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FLASH

What is ActionScript?
By: Adi Reddy Mora
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    2005-03-01

    Table of Contents:
  • What is ActionScript?
  • Curly Braces
  • Data Types
  • Variables
  • Debugging changes

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    What is ActionScript? - Data Types


    (Page 3 of 5 )

    ActionScript has the following basic data types that you use frequently in your programs:

    String: A string is a sequence of characters such as letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. You enter strings in an ActionScript statement by enclosing them in single (') or double (") quotation marks.

    Ex: var name:String = "Steve";
    

    Number: The number data type is a double-precision floating-point number. The minimum value of a number object is approximately 5e-324. The maximum is approximately 1.79E+308.

    Ex: var age:Number = 24;
    

    Boolean: A Boolean value is one that is either true or false. ActionScript also converts the values true and false to 1 and 0 when appropriate. Boolean values are most often used with logical operators in ActionScript statements that make comparisons to control the flow of a script.

    Ex: var smoking:Boolean = false;

    Object: An object is a collection of properties. Each property has a name and a value. The value of a property can be any Flash data type - even the object data type. This lets you arrange objects inside each other, or nest them. To specify objects and their properties, you use the dot ( .) operator.

    Ex:

    var user:Object = new Object();
    
    user.name = "Steve";
    
    user.age = 24;
    
    user.sex = "male"
    

    MovieClip: Movie clips are symbols that can play animation in a Flash application. They are the only data type that refers to a graphic element. The MovieClip data type lets you control movie clip symbols using the methods of the MovieClip class.

    You do not use a constructor to call the methods of the MovieClip class. You can create a movie clip instance on the Stage or create an instance dynamically. Then you simply call the methods of the MovieClip class using the dot ( .) operator.

    Null: The null data type has only one value, null. This value means no value - that is, a lack of data. You can assign the null value in a variety of situations to indicate that a property or variable does not yet have a value assigned to it.

    Undefined: The undefined data type has one value, undefined, and is automatically assigned to a variable to which a value hasn't been assigned, either by your code or user interaction.

    The value undefined is automatically assigned; unlike null, you don't assign undefined to a variable or property. You use the undefined data type to check if a variable is set or defined.

    Void : The void data type has one value, void, and is used in a function definition to indicate that the function does not return a value, as shown in the following example:

    Ex:
    
    //Function with a return type Void
    
    function setItem(url:String):Void {
    
    }
    

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       · I am Adi Reddy Mora, the author of this article from India. This is my 2nd article...
       · HiVery nice & brief information about action script for a beginner. Thanks for...
       · are you saying that with action script code i can make flash objects?
     

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