Product Description

Macromedia Flash 4 was the standard for web animation and interactivity, and Flash 5 contained improvements in content creation, interactivity, and portability. Those designers not currently using Flash will find version 5 a must-have product and they will need a professional tutorial approach on how to maximize their use of Flash 5. The authors present two dozen projects created with Macromedia Flash 5, all designed to show of the considerable power and flexibility of the program.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1849848 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01-20
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .77" h x 10.00" w x 7.98" l, 2.11 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From Amazon.co.uk
If you liked Flash 4 Magic you're going to love Flash 5 Magic: With ActionScript. But first, a health warning. This is not the book to choose if you've just decided that there might be something to this Flash thing after all and it may help your career prospects to find out a little about it. There are plenty of Flash primers out there, but this isn't one of them.

As the title suggests, the emphasis is on ActionScript, and as with other books in the Magic series, specific features and techniques are demonstrated through practical projects.

The book is targeted at Web developers who want to make more effective use of Flash and so the authors have gone to great lengths to ensure that the projects are "real and relevant". Six core categories are identified--online entertainment and streaming video; education, games and simulations; product promotion and brand marketing; Web retailing and XML integration; freelance portfolio and rich media/animation; and external database integration. Web-site concepts are developed for each of these comprising a number of individual projects.

Education, games and simulations, for example is FishStik Educational Software. In developing Flash content for the FishStik site, you cover among other things "Working with Arrays", "Handling Keyboard input", "Programming with Trigonometry" and "Programming the Collision Detection of Multiple Projectiles". As you may have guessed, you also end up with some rather good Flash games.

If you went from beginning to end, there's very little about the practical application of ActionScript you wouldn't know. More likely you'll dip in for help in overcoming hurdles when time's getting tight and you don't have your own answers. --Ken McMahon

Review
"This book uses hands-on-projects to show how ActionScript can be used to its best effect in a number of diverse environments, from online games to integrating a database into your website."Computer Arts - Animation Special, Issue 19

Eric J. Wittman, Director of Product Management, Flash Products, Macromedia, December 1, 2000
"Flash 5 Magic delivers essential real world techniques for developing content. T his book has a special place on my bookshelf..."