A first look at ActionScript 2

Macromedia announced Flash MX 2004 today (due for release sometime in September 2003, I’m not sure what the MX bit stands for).

ActionScript has been bumped-up a major revision to version 2. Here’s what I could find on Macromedia’s site about ActionScript 2.0. From the New Features page:

Take advantage of ActionScript 2.0’s more robust programming model and object-oriented programming support, which makes it more familiar to experienced Java programmers.

And from a more detailed Feature Tour:

With object-oriented programming support and a more robust, European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) standards-compliant programming model, ActionScript 2.0 is more familiar to experienced Java programmers. Compile ActionScript 2.0 code to ActionScript 1.0 for playback on earlier versions of the Macromedia Flash Player.

I think it’s a bit light on details ;-). Luckily, Colin Mook has posted an interesting preview of a sample ActionScript 2.0 class:

/**
     * A sample ActionScript 2.0 class.
     */

    class Box {

      // Box dimensions.
      private var width:Number;
      private var height:Number;

      // Movie clip that will contain visual 
      // representation of the box.
      private var container_mc:MovieClip;

      /**
       * Constructor.
       */
      public function Box (w:Number, h:Number, 
                           x:Number, y:Number, 
                           target:MovieClip, depth:Number) {

        // Create the container clip that will hold Box visuals.
        container_mc = target.createEmptyMovieClip("boxcontainer" + depth, depth);

        // Initialize size.
        setWidth(w);
        setHeight(h);    

        // Initialize position.
        setX(x);
        setY(y);
      }

      /**
       * Accessor to retrieve width.
       */
      public function getWidth ():Number {
        return width;
      }

      /**
       * Accessor to assign width. This version both assigns the new width property
       * value and redraws the box based on the new width.
       */
      public function setWidth (w:Number):Void {
        width = w;
        draw();
      }

      /**
       * Accessor to retrieve height.
       */
      public function getHeight ():Number {
        return height;
      }

      /**
       * Accessor to assign height. This version both assigns the new height property
       * value and redraws the box based on the new height.
       */
      public function setHeight (h:Number):Void {
        height = h;
        draw();
      }

      /**
       * Accessor to retrieve x. For convenience, the x and y coordinates 
       * are stored directly on the container movie clip. If numeric accuracy 
       * were a concern, we'd store x as a Box property separately so
       * that it wouldn't be rounded by the MovieClip class.
       */
      public function getX ():Number {
        return container_mc._x;
      }

      /**
       * Accessor to assign x.
       */
      public function setX (x:Number):Void {
        container_mc._x = x;
      }

      /**
       * Accessor to retrieve y.
       */
      public function getY ():Number {
        return container_mc._y;
      }

      /**
       * Accessor to assign y.
       */
      public function setY (y:Number):Void {
        container_mc._y = y;
      }

      /**
       * Displays the Box instance on screen. Uses the MovieClip drawing methods to
       * draw lines in container_mc. For more information, see
       * ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide.
       */
      public function draw ():Void {
        // Clear the previous box rendering.
        container_mc.clear();
        // Use a 1 point black line.
        container_mc.lineStyle(1, 0x000000);
        // Position the drawing pen.
        container_mc.moveTo(0, 0);
        // Start a white fill.
        container_mc.beginFill(0xFFFFFF, 100);
        // Draw the border of the box.
        container_mc.lineTo(width, 0);
        container_mc.lineTo(width, height);
        container_mc.lineTo(0, height);
        container_mc.lineTo(0, 0);
        // Formally stop filling the shape.
        container_mc.endFill();
      }
    }

Comments