Summary

This chapter introduced the building blocks that are fundamental for OOP in Flash. With the introduction of objects and a diversion from procedural programming, OOP becomes possible. Class definitions formalize the conceptual object, thus allowing objects to be assembled into applications. Regardless of the level of complexity in an OOP, objects are the core .

Flash MX 2004 has full support for OOP concepts both syntactically at development time and performance-wise at runtime. But that doesn't preclude the development of bad applications. OOP is more that just syntax; it is an approach to programming. Think about objects as discrete, self-contained, mini programs that can work in harmony with other objects. This thinking is the first step in writing object-oriented programs.

The next four chapters build on the foundation provided in this chapter. We continue to expand on the class definition by looking at variations in property and method declarations. Terms like inheritance, encapsulation, and polymorphism might once have caused the hair on the back of your neck to raise, but they soon will become banter for your next visit to Starbucks.