash developer with serious marketable skills, BUY THIS BOOK above all--it is a REAL REFERENCE tool--something you will keep on your desk next to your mouse. Nothing is left out except some add-in features (like comm server and UI components) which you can get plenty of info on at macromedia's website. You can also frequent colin's website (moock.org) where he posts hundreds of additional tips, book errata info, and flash downloads.

I garentee "Actionscript for Flash MX" will become the best investment you made outside of the Flash MX application itself...at least until flash 7 is released! If you learn the concepts in this book, you will be able to create anything you or your client can imagine. In the end, that could mean lots of money or lots of fun...or both! Enjoy!

And by the way...buy it at Amazon...it's almost 20 bucks cheaper than the bookstores.

As a flash developer, I can't praise this book enough. Though I've used the Macromedia Actionscript Reference that came with Flash 5 since its release, when Flash MX didn't ship with a similar paper manual, I struggled with the Macromedia electronic actionscript reference for a while, and ended up purchasing this book. I was pleasently surprised at how much better Moock's reference is. All the notes, examples, and bugs for each entry that simply can't be found in Macromedia's version make this book indispensable. I estimate from the 'bugs' sections in the reference alone, I've saved myself a hundred hours of wasted time and frustration. Beyond the reference area, this book contains 17 chapters of content that even the most advanced actionscripters could learn a thing or two from. Seriously, this book is worth its selling price many times over.

Prior to purchasing this book I also bought "Macromedia Flash for Windows and Macintosh Visual Quick start Guide" by Katherine Ulrich. I would give that book a 5 star, and purchased this book feeling it would be of the same mold. But I was wrong.

If I were to be honest I would have to say on the positive side that this book is very good from the standpoint of the topics it covers, its structure, and goals.

However, the reason I would only give this book a 3 star rating is because it is full of errors and is often very unclear. I realize that the writers assume the reader already possesses a clear understanding of Flash and will proceed from there. However that is not the problem, but is rather that in may examples the writers are far from clear on where they are going. And there are many errors. For example, when going through one exercise creating radio buttons one is told to create a "movie-clip" and a short time later told to "select the first button instance", but there is no button, only the movie clip the reader is told to create. The book is full of errors like this.

If the purchaser does not mind spending the necessary time to figure out how the writers have arrived where they end up, and going back to correct numerous directional errors the book does have its merits. In the end it is great in concept, but poorly written.

I bought this book after finishing the Flash 5 Quickstart Guide, (also from Peachpit Press). Like "The Empire Strikes Back", this book demonstrates that a sequel can sometimes be better than the original. The writing is much more concise than its predecessor, and it tackles a great variety of topics. What's more, this one comes with a CD, so if you have trouble following the examples, you can look at finished projects.

Many indispensible topics are covered in this book, including Shape Hints, dynamic text and the using eval function. There's also a useful explanation of how to use the Math functions to create directional movement. My only serious complaint is that the book lacks focus. It would have been nice to see how all the techniques could be combined in a larger project.

The sad truth is, there are few good books available for intermediate and advanced flash users. So, at only 30$, this one is a must-have.

After being intrigued by Macromedia Flash and learning as much as possible via internet and the included tutorials, I felt I had a pretty good grasp of Flash. Still eager to learn more, I found this book and I must say that I couldn't have made a better choice. It was exactly what I needed to get to the next level, and the way the concepts were presented couldn't have been done in a more pleasing way. On a scale of 1 to 10 on Flash advancement, I'd say I went from a 4 to a 7.5. This is a definate keeper.

Flash MX Savvy is a great book. It has all you need when learning Flash (or wanting to get ahead in Flash). Its got detailed coverage of basic and intermediate topics, ActionScript, Flash & audio, and secondary topics (like integrating Flash with other programs). The book is written well (the author's friendly and easy going personalities really come through) and organized perfectly. the only real complaint I have about the book (which isn't really a complaint, but more of a "what I would like to have seen" sentiment) was that there weren't _enough_ projects. I would have liked to have seen a common project running through the entire book (or at least sections of the book). Don't be mislead, the book has lots of hands on projects (infact, they are actually called Hands On), but they are located at the end of every section, and are sort of standalone.

If you would like to learn flash then this is a good book to start. With all the different titles out there, I believe that this comes clostest to being 'savvy'. It covers a lot of important concepts that you would need to get started like simple drawing, amimation, sounds, and a good intro to action script (if you don't know much about scripting then this maybe a hard concept to understand, MX has a simple interface of click and drag, but on the 2004 verison, the option was taken out).
Like all complex program, flash is a 'bottoms up' program where you need to learn the simple concept first, then from it build up a more complex movie.

I brought this book with a Flash class I'm taking at my college of env design. It really helps when there is an instructor to help with the common questions. But, since I missed most of the class, I found this book to be very helpful. Nevertheless, I wish there were more 'hands on' chapters.

Its funny, I actually ran across a review of this book in the October 2002 issue of Computer Arts. They gave it 5 big stars, so I got intrigued and picked the book up. Y'know, if they could have given mroe stars, I bet they would have. Flash MX Savvy is incredible. It cover so much, and does it in a really accessible way. The authors seem to completley know what they are doing (both as teachers and as Flash users). I can't tell you how happy I am with the purchase. In particular, I was especially pleased with the Actionscript coverage. It was pretty comprehensive as well as very accessible from a non-programmers standpoint. I also really liked the fact that after teh end of each section, there was a pretty respectably sized project that you could do in order to try out the skills you'd already learned.

On top of all of this, the book looks great. I know that may seem a little silly, but if you spend a lot of time looking at a book, you want it to look good. Besides that, its laid out in such a way that getting to the info you want is really easy.

That Phillip Kerman talks in plain english and explains things that most actionscript books skip. For instance, one of the first screen shots in the book explains how Flash's coordinate system has point 0,0 on the top left hand side. Why is this important? Because most coordinate systems have 0,0 at the bottom left. If you use actionscript to change the position of something on the stage and didn't know about this strange thing, your object will be in a totally different position.

Okay, so that is totally minor, but it is SO important for beginners.

I could keep on going on and on about this book. His explanation on invisible buttons, the different types of frames... these all are critical for the beginning flash developer.

But this book isn't just for beginners. By the end of this book you are adapting components, using the new local shared object, and in a flashback to high school, learning the pythagorian theorem again to calculate distance.

Don't just buy Colin Moock's Actionscript book -- use that as a reference and LEARN actionscript by buying this book.

This book is great as both an introduction programming to Flash MX and an introduction to Flash programming in general. MX introduces many new ways of working in Flash and this book covers them: components, listeners, callbacks, shared objects, local connection, etc. If you're familiar with Flash 5 and just starting in MX this book will get you up to speed quickly. If you're new to Flash or even new to programming this book will teach you everything you know. The first half goes over programming basics like variables, functions, dot syntax and data types, while introducing Flash specific programming such as MovieClips and built in objects like Math, Number and String. Later chapters lead you through hands on examples; you'll build sliders, custom cursors, slide shows and more using the latest abilities and coding conventions of Flash MX.

Just about anyone can learn a thing or two about coding in Flash MX from this well written and easy to read book!

This book is really one of the greatest I have read, and I'm not talking about action script only, but generally about all books about programming/design I have ever read.
But make no mistake, this is not a book for those who want some chunks of code ready to copy and paste. (even though it has some of those) This is a book for those who want to learn every aspect of action script programming and also general basis of programming and logic, and since those are not light concepts... well of course the book isn't a piece of cake.
There's a huge part of the book that could be considered very theoretical (450 pages before you get to the real practical part) and it could bore you if you are not really up to it, so I think it could be a mistake to use it as a textbook for college classes it is better suited for the enthusiast who really wants to learn by himself and from the root, it requires patience, time and dedication to go through every aspect of a programming language and this book intends to do so, hence, if you are not a real geek don't even try.
Personally I read it as if it was a good sci fi novel, it thrilled me.
The only downside there is to it is that it's noticeable (in the examples and the guy's web site) that Mr kerman isn't really an aesthetical genius so it falls a little short when it comes to concatenate all that programming with graphical elements, but since that isn't really the focus of the book it's not such a bad thing.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the update/new release for action script 2.0

The book gives clear step-by step instructions on most Flash 5 functions.

However, the book does not give clear instructions on how to create navigation buttons. I had to spend hours of trial and error.

Nor does the book explain how to make input boxes and provide feedback for an educational program. I am having to purchase a few more Flash 5 manuals and hope that at least one of those manuals will help me.

I can't say enough about how Lynda and assoc. writes books. I've bought too many books, such as Flash Magic books, Visual Quick start Foundation Flash & others. Really, I bought too many that sit unused becuase they were not inspiring to me!<<<<

I know that I am coming from a beginner to intermediate user, but I have a mad passion for REAL well written tutorial books with quicktime movies. Lynda's books deliver BIG TIME!

She take GREAT care, step by step, trying to show you how to do her tutorials with out loosing a step.

The other books such as Visual Quickstart books and Flash Magic books really seemed to be geared for more of advanced geek type user. All of them and I've read and browsed many, do not teach as complete as she does.

I just feel that there are not very many books out there that teach software the way Lynda's books do. There is something very uplifting about her books. i almost feel like I could go door to door trying to sell her books they are that good.

Sure there will be geeky people that feel her approach is to simplistic. But they miss the BOAT BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!

O by the way I bought Foundation Flash as well. Again, all the other books that are not written by her from other companies just don't have the gift that she does! That real step by step approach.

We all go through life trying to find things that are uplifting, artistic. We see Van Gough paintings, we great bridges built. We see and hear great music.

We also see and read great books.
She can teach, and teach very well indeed.
* * * * *

I've tried 3 or 4 other books while trying to learn Flash over the last two years. This is the one that finally got me way up the learning curve.

Overpriced? No, I don't think so. The authors and editors put in a helluva lot of work on this book, breaking the subject matter into digestible lessons and then double-checking the tutorials. I've paid as much for other books that taught me nothing (because they weren't user-friendly and didn't keep my interest) and paid six times as much for one-day courses that were excellent but 50% forgotten a week later.

I see some of the other reviewers complain that the book does a little too much hand-holding and baby-talking. Well, if you haven't got much going on in your life, then I suppose you can teach yourself Flash by trial-and-error and by trying to read the inscrutable Macromedia manuals. The rest of us, with real lives, really need and appreciate the baby-step tutorials and extras on the CD.

The authors are teachers and seem to be warm human beings as well. I would not only recommend this book, I'd look forward to taking real, live classes from them.

its really of of the least organized computer books ever.. bad starting point.. advanced examples starting from chapter one.. just gives u really HARD time.. im glad i just got it on a library loan and im gonna give it back... DONT WASTE UR MONEY

Flash MX action script Bible has it all. If you are a fully fledged programmer or a newbie this book is for you. it explains everything you need to know and more. It contains a thorough description of the action script language and a complete reference. I never thought I could go beyong creating buttons and making simple menus but this book took me step by step and was easy to get me where I wanted. I'm still learning a great deal from it and I'll probably keep on learning new stuff from the same book in the future. I bought this book for one purpose, making interactive and complex websites where I can customise everything and add interisting graphical elements. The book teaches you how to access the advanced features in XML, sound control, using LINGO to control flash, making games... The list is very long.
At first I was worried about the size of the book but soon to discover that it's organized in a way that optimizes the learning process. The authors put a lot of effort in explaining thoroughly what every line of code is doing and why it's written and they even thought of including the possible errors you might get if you use the code in a different setting.
I can go on and on talking about all the neat stuff I learned but to cut it short; this books makes flash scripting as easy as riding a bike and takes it a lot farther than you can imagine. I highly recommend it to everyone, even the advanced users.

This has to be the most comprehensive Flash MX Actionscripting book I have ever read. At first I started to think a lot of the items covered in this book were going to be over my head. But after careful reading and understanding I was completely on point with all the things that were discussed. This book is very easy to read and very enjoyable if you're into Actionscript as a beginner or as an intermediate developer that would like to get through those tough areas of Actionscripting.

This is the first book on Flash MX I purchased, and so far it is EXCELLENT!!! Its straight-to-the-point and easy-to-read format helps make the seemingly difficult parts easier to understand (and I am 14 years old!!! Great explanations huh?).
I can't put this book down! At the moment I am on chapter 8 and am having heaps of fun with Flash MX. I have not found any typographical errors so far and all seems to be up to date and clearly organised.

This book can be used both as a tutorial and as a reference due to it's easy to use contents and index!!!!! It comes with a handy Companion CD with all the required programs and example files. It even includes some video tutorials.

This isn't the sort of book you take somewhere and read since you learn by doing the examples, which is probably why it is called "Flash MX Hands-On Training".

I'm glad I bought it!!!

I bought this book so I could work with my son and daughter (10 and 12) to teach them Flash MX (or, rather, teach them digital animation and video game programming). The book is a great introduction to Flash MX - easy to understand, good example/projects, alot of relevant 'hands-on-training' (as opposed to alot of programming books that have large sections of code).

It's probably too much for my kids to independently read and stay motivated (since it's written for adults), but we've really enjoyed my working through the chapters and then teaching my kids each of the lessons. We're all creating our own Flash MX movies and are just starting a video game. The book has provided a very nice foundation for us to quickly get up to speed and start using Flash MX. It's also really nice to see my kids to take such a strong interest in starting to write video games instead of just playing them ;).

(As with most introductory books, it's been great to get us started, but I don't really think we'll pick it up again now that we're pretty comfortable with the basics).

This book was exactly what I had been looking for. I got my Digital Media degree and went through so many technologies so quickly, I only got a basic understanding of all of them- Flash included.

This book helped me go back and review what I knew and WHY things are done the way they are. It answered why some of my projects didn't work and it also gave me a WHOLE new bunch of features to use.

I do agree with a few of the others that if you have a solid knowledge of Flash already, you want something more in depth. However, for those of us trying to learn it quickly for basic functions, this book is wonderful.

It is logically organized, no distracting typos or misinformation and the exercises and info on the CD actually match.

I have 2 other books on Flash that I wasted money on- even after reading this book, I find that the others are useless and hard to understand.

I think this book will be a nice reference if I forget something until I have used Flash more.