Showcases the computer animation program's newly designed interface while explaining how to build interactive Web sites using innovative graphics, text, and animated images.

Andrew Rapo and Alex Michael explain all the important programming concepts from a designer's point of view, making them completely accessible to non-programmers. Completely revised and rewritten this second edition will help you develop professional ActionScript 2 applications, and communicate knowledgably about current, Object Oriented ActionScript 2 techniques. Divided into four sections to take you from novice to professional results: * Flash Fundamentals: Introduces the Flash authoring environment and basic core Flash concepts. * ActionScript 2 Fundamentals: Explains basic programming concepts and terminology, and shows how ActionScript 2 classes are constructed and used. * Built-in Classes: Describes the built-in ActionScript classes that are available for use in applications, including the MovieClip class, Key class, Sound class, etc. * Using ActionScript to Build a Game: Describes the development process for creating a complex Flash application and presents commercial-quality game coding examples.

21 Flash 4 projects. Professional. Inspirational. Fully customizable. And brought to you by a team of 7 developers and designers who are among today's best Flash designers. Flash 4 Magic offers games (do the names Dodge and Concentration mean anything to you?) and utilities (such as a clock that uses external JavaScript and a poll application that uses external PHP scripting). And more. Just follow the steps. Take a look at the graphics. Check out the CD that includes all the project code. Each New Riders Magic book has been created with you, the computer graphics professional, in mind. Complete effects, adaptable solutions, time-saving techniques, and practical applications. Because computer technology books-like the souls who use them-aren't all alike. So whether you design chops, looking for a new way of doing an effect, or simply seeking creative advice, crack open a Magic book and get started...

Introducing actionscript - Using event handlers - Understanding target paths - Understanding and using objects - Using functions - Customizing objects - Using dynamic data - Manipulating data - Using conditional logic - Automating scripts with loops - Getting data in and out of flash - Using XML with flash - Validating and formatting data - Controlling movie clips dynamically - Time-and frame-based dynamism - Scripting for sound - Loading external assets.

What the book covers: This is a 100% comprehensive book on the most powerful feature of Macromedia Flash, and an essential tool for interactive Web development. It provides definitive, authoritative information on all aspects of ActionScript, addressing both the beginning, intermediate and advanced scripter. It is packed with real-world insights and examples, and includes a CD-ROM loaded with a library of powerful ActionScripts, sample scripts and Flash pages from the book, and more. ABOUT THE CD-ROM Loaded CD-ROM includes... * Extensive ActionScript libraries from the book * Sample Web pages and templates using advanced ActionScript * Flash and Flash ActionScript Utilities * Additional related software tryouts