What Is ActionScript?

ActionScript is the programming language of Flash. It is based on the European Computer Manufacturers' Association (ECMA) scripting language model. Other languages such as Java and JavaScript are based on the same model. ActionScript has been around since early versions of Flash, but it really began to take form in Flash 5. Then in Flash MX, ActionScript really stepped into the object-oriented programming (OOP) arena (don't worry, we go over what OOP means in the next section). Then came ActionScript 2.0 in Flash MX 2004 with more objects, stricter syntax, and stronger OOP especially in the class construction model.

The next section will help you become familiar with the object-oriented programming model.