1. "Flash Basics" includes the prerequisites that I expect every reader to
   bring with him or her. Even if you consider yourself a Flash expert, you
   should read this chapter as both a review and an insight into some of the
   terms that I'll use throughout the book.
   
   
2. "What's New in Flash 5" introduces you to the key features in Flash 5 that
   pertain specifically to ActionScript. In addition to changes in the programming
   language, features that affect how you build a Flash movie are discussed.
   Finally, this chapter includes a quick rundown of previous
   knowledge (that you might have acquired in older versions of Flash) that is
   best forgotten.
   
   
3. "The Programmer's Approach" is a very general chapter that lays the
   groundwork for your programming career. Topics such as writing specifications,
   prototyping, and exactly what "good style" means are covered.
   
   
4. "Basic Programming in Flash" introduces you to the terminology and
   basic elements of ActionScript, such as data types and variables. It's
   impossible to discuss these elements without showing how they work, but
   the goal is to simply introduce all the pieces that will be incorporated in
   later chapters.
   
   
5. "Programming Structures" is a huge chapter that explains all the ways
   ActionScript is structured. If Chapter 4 was the building materials (like
   wood, bricks, and concrete), this chapter is the framework and architectural
   styles. You also get a peek at both the Math and Number objects because
   they're so integral to the structural elements covered.
   
   
6. "Debugging" offers a chance to catch your breath (after Chapter 5)
   and take the time to learn ways to ensure quality programming before you
   go too far in the wrong direction. The new Flash Debugger is explained, as
   well as some general programming techniques to avoid or remove bugs.
   
   
7. "The Movie Clip Object" introduces a familiar component of Flash, but in
   a way that will help you understand other "objects" that come up in later
   chapters. In this way, you can leverage your existing knowledge when
   learning advanced topics.
   
   
8. "Functions" shows you how to use the built-in functions as well as how to
   write your own functions. It turns out that homemade functions prove to be
   much more involved than the ones that come with Flash. This is possibly
   the most valuable chapter because it can save you a ton of time.
   
   
9. "Selecting Text, Trapping Keys, and Manipulating Strings" looks at ways
   to control text both on the screen (such as HTML text and input text) as
   well as off the screen (such as cleaning up strings before the user sees
   them). Also, you'll learn how to use the Key object to "trap" user interac-tion
   with the keyboard.
   
   
10. "Arrays" explores how to make, access, and manipulate arrays, which are
    simply a great way to organize complex information.
    
    
11. "Objects" introduces the general form of objects, shows you how to use
    the built-in objects Sound, Color, and Date, and teaches you new ways to
    use the familiar Movie Clip.
    
    
12. "Homemade Objects" shows you how to apply knowledge you already
    have to make complex objects in Flash. If arrays are a way to store complex
    information easily, objects are a way to store really complex information.
    
    
13. "Smart Clips" walks through all the ways to build and use Smart Clips,
    from ways of making standard Smart Clips work for you to creating
    Custom User Interfaces (Custom UIs).
    
    
14. "Interfacing with External Data" shows you many ways Flash can "talk" to
    outside applications. Topics include reading text files, interacting with
    server applications, exchanging XML-structured data, invoking and being
    controlled by JavaScript, and interacting with the host applications
    Authorware and Director. I didn't have time in this chapter to actually
    show you how to use all these other tools, but it shows you practically
    everything else.

Workshops:

1. "Ensuring That Users Have the Flash 5 Player." This no-nonsense workshop
   discusses some of the ways to make sure that your audience is
   equipped to see your Flash 5 creation. We also walk through an exercise
   using Flash itself as a way to determine player version.
   
   
2. "Faking Video." To answer one of the most frequent requests for Flash,
   this workshop shows how to simulate video inside Flash. You'll also make
   a simple slider and calculate percentages.
   
   
3. "Creating Custom Cursors." After two simple steps to make a custom cursor,
   this workshop goes on to make a Smart Clip and then a custom UI for
   that Smart Clip. It's a pretty involved workshop because you learn that you
   can't use buttons (even invisible ones) because they would conflict with
   any buttons that you try to place this Smart Clip over.
   
   
4. "Creating a Horizontal Slider." In this workshop, we make a Smart Clip
   version of a slider similar to the one built in the "Faking Video" workshop.
   As a Smart Clip, we make this as generic and universal as possible.
   
   
5. "Building a Slide Show." In addition to the slide show application that you
   build, you get your first introduction to using the enterFrame event as well
   as placing buttons inside Movie Clips so that you can disable them (by
   hiding the clip).
   
   
6. "Mapping." The general technique of mapping is applied to a contrived
   exercise but in a way so that you can apply it to other situations. Bring
   your math "thinking cap" to this one.
   
   
7. "Working with Odd-Shaped Clickable Areas." Although buttons are great,
   this exercise shows how movie clips (along with the hitTest()method)
   can serve as alternatives to buttons.
   
   
8. "Adapting Built-in Smart Clips." Not only does this exercise show you
   how to adapt the Menu Smart Clip that ships with Flash so that you can
   use it, you also learn a bit about the process involved including using the
   Debugger.
   
   
9. "Creating a Currency-Exchange Calculator." We turn a simple currency
   exchange calculation into a really usable application. There are some fancy
   string maneuvers and a simple use of the loadVariables() method.
   
   
10. "Creating a Tooltip Smart Clip." The basic concepts from the "Custom
    Cursor" workshop come into play, but we use getTimer() for the first time
    to add an optional delay.
    
    
11. "Creating a Digital Timer." In this workshop, we use the getTimer() in a
    most typical way-to make a digital stopwatch.
    
    
12. "Creating an Analog Timer." This workshop is really quite a snap after you
    have the code from the "Digital Timer" workshop. You just add visual
    hands to make a traditional analog stopwatch.
    
    
13. "Creating a Countdown Timer." We continue exploring traditional uses for
    getTimer() and add a few graphics to make this progress bar-type of
    timer. We also get to use math to calculate percentages.
    
    
14. "Using Math to Create a Circular Slider." This workshop doesn't look
    much different than a regular slider-it just follows a circular path.
    However, to calculate angles and draw arcs, we use several trigonometry
    functions from the Math object.
    
    
15. "Developing Time-Based Animations." In a simple example, we see how
    getTimer() can be used to ensure perfect synchronization-and how to
    effectively drop frames if the animation is not keeping up.
    
    
16. "Creating a Multistate Button." You'll make a button that behaves exactly
    like a system-level button used in standard programs (such as your
    browser, your word processor, and so on) by using a Movie Clip and
    ActionScript.
    
    
17. "Offline Production." We'll build an animation and then save the coordinates
    of each step so that it can be used in a time-based application.
    
    
18. "Creating a Dynamic Slide Presentation." Here we build an XML application
    that loads data dynamically to build a slide show with bullet points.
    It's an exercise in using XML-structured data as well as general template
    design.
    
    
19. "Creating JavaScript Cookies." You'll learn how Flash (through JavaScript)
    can read and write cookies so that the movie will remember the last set-tings
    a user made.
    
    
20. "Writing JavaScript Inter-Movie Communications." You'll make two Flash
    movies "talk" to each other by way of JavaScript.
    
    
21. "Fixing Broken Scripts." You'll be challenged to fix 10 faulty Flash files
    (that you download from www.teleport.com/~phillip/actionscripting ).
    For each one, you'll be given a clue and the solution to make things right

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