Chapter 1. Introducing ActionScript

Introductions form the start of any great relationship. Get ready, then, to be introduced to your new best friend: ActionScript! We believe you'll find ActionScript a satisfying companion especially as you delve deeper into the relationship. Although you may not necessarily think of scripting as a creative endeavor, a working knowledge of ActionScript can spark all kinds of ideas ones that will enable you to create dynamic content that can interact with your users on myriad levels. Best of all, you'll get the satisfaction of watching your ideas grow into working models that fulfill your projects' objectives.

We'll plan, create, and test a highly interactive electric bill payment system.

In this chapter, we'll show you some compelling reasons for learning ActionScripting, as well as what makes it tick. And if you're feeling a little shy, sometimes the best thing to do is jump right in which is exactly what you'll do here as you create and test a complete interactive project before chapter's end.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

In this lesson, you will:

• Discover the benefits of ActionScript

• Learn about script elements

• Plan a project

• Write your first script

• Test your script

APPROXIMATE TIME

This lesson takes approximately 1 hour to complete.

LESSON FILES

Media files:

None

Starting File:

Lesson01/Assets/electricbill1.fla

Completed Projects:

electricbill2.fla

electricbill3.fla