Useful AS3 Migration Books / Resources

[sekasi]

I know for all of us the process of moving from 2 to 3 was a painful one. Especially for the ones like myself that was trapped in AS2 projects long after 3 was released. I've picked up a few useful resources along the way that those who are migrating now can find some comfort in;

BOOKS

• Essential Actionscript 3 (Colin Mook) [note: I personally haven't read this one, but it's so highly recommended by everyone I know]
• Advanced Actionscript 3 with Design Patterns (Joey Lott) [note: Amazing AS3 OOP resource]
• Object Oriented Actionscript 3 (Peter Elst) [note: Not so great for AS3 learning, but a good OOP shakedown]
• Foundation Actionscript 3.0 Animation - Making Things Move (Keith Peters)

ONLINE READING

• Introduction to AS3 (G Skinner) [note: Amazing slide resource, 150 pages of structured information]
• Actionscript Tip of the day (Senocular) [note: 36 forum pages of AS3 tips from a legendary Actionscripter]
• Event Handling in AS3 (Adobe resource) [note: Very good introduction to events]

TUTORIALS
(too many to list)

• Getting started with Actionscript 3 (Senocular)
• GotoAndLearn (Lee Brimelow) [note: This site! ]
• Weekly referenced listeners (G Skinner) [note: Read it]

ANIMATION PACKAGES

• TweenMax / TweenLite (Greensock)
• Tweener aka Caurina.transitions (Zeh Fernando)

Enjoy

Yeah, I can second that on:

• Essential AS3 [I have read that one, and it's good stuff]
• gotoAndLearn("videos") [they were priceless].
• Advanced AS3 with Patterns[I've only skimmed it, but it looks promising]

I also want to add:

• The Actionscript 3.0 Cookbook(O'Reilly/Adobe Press)
  ->It comes in after you've got the jist of AS3; and gives a beautiful Problem/Solution-by-Example approach that lets you get the feel for the topic in the first few lines, and the n know everything in the world about it in the next few pages.
  Covers virtually eveything in minute detail.
  The best $40 I've spent since NuLooq came out.

--EDIT: since trying out TweenMax--
I can second TweenMax, now, too. I like it a lot(might even pay dollars for it). I wonder why it's not publicized more?

I found 'Learning Actionscript 3.0, A Beginners Guide' by Rich Shupe with Zevan Rosser.

This was extremely helpful, especially as it is printed in colour! This really helps you concentrate on the more important aspects of the code...

Harry.

I'll Second the Actionscript 3 Cookbook, it's a great resource.

The code isn't perfect, but it's served as an excellent starting point for many projects I have done.

A few important differences:

For MovieClips:
AS2 AS3

_root.myMC._x this.myMC.x
_root.myMC._y this.myMC.y
_root.myMC._xscale this.myMC.scaleX
_root.myMC._yscale this.myMC.scaleY
_root.myMC._xmouse this.myMC.mouseX
_root.myMC._ymouse this.myMC.mouseY
_root.myMC._rotation this.myMC.rotation
_root.myMC._alpha this.myMC.alpha
_root.myMC._visible this.myMC.visible

_root is no longer availabe so you'll have to use this or stage instead.

Also, scripts on MovieClips no longer work, which means all code has to go on Keyframes, or on Buttons.
To handle MovieClip events of myMC (the name of a MovieClip) use the following in a Keyframe:

// Include used packages
import flash.display.*;

// Get the main window & the stage variable
Dwindow = this.stage.nativeWindow;
Dwindow.title="My Program Name";

// Add an event listener so Flash calls a function every time an event is triggered
// Notice how the ENTER_FRAME constant resides in a general purpose "Event" class
// More complex events reside in their respective class
// The last argument specifies which function should get called every event trigger
// Notice how we're not calling the function, i.e. no brackets () are used, just the path to the target function
this.myMC.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME,myMCevent);

// The MovieClip event handler function
// Notice how we use the general purpose Event object since no arguments are passed
function myMCevent(e:Event){
// Your code here
trace("enterFrame event of myMC!!");
}

// To handle Stage events:

// Add an event listener so Flash calls a function every time an event is triggered
// For Mouse wheel scroll events, use the MOUSE_WHEEL constant from the "MouseEvent" class instead
// Notice how we add the scroll event to the stage instead of any specific MC
Dwindow.stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_WHEEL,myStageEvent);

// The Stage event handler function
// Notice how we use the MouseEvent object since we are expecting specific arguments
function myStageEvent(e:MouseEvent) {
// Your code here
trace("Mouse wheel has scrolled " + e.delta " pixels!");
}

Have fun, and don't forget to post a new Topic in the AS3 section if you have any trouble!
Regards, Rjet.

Most useful is the AS2 to AS3 Migration Guide found inside Flash.
It has a huge table which describes the differences between ActionScript 2.0 and 3.0.
Every object within every class is listed, including Compiler Directives!
Its very well written and very reader friendly.

Click Help > Flash Help.
In the contents tree, Actionscript 3.0 Language and Components Reference
Within that book, Appendixes > ActionScript 2.0 Migration.

Nice links at the start, can't wait to dive into it.

Flash platform expert Colin Moock has written an excellent guide to solving the most significant issues faced when migrating from AS2 to AS3.
All of the following 'charges' are tackled in the article, making it a must-read for every AS3/Flash CS3 fresher:

1. The removal of on()/onClipEvent() from Flash CS3 makes creating simple interactivity hard.
2. Getting rid of loaded .swf files is hard.
3. Casting DisplayObject.parent makes controlling parent movie clips hard.
4. The removal of getURL() makes linking hard.
5. The removal of loadMovie() makes loading .swf files and images hard.
6. ActionScript 3.0's additional errors make coding cumbersome.
7. Referring to library symbols dynamically is unintuitive.
8. Adding custom functionality to manually created text fields, to all movie clips, or to all buttons is cumbersome.
9. The removal of duplicateMovieClip() makes cloning a MovieClip instance (really) hard.

[sekasi]

That whole article is a bit lame.

And kinda irrelevant too :/

I've looked into a lot ( ok, all of them) and from the reviews from people, it sounds like most books are geared towards people with an understanding of AS already and those of us with no experience are lost. While other books reviewed mention errors in the book itself!?!
I really would like to get a book on AS3...are there any beginners in the forums who got a book and actually have any positive feedback from it? I'd like to hear it.

I found 'Learning Actionscript 3.0, A Beginners Guide' by Rich Shupe with Zevan Rosser.

This was extremely helpful, especially as it is printed in colour! This really helps you concentrate on the more important aspects of the code...

Harry.

I second this comment, I have been using Learning Actionscript 3.0, A Beginners Guide' by Rich Shupe with Zevan Rosser and Moocks Essential Actionscript 3.0 books in conjunction with various sites and tutorials to get my AS 3.0 work done.

I think Shupe and Rossers book is so good because it is done in sections which I can work on when there is a half hour or so spare in the studio.

Ringo Moss
nerv media
http://thenerv.co.uk

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Hello,
I need to suggest Todd Perkins: ActionScript 3.0. I have Mook's 2.0 and the 2.0 AS Bible - Joey Lott. I've read parts of them, mostly the first 1/4 of the books trying to grasp the bigger concepts of methods, functions, events, event listeners, etc. Honestly speaking, both defined these concepts and I can use them in writing code. I can reference the literature, especially the ASB, and integrrate code into projects - np.

That being said, I moved to AS3.0 recently. Had no idea of the difference until I tried coding the other day. Got no where. I went and picked up Todd Perkin's AS3.0 book after sitting in BAM thumbing through books. It made the most sense to me. I can hoonestly say that in the first 80 pages I relearned how to code methods, functions, etc. in AS3.0. And, importantly I finally got a grip on the larger concepts of the language. AS2.0 is a much more looser language in contrast. Because of it's less than industry standard's strick natute, it left a lot of loop holes in targeting and defining a 'larger language concept' that only comes with consistency.

Being an author of educational material, and an instructional designer - I would have to give Todd Perkins 5 thumbs up on presenting the concepts of the AS3.0 language in an explicit way that enables the learner (beginner to AS2.0 Pro) to grasp the big picture right away. I am also a huge fan of eLearning. This title comes with a CD packed full of extra content including video tutorials, and a 24 hour free pass to Lynda.com. It's a great package!

Thank guys - just for being there (LOL),
Odisey

hi,i am from china,i like as3 very much,but i am still a newcomer in as3,can you give me a hand?

Being 18 and just barely getting as2 down, seems I'm gonna have to tackle 3.0 for school next year.

Thanks for all the references. I'm going to go to Borders bookstore maybe this weekend, I have lots of gift cards (bahahaha!).Going to be a long day in the back corner of the computer section.

Thanks!
Rob

As an AS3 tutorial site, I'ld like to recommend http://www.focusonflash.com/ . It's done by a real programming pro, and the video tutorials are great, starting from the ground up.