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Macromedia Training Overview
This course is intended for the intermediate to advanced Flash user who wants to learn ActionScript programming to add more complex interactivity to their movies than simple navigation. You'll learn to plan your movies to make the process efficient and to allow code to be reused in multiple places. Throughout the course, you'll create a quiz game with several types of questions, including those involving toggling items on and off with clicks; dragging objects to targets; a “video game” question in which you move your player with arrow keys and fire missiles at an “enemy”; and ones that you answer via clicking checkboxes and radio buttons. In the process, you'll learn about storing data in variables, accepting input via the keyboard and mouse, using arrays and loops, using debugging tools, and using Flash's built-in components.
Target Student:
This course is intended for the intermediate to advanced Flash user who wants to learn ActionScript programming.
Prerequisites
To ensure your success, we recommend you first take the following courses or have equivalent knowledge:
- Flash MX: Level 1
- Flash MX: Level 2
Delivery Method:
Instructor led, group-paced, classroom-delivery learning model with structured hands-on activities
Benefits:
After taking this course, you will be able to add more complex interactivity to your movies than simple navigation. You'll learn to plan your movies to make the process efficient and to allow code to be reused in multiple places.
What's Next:
This is the last course in the Flash MX series.
Certification
Flash MX: ActionScript is one of three courseware titles that address the Macromedia Certified Professional Program objectives for the Certified Macromedia Flash MX Designer exam. This exam is intended to cover the most critical job activities of a Flash designer, with a major focus on ActionScript. Macromedia provides a comprehensive list of pre-requisite skills, knowledge, and experience that candidates should possess prior to taking the exam.
Hardware/Software Requirements
You will need
- A 200 MHz Intel Pentium processor.
- Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows NT4, Windows 2000, or Windows XP.
- 64 MB of free available system RAM (128 MB recommended).
- 85 MB of available disk space.
- A monitor with 1024 x 768, 16-bit (thousands of colors) color display or better.
- A CD-ROM drive.
- One of the following browsers:
- Under Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me: Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, Netscape Navigator 4 or later, Netscape 6.2 or later, with standard install defaults, AOL 7, or Opera 6.
- Under Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP or later: Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, Netscape Navigator 4 or later, Netscape 6.2 or later, with standard install defaults, Compuserve 7 (2000 & XP only), AOL 7, or Opera 6.
Performance-Based Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Create a system for the user to navigate through a movie.
- Plan movies and the scripts so you can write reusable, efficient code without requiring rework later.
- Allow users to type information, and store that and other data in variables, and write conditional code that responds differently depending on the user's actions.
- Create a video game interface, allowing the user to move a character and fire at moving objects, including testing for item collisions.
- Allow users to drag objects, with the objects snapping into place when they are dropped on specific targets; use arrays and loops to manipulate large amounts of information quickly and to repeat blocks of code; and use debugging tools to check the status of expressions and variables as a movie plays.
- Add common interface elements such as checkboxes, radio buttons, and list boxes to a movie using Flash's pre-made components.
Course duration
1 Day
Macromedia Training Course outline
Lesson 1: ActionScript Basics
- Topic 1A: What Can You Do with ActionScript?
- Topic 1B: Creating Basic Navigation with ActionScript
- Topic 1C: Timeline Paths and Dot Notation
Lesson 2: Planning Movies
- Topic 2A: Methods of Planning Movies
- Topic 2B: Storyboarding and Flowcharting
- Topic 2C: Creating Modularity in Flash
Lesson 3: Creating Simple Interactivity
- Topic 3A: Variables
- Topic 3B: Movie Clip Scripts
- Topic 3C: Conditional Statements
Lesson 4: Creating a Video Game
- Topic 4A: Responding to Key Presses
- Topic 4B: Duplicating and Hiding Movie Clips
- Topic 4C: Testing for Collisions and Animating an Object
Lesson 5: Creating Complex Interactivity
- Topic 5A: Making Movie Clips Draggable
- Topic 5B: Determining the DropTarget for a Dragged and Dropped Clip
- Topic 5C: Arrays
- Topic 5D: Loops
- Topic 5E: Remembering Item Locations and Preventing Overlaps
- Topic 5F: Debugging
- Topic 5G: Comparing Arrays
Lesson 6: Components
- Topic 6A: Using Pre-Built Components
- Topic 6B: Radio Buttons
- Topic 6C: Combo Boxes and Functions
Appendix A: Script Listing
- Scene 1 Scripts
- Scripts Applied to or within Symbols
Appendix B: Macromedia Certified Professional Program
- Certified Macromedia Flash MX Designer
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