If you're new to ActionScript 3.0, this is the ideal introductory guide. Flash designers, developers, and programmers alike will find this book invaluable for navigating ActionScript 3.0's steeper learning curve. You'll learn the language and how it works through hands-on exercises that build skills as the book progresses. You will learn how to: * Harness the power and performance of ActionScript 3.0 * Manipulate text, work with sound and video, and draw with code * Animate graphics, create particle systems, and apply simple physics * Avoid common coding mistakes and reuse code for improved productivity * Load SWF, image, text, HTML, CSS, and XML file formats, and more This second edition enhances the text further with improvements to clarity and understanding, tighter code examples, and new material. The skills taught, and majority of code examples, are fully compatible with Flash Professional versions CS3 through the present. Select new features introduced in versions CS4 or CS5 round out the content, including: * Manipulating assets using the basic 3D engine in Flash Player 10 * Significantly improved text control using the new Text Layout Framework * Expanded access to the user's microphone at runtime, and more This acclaimed four-color book features illustrations and screenshots throughout, but also presents all code examples in color. Syntax-colored scripts help you quickly identify key elements of the language and make it easier to compare the printed code to your own. The companion website is an additional resource for source files, short quizzes to test your knowledge of key concepts, and valuable supplemental material. Learning ActionScript 3.0 explains topics using simple examples written in the timeline, but also introduces object-oriented programming over time so you can get the most out of your reading. Or, if you prefer, the companion website includes class-based examples for every chapter, allowing you to choose if and when you immerse yourself in OOP. Written by teachers for students, authors Rich Shupe and Zevan Rosser draw on their vast experience as Flash developers and instructors to give you a solid ActionScript foundation, without losing site of creativity.