ActionScript Technology Center

Adobe ActionScript is the programming language of the Adobe Flash Player runtime. Originally developed as a way for developers to program interactivity, ActionScript enables efficient programming of Adobe Flash applications for everything from simple animations to complex, data-rich, interactive application interfaces.

Adobe ActionScript 3.0 Language and Components Reference

This reference manual for the Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR application programming interface (API) provides information on the syntax and usage of the elements in the ActionScript language:

• ActionScript 3.0 Language and Components Reference for Adobe Flash CS4 Professional (HTML)   (ZIP, 6 MB)
• ActionScript 3.0 Language and Components Reference for Adobe Flex 3 (HTML)   (ZIP, 72 MB)
• Apple iPhone users: Get the ActionScript 3.0 Reference Guide on your iPhone

Programming ActionScript 3.0

This manual provides a foundation for developing applications in Adobe ActionScript 3.0. It discusses core ActionScript 3.0 concepts, including language syntax, statements and operators, and object-oriented ActionScript programming. It describes important features that are implemented in packages and classes specific to Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR and contains samples that demonstrate application programming concepts.

• Programming ActionScript 3.0 for Flash CS4
• Programming ActionScript 3.0 for Flex 3

The following manuals provide additional information for developing applications with ActionScript 3.0:

• Developing Adobe AIR 1.5 Applications with Flex 3
• Developing Adobe AIR 1.5 Applications with Flash CS4

About ActionScript

First introduced in Flash Player 9, ActionScript 3.0 is an object-oriented programming (OOP) language based on ECMAScript—the same standard that is the basis for JavaScript—and provides incredible gains in runtime performance and developer productivity. ActionScript 2.0, the version of ActionScript used in Flash Player 8 and earlier, continues to be supported in Flash Player 9 and Flash Player 10.

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Steps to getting started

1. New to ActionScript 3.0? Read six reasons to use ActionScript 3.0.

   If you already know ActionScript 2.0, explore the resources on the Migration tab to help migrate your apps to ActionScript 3.0.

2. If you're completely new to ActionScript, Programming Adobe ActionScript 3.0 is a great place to start:

   • Programming ActionScript 3.0 for Flash CS4 (or PDF, 13 MB)
   • Programming ActionScript 3.0 for Flex 3 (or PDF, 13 MB)

3. Read the Getting Started with ActionScript chapters of Programming Adobe ActionScript 3.0.

   You will learn the programming fundamentals, how to work with objects, and see examples geared toward quickly building basic ActionScript 3.0 applications:

   • Getting Started with ActionScript 3.0 for Flash CS4 (or PDF, 13 MB)
   • Getting Started with ActionScript 3.0 for Flex 3 (or PDF, 13 MB)

4. Drill down in subsequent sections of Programming Adobe ActionScript 3.0.

   These chapters provide a "basics of..." overview and walk you through many examples so that you can create applications with Flash or Flex as you learn. If you already know ActionScript 2.0 and are new to ActionScript 3.0, make sure to read the following sections, depending on your programming environment:

   • Introduction (Flash) (Flex)
   • Getting started (Flash) (Flex)
   • Display programming (Flash) (Flex)
   • Handling events (Flash) (Flex)
   • Working with movie clips (Flash) (Flex)
   • Language and syntax (Flash) (Flex)
   
   

5. Create your first ActionScript 3.0 class.

   In this video tutorial, Dan Carr demonstrates the basics of creating an ActionScript 3.0 class—which is simply a text file that stores code externally to the editable FLA file. Developers use classes to create organized code frameworks that can be assigned to elements within their SWF files and be reused across projects. This tutorial shows you how to create a "hello world" class and assign it to the main Timeline of a Flash file.

6. Read the notes from Colin Moock's ActionScript 3.0 from the Ground Up Tour.

   In 2008 Adobe sponsored a series of free, intensive days of training around the world on ActionScript 3.0 by Colin Moock. Download the notes handed out at his ActionScript 3.0 tour covering the fundamental skills needed to program for Flash Player and Adobe AIR.

7. Read the Flash and ActionScript components learning guide.

   ActionScript components significantly reduce the time and effort needed to develop Flash applications by providing complex pieces that behave in a consistent way and are ready to use and customize. Learn how to use the data and media ActionScript 2.0 components included with Flash CS3 and Flash CS4, as well as the user interface and video ActionScript 3.0 components.

Additional resources

ActionScript 3.0 Quick Reference Guide excerpts: Copy motion, display list, events, and migration

David Stiller, Rich Shupe, Jen deHaan, Darren Richardson (Dec. 22, 2008)
Read these four book excerpts from O'Reilly Media so you can make the leap from ActionScript 2.0 to ActionScript 3.0 quickly and painlessly.

Whether you use Adobe Flash CS4 Professional or Flash CS3 Professional, the following resources will help you migrate your projects to ActionScript 3.0:

• Migrating to ActionScript 3.0: Key concepts and changes: Get an overview of key concepts that will help you migrate your applications from ActionScript 2.0.
• ActionScript and code editor changes in Flash: Take advantage of new coding tools in the Actions panel or Script window, and a new debugging tool—designed to reduce the time it takes to write ActionScript 3.0 code.
• Getting started with ActionScript 3.0: Learn core principles of ActionScript and interactivity in Flash CS4 Professional by watching this screen presentation.
• Tips for learning ActionScript 3.0: Get a head start on ActionScript 3.0 with these tips and common issues you might encounter during development.
• ActionScript 3.0 Quick Reference Guide excerpts: Make the leap from ActionScript 2.0 to ActionScript 3.0 quickly and painlessly.
• Introducing the ActionScript 3.0 debugger: Take a tour of the debugger in Flash and learn how it greatly simplifies troubleshooting issues with ActionScript 3.0 classes and frame scripts in FLA files.
• Introduction to event handling in ActionScript 3.0: Use the EventDispatcher class to track mouse interactions and create your own custom events when building applications in Adobe Flex or Flash.
• ActionScript 2.0 migration table: Check out this exhaustive table in the ActionScript 3.0 Language and Components Reference to see the differences between ActionScript 2.0 and 3.0.

ActionScript 3.0 expands the functionality of the ActionScript 2.0 language and makes programming significantly easier than in previous versions. By repackaging commonly used classes and objects as easily accessible APIs, ActionScript 3.0 provides faster, more direct access to the functionality you need for your applications. Regular expressions and E4X support make working with XML much quicker and more natural.

ActionScript 3.0 Language References and Programming Guides

• Programming ActionScript 3.0 for Adobe Flash CS4 Professional
• Programming ActionScript 3.0 for Adobe Flex
• ActionScript 3.0 Language and Components Reference for Flash CS4 Professional (HTML)   (ZIP, 6 MB)
• ActionScript 3.0 Language and Components Reference for Flex 3 (HTML)   (ZIP, 72 MB)
• Apple iPhone users: Get the ActionScript 3.0 Reference Guide on your iPhone
• Using ActionScript 3.0 Components
• Flex 3.2 Language Reference
• Flex 3 Developer's Guide
• Developing Adobe AIR 1.5 Applications with Flex 3
• Developing Adobe AIR 1.5 Applications with Flash CS4

Overviews

• ActionScript 3.0 overview
• Tips for learning ActionScript 3.0
• Adobe Flash Platform ActionScript reference for RIA development
• Learning ActionScript 3.0 excerpts: OOP overview, display list, and programmatic motion
• Essential ActionScript 3.0 excerpt: Display and interactivity
• ActionScript 3.0 Cookbook excerpts: From custom classes to the rendering model
• Introduction to event handling in ActionScript 3.0
• Understanding the changes in the display API in ActionScript 3.0
• Tips for tuning ActionScript 3.0 performance for Flex and Flash developers

Adobe Flash CS4 / CS3 Professional

• Six reasons to use ActionScript 3.0
• Object-oriented programming with ActionScript 3.0
• Creating animation in ActionScript 3.0
• ActionScript 3.0 Quick Reference Guide excerpts: Copy motion, display list, events, and migration
• Creating liquid GUIs with Flash and ActionScript 3.0
• Using ActionScript to pause and loop the timeline in Flash
• Unit testing with mock objects in ActionScript 3.0
• Using ActionScript 3.0 to retrieve MySQL data using a server-side ASP script
• Handling cue points for audio files in ActionScript 2.0 and ActionScript 3.0
• ActionScript 3.0 Design Patterns excerpt: Factory method and MVC
• Essential ActionScript 3.0 excerpt: Display and interactivity
• Filtering XML data in Flash applications using ECMAScript for XML

Samples

• ActionScript 3.0 samples for Flash
• Creating your first ActionScript 3.0 class
• Deconstructing the ActionScript 3.0 Flash video gallery application
• ActionScript 3.0 for developers and designers: Creating a preloader
• Puzzle Game sample application migrated from ActionScript 2.0 to ActionScript 3.0
• Formatting text for localized Flash projects using CSS, HTML, and ActionScript
• Creating the Kuler panel for Flash
• Saving Flash graphics as image files at runtime
• Creating movie clips with reflections in ActionScript 3.0

Adobe Flex

• In the Edge: Programmers adopt Flex and migrate to ActionScript 3.0
• Tips for tuning ActionScript 3.0 performance for Flex and Flash developers
• Unit testing with mock objects in ActionScript 3.0
• Unit testing and test-driven development for Flex and ActionScript 3.0
• Handling cue points for audio files in ActionScript 2.0 and ActionScript 3.0
• ActionScript 3.0 Design Patterns excerpt: Factory method and MVC
• ActionScript collections and functional programming
• Dependency injection with Flex

Samples

• ActionScript 3.0 examples for Flex
• Building an image-viewing widget with ActionScript 3.0

Adobe Flash Media Server

• Beginner's guide to using ActionScript 3.0 with Flash Media Server 3.5
• Creating a video player using the state design pattern and ActionScript 3.0

Engineering documents

Get involved in this open-source project, hosted by the Mozilla Foundation, that uses code powering the ActionScript Virtual Machine. To see where ActionScript 3.0 is heading, check out the public wiki for the ECMAScript 4 committee.

ActionScript 2.0 includes full support for classes, inheritance, interfaces, and other common OOP concepts. It features variable data typing, function parameters and return types, and comprehensive debugging information.

ActionScript 2.0 Language References and Programming Guides

• Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash CS4 Professional
• ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference
• Using ActionScript 2.0 Components
• ActionScript 2.0 Components Language Reference

Flash Professional 8 / Flash CS3 Professional

• Flash ActionScript 2.0 Learning Guide
• ActionScript 2.0 best practices
• Object-oriented ActionScript
• Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Flash
• Debugging ActionScript 2.0 code: Lifting the blindfold (Updated for CS4)
• Code reuse with movie clip naming conventions and ActionScript 2.0 classes
• Creating web photo galleries in ActionScript for use with Adobe digital imaging software
• Train Simple videos: Introduction to Flash game development
• Total Training video: Scripting basics in Flash Professional 8
• Handling cue points for audio files in ActionScript 2.0 and ActionScript 3.0
• Using the External API for Flash–JavaScript communication
• Flash ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference

Flex 1.5

• Debugging Flex applications with Flex Builder
• Flex Profiler
• Flex ActionScript Language Reference Version 1.5
• Flex ActionScript and MXML API Reference Version 1.5

Flash Lite

• Flash Lite 1.x ActionScript Language Reference
• Flash Lite 2.x ActionScript Language Reference

Flash Media Server 2

• Flash Media Server LiveDocs

Learn how people learn and work with Flash, Flex, and ActionScript in the real world. Many of these websites are maintained by the developer community:

• ActionScriptExamples.com: Blog of ActionScript 2.0 and ActionScript 3.0 examples for Flash and Flex.
• ActionScript 3.0 speed tests: Speed optimization techniques for use with ActionScript 3.0
• ActionScript 3.0 Design Patterns blog: Companion website to ActionScript 3.0 Design Patterns by Bill Sanders and Chandima Cumaranatunge (O'Reilly Media, 2007), which steps readers through the process of integrating design patterns into ActionScript applications.
• ActionScript blog aggregator: Read what people are saying about ActionScript in developer blogs.
• ActionScript RSS feed: Up-to-the-minute blog postings about ActionScript programming in the real world
• ActionScript code search via Google: Public source code search
• ActionScript on Flash Kit Community Forums: Resource site for the Flash and multimedia community
• del.icio.us/tag/actionscript and del.icio.us/tag/as3: Blog posts and web pages tagged with "ActionScript" and "AS3"
• Google Code: Projects on Google Code tagged with "ActionScript"
• Flex Coders Yahoo! group: Mailing list for enterprise software developers developing RIAs using Flex and ActionScript
• Flashcoders: Mailing list for programmers using Flash
• Flex cookbook: Share knowledge and expertise with the Adobe designer and developer community
• Flash and ActionScript tutorials on Kirupa.com: Community site run by Kirupa Chinnathambi
• Foundation Flash: ActionScript tutorials presented by Leon Aves and Harry Burt, who run this small web design firm
• RIAForge: Open-source projects built on Adobe technology, including Flash and ActionScript
• Yahoo! Developer Network – Flash: Collection of Flash tools, resources, and information about Yahoo! data APIs, Flash components, and more
• ActionScript.it: Italian community site
• ActionScript.es: Spanish community site

ActionScript libraries

Search sample code libraries via Google to start your project: