

It’s also why you don’t have to distribute ActionScript files with your SWF, even if you created external files, such as classes, when coding. This is why you must publish a new SWF every time you make a change to your code. It combines that code with your assets into a single SWF file that Flash Player can decode and play back for all to see.Īlthough your SWF can load external assets not already compiled into your SWF (such as an MP3 or a video), any asset that you imported or embedded and all scripts-even if they originate outside the FLA (pronounced “flah” or “F-L-A”) file-must go through this compilation process to be included in the SWF. This software converts all of your human-readable scripts into an optimized, machine-readable format.

That is, a part of your Flash Platform application of choice (such as Flash Professional) contains software called the compiler. When you publish a Flash file-using Flash Professional’s File✓Publish or Control✓Test Movie-all of the internal graphics and other assets used in your movie, as well as all of the ActionScript code, are compiled into a final file format called a SWF (pronounced “swiff” or “S-W-F”). If this isn’t news to you, bear with us for just a paragraph or two. This brief introductory chapter will give you a quick look at where ActionScript 3.0 fits into your workflow.īefore we get started, it might help to understand how you get from ActionScript code to a finished file that you can put into a website. While you likely know that ActionScript is the main scripting language of the Flash Platform, and you’re no doubt eager to begin working with the new version, a brief overview of its development will give you some insight into its use-particularly as related to Flash Player and how it handles different versions of ActionScript. Procedural Versus Object-Oriented Programming
