This book got a reluctant, occasional designer-turning-programer into serious Actionscript.
Although a bit hard to fully understand at first, it provided, then, an excellent introduction to serious ActionScript programming.
Today, working with Actionscript 2.0 alongside "Essential Actionscript 2.0" for its OOP practice tutoring, from the same author, it remains true to its self-explanatory title : a definitive guide.

I've re-read to complete my knowledge and now still use it almost daily when I code, for its exhaustive, relevent and easily understandable language reference.

A must have.

I am a programmer and also a teacher of Flash at a Tech school. I don't use this in class--yet--but I do reference it for lecture. I have the older Flash 5 version of this book and have perused the MX version. I love this book! It gave me the information I initially needed to program effectively in Actionscript. If you're a programmer working in Flash and need to get underneath the hood of Flash MX this book is worth having in your arsenal. I agree with some of the other reviews, this book is what Macromedia should package with their overpriced products.

WHAT THIS BOOK IS NOT:
I agree this book isn't for a beginner unless you are the kind of person that picks up on computer related technical concepts quickly. This also isn't a cook book on how to make killer looking sites. If you are a beginner, you might want to start with FLASH MX 2004-HANDS ON TRAINING. We use this in the classroom and it does a good job explaining the fundamentals.

WHAT THIS BOOK IS
It is a conceptual break down of the Flash object model, events and functionality--when code gets executed and in what order. The first part of this book will help you understand the Flash object model (methods, and properties), event based programming concepts, syncronous and asyncronous code execution, and variable scope. The last part of the book is a nicely organized Actionscript Language Reference with simple code examples.

OTHER FLASH BOOKS I RECOMMEND:
For the serious Flash animators in the world check out FLASH CARTOON ANIMATION--It'll give you production ideas based on tradional methods. It's written by Kevin Peaty and Glenn Kirkpatrick (Hanna-Barberra and Disney) Cool Stuff!

Also, check out ACTIONSCRIPT ANIMATION - MAKING THINGS MOVE. This book approaches animation from a programming standpoint and does a good job explaining acceleration, velocity, springing, inverse kinematics, and even some 3D concepts. You'll have to be creative enough to apply these ideas to your own projects.

Amazing book !
At last I can write my own code without failure.

I can keep this review real short.. this book still applies even in Flash 8. It has great concepts, holds nothing back and exposes the reader to the intense power and capabilities of Flash.

Simply put, if you use Flash, this book is for you.

This book has just about everything I could have ever wanted in an Actionscript book. It covers the ins and outs and tiny details overlooked by so many other `quick tutorial' type books. This book is touted as the primary source for learning Actionscript and undoubtedly it is. You really need to get a good handle on movieclips, levels, timelines, depths, and classes so you're not banging your head later or chasing your tail for hours asking yourself, "What is going on here? This Flash Actionscript is really doing odd things with my movieclips (objects), none of which I expected to happen." Moock dispels all uncertainty about Actionscript with Flash.

I thoroughly enjoyed the in-depth yet concise descriptions outlining the core concepts of Actionscript. Where one book may tell you there's a wide range of depths to assign to objects, this book breaks it down further explaining why negatively assigned movieclips behave one way in certain areas and why positively numbered depths are safer in others. The book also shares many insightful examples, though you can't ever have too many helpful hints. At the end of the book a complete guide to the API is listed with good documentation that's easy to follow and understand and great for quick reference.

I thought the book could have tied in Flash a little bit more to give a better picture of how Actionscript functions within the Flash GUI. Since Moock is haled as the chief Actionscript authority, I would have liked to have seen more creative code secrets or maybe a section of case studies with lengthy real world examples. By looking at the low low price of this book at Amazon might hamper one's view of the book's overall quality or indicate a sharp decline in demand. I would point out that, although the book illustrates plainly the most important methods and ideas fundamental to Actionscript, the book is aging quickly in technology terms while the language of Actionscript continues to evolve leaving behind a pile of deprecation to deal with. You might say it's the John Deere of Flash. It has complete functionality just built on yesterday's technology.

For me, the book helped solidify many core concepts that are crucial to building a successful coder's foundation. Also, I found myself adopting new sleeker coding methods and even learning more about those subtle yet almost undocumented nuances that will help the direction of my focus when I tackle a new project.

If you're a coder and plan on devoting a significant amount of time working in Flash you must read this book. I don't know if Moock will release an updated version for Flash 8 but in the meantime grab a hold of a copy and at $4 you can't afford not to. Even if you're not a coder but plan on working in Flash this book is well suited for you.

I have many many books on both AS and Flash and this book is by far the most informative, well written and most comprehensive book on ActionScript for beginning to intermediate developers that I have found. Colin Moock clearly knows his stuff and he has a teaching style that is rare with authors this day and age. It is very clear that Mr. Moock loves what he is doing because his love for AS gleems through the perfectly written tutorials of this book.

This book has it all; an overview to general programming, a focus on Actionscript specific problems, solutions, and workflow, and a resource that's value lasts long into expert level Actionscripting.

Author Colin Mook's phraseology is engaging, no easy task for what is dry subject matter, he translates computer language into a form that humans are able to interpret.
He breaks things down to their core elements pulling away the curtain so you can see what the mysterious esoteric language that is known as actionscript is made of.
Everyone I know that uses actionscript owns or has read this book. Open the cover and look at the impressive array of reviews by such flash luminaries as Robert Penner, Jared Tarbell and Gary Grossman

Even though it is only AS1 and alot of it is outdated, the core concepts of the structure and flow of code is there. It is still very worthwhile to own it. It has been tremendous help to me in my quest to learn actionscript.

This is an excellent introduction to the world of how computers interpret data. If you are a complete beginner or if you are on an advanced level this can be an indispensible reference book for you. Keep in mind because actionscript is constantly evolving, not all here is gospel. It does give you insight on this evolution. Perhaps we will see one like this for AS3 someday but for now its still the definitive guide.

lots of the sections on this book are now obsolete.

it is very confusing to read this book then to read the "essential actionscript 2.0" book to find out that lot of the things you just learnd in this book is no longer supported.

for example, i read the chapter on prototype chain just to find out later that it is no longer the recommended method.

I own a number of different flash/action script books. Most of which I buy, skim through, and then put on my shelf so that passerbys think I know what I'm talking about. But, THIS book is totally different. I keep this one close by my side taking it to and from work on a regular basis.

Moock is a master at explaining each and every piece of the flash action scripting language. How does one know this much?! The examples he has given have never failed me either.

So, if you don't know everything there is to know about the language and need a side kick to your flash help files or online tutorials, this is the one to buy!

I have used Flash since version 3, and I can say with no doubts that there is not another book about Actionscript that will give you a more complete understanding of the language and power of Flash. Every command in Flash is presented here with working examples, giving you the easiest way to understand how Actionscript works. Colin Moock presents his explanations easy enough for beginners to grasp the programming lingo and pick up Flash quickly. He also has many great source code examples at his website for you to examine within Flash, and see how they work. If you only plan on buying one book to learn about Flash, let it be this one.

This is the very best book on Actionscripting out there. I have successfully used it as the text book in my Actionscripting course for several years. Nothing else comes close to really describing how Flash works. It functions as both a text, explaining various aspects of Flash, and as a reference manual, with detailed explanations of everything you can do in ActionScripting. Truly a definitive guide.

I've been a professional Flash user for many years, and got to the point where I could pull off just about anything using tweens, and simple actionscript like gotoAndPlay();, etc.

But the time came recently when I was truly ready to learn Actionscript. I looked at some other books, and even bought the Actionscript for Dummies book, which is fine if you don't really want to learn to script, but only want to fake your way through it. I already knew how to do this.

Then I bought this book. I can't believe it. I'm actully scripting! Just like that! Where was this book when I was trying to learn how to code in Flash 4? It didn't exist yet, that's where. But, now, luckily for you, here is THE BOOK FOR LEARNING FLASH ACTIONSCRIPT. BUY IT NOW!!!

Josh Mehler
www.translucentstudios.com

I continue to be impressed by the depth and accuracy of this book, it has become an invaluable resource for writing ActionScript. This book combines an excellent overview of ActionScript with an extremely detailed reference section. I originally thought I wouldn't need the reference section (I could just find it on the web, right?) but the reference section is the part I turn to most often. My only knock on the book is the relatively light treatment of ActionScript 2.0 (the vast majority of material is written in AS 1.0). Thanks to Colin for providing this excellent text.

if you do lots of flash work, you really can't work without this book. great for reference and for excelling and growing in your work.

a must have.

From someone who has purchased and read four other books on ActionScript, Colin Moock's book is the one I'd rather have read first.

This book does what most other actionscript books simply don't: it tells you how actionscript works. Nothing else even comes close to giving you the kind of in-depth understanding of WHY things behave the way they do in actionscript.

Excellent book for experienced programmers, but if you don't have any programming experience, this book will drive you away.
This book has a lot explanations on conceptually theories but very lack of hands on examples.
If you want to learn how to use Flash effectively and fast, this is not the book.
If you want to take it to the next step (which will be a tiny step compared to what flash can already do without action script), then this book is excellent as it teach a lot of the basic and has a lot of reference.

I am lucky I am an experienced programmer, so I give it 5/5, but if I am not an experienced programmer, I will give it 1/5 only.

Experiened programmer, I mean if you know any of the VB, C++, or Java.

In response to the review by "casa", page xxv of the Preface clearly states under "What's Not in This Book" that the Flash authoring tool isn't covered. The book is intended to cover programming alone.

For an introduction to the Flash MX 2004 authoring tool, see "Flash Out of the Box", also by O'Reilly (ISBN: 0596006918)

I am a programmer, but am very intimidated by Flash. I have a fairly strong background in JavaScript so ActionScripts don't worry me too much. I cannot get past the first chapter with this book. The steps for running through the tutorials are very unclear. Maybe it's because of different versions of Flash, but I'm totally lost. The book assumes that the reader know his/her way around Flash, which I don't.

Luckily this is a borrowed book so I'm not out the $$$. I'm looking for something ultra current and VERY basic.

Lets just say this is THE most dog-eared book in my flash library. Most days it even gets prized desk space. Makes all the other books in the bookshelf jealous.

I do not want to explain in detail that this book is worth your money. It simply is, you can find examples all over the net. It is an offline help resource filled with examples so you can get a better understanding of the usage.
If you are familliar with AS you can skip the first chapter (almost half a book) and just use the reference.

A great book, this is the book you will keep just next to your keyboard and not on the shelf.

This book claims to be "The Definitive Guide," but it contains not a single word about ActionScript to support Flash Remoting. For example, where's the discussion of NetServices.createGatewayConnection()? For help in writing ActionScript to interact with a database, you will have to consult another reference source.

The author has an annoying writing style in which he repeatedly refers to "we," as in: "When we export...a .swf file from a .fla file, we can incorporate...." Sometimes, though, he switches to "you," as in: "To append or insert script text instead of replacing it, you must manually copy and paste...." What we/you need here is a good edit.

Aside from the two criticisms addressed above, I'd rate this book as average in quality in completeness, clarity, and accuracy. Code samples work. The index is a bit thin. Some of the more complicated topics (e.g., "Move Clip Subclasses and Components") could have been enhanced through the use of additional examples.

As an O'Reilly book, this book is below average in quality.

I would just like to say, this book is great. I am almost brand new to Flash, and I'm fourteen. This book covers all aspects of Web design, including some implementation of basic HTML into Flash, communication with Server-side scripts, such as PHP or CGI, and the reference is awesome. It gives detailed examples of every function, and really helps if you want to get to know how to do something, fast. I have been recommending this book to a friend of mine, who is a more experienced programmer than me, and who recently bought Flash MX 2k4 Pro. I recommend it to you, to, if you are interested in programming Flash MX.

I've been using Flash now for about three years and have got more and more into the programming/development aspect. I'm an active part of the Flash communities and had heard a lot about Colin through the forums, which prompted me to buy his book. I consider it a must for anyone who is serious about developing applications within the Flash environment from the very beginner to expert. His style of writing makes it easy to quickly get to grips with even the most complicated areas of actionscript 1. I always keep the book within arms length of my computer as the thorough language reference section regularly provides me with not just ways of doing things, but explains best practices and why.
I have bought quite a few instructional books particularly relating to Flash and this is the best by a mile, it makes the price tag seem very good value indeed.

I'm a beginner at Flash and ActionScript but this book has been really helpfull. It helps a lot if you have previous programming back up.

This book is a very good resource for actionscripting. However, this book is not for beginners. The first few pages of the first chapter talks about keyframes, movieclips, trace command, and other things without fully explaining it. I highly recommend another book for absolute beginners, but I also highly recommend this book to intermediate and advanced users.

I've bought quite a lot of books, some better than others, this one has it's position right next to my work computer. I cannot remember everything, and this book provides an excellent source of reference, as even now although I've read it many times and understand the concepts, the finer points sometimes need completion. This reference section covers just about everything. - I'd give it a "must have".

It's incredible to think of the work that went into making this book. I really enjoy the examples given with nearly every entry in the reference section.

I think that Colin's extensive research uncovered attributes of ActionScript that weren't previously considered by the designers, giving the language more power.

I would probably only plead for more client-server integration discussion, but understand that it was covered briefly, is not fully within the scope of the book and would consume a lot of space.

As an experienced programmer, I love to see a lot of coding examples besides the language reference. This book spends some time explaining concepts of programming in general and object oriented programming. Then the author describes actionscript in a halting pattern with a few lines to explain.

To reiterate, this is not a "bad" book. Its going to be on my shelf as a language reference but I have to search for another book that provides some extensive examples.

Anjan

I enjoyed the straight forward, conversational writing style of this book. Learning any programming lanquage can be daunting task and this book eases the process.

The quickest way to summarize how valuable this book is to me is a quick story. We had a fire alarm at work. I grabbed my cell phone, my jacket, my palm, and this book. Everything else stayed. I credited the first edition with helping me graduate. It is so highly thought of in the office that we fight over who gets which edition. If you find yourself getting ... with some ActionScript thing, buy this book. You won't be disappointed. I can't count how many times I spent hours trying to figure something out and then found out how to get around it within 10 minutes with this book. It is a tremendous reference.

This book is primarily an obvious purchase because of the extremely cretinous policy driving Macromedia's manual publications. Much of what is in this book belongs in Macromedia documentation.

Like all reference texts (really dictonaries for language learners) this book is not for beginners. Unless you have some experience with program design, you are unlikely to learn how to assemble even a reasonable suite of code from the text. That's not a criticsm of the text - it just isn't written for that market.

Almost every language construct gets a piece of exemplar code to illustrate calls and side effects. Even the OO side of things, such as it is in Actionscript, gets played out.

This is a fine book and the sheer labour involved in fiddling with every function is a credit to the author's resilience.

If you are actually programming in Actionscript rather than merely mooning over the nice Flash UI, then this book will be very useful.

I have learned heaps from this book. It is brilliant. I can't say enough to do it justice. The first section clearly explains flash mx concepts and applications of same. The second section is an exhaustive reference section written in an informative and friendly tone. It's not dry or tedious reading.

The author is widely experienced with Flash. That comes through loud and clear. He very effectively passes on his experience and skills in this book.

Having put a lot of new flash stuff into production after reading this book I can also vouch for it's accuracy. The stuff he says in the book works perfectly. I haven't found any errors.

This book is ACE!!! I wish all books were so thorough and informative. Only a mug wouldn't get this one.

Hope this helps.

This book is a gem. For new-to-programming or experienced programmer alike, this book will be undeniably useful.

Colin teaches you how to program in Actionscript. Infact, little in this book can be simply copy and pasted into your project... That's the beauty!

Unique flash solutions as with anything, created by fresh, intelegent minds with an appreciation of the tools they have to work with. Colin teaches you the subtle aspects of Macromedia Flash and it's powerful scripting language.

He uses generic programming terminology and introduces and explains them for the new programmer. This is very, very important for new programmers who wish to move themselves at some point across to another language.

Since leanrning Actionscript with Colin (Beginning of 2003) I have moved into learning PHP/MySQL. And thanks to Colin I can happily browse through the functions list or the language reference and have a pretty good idea what I'm reading.

Not for the unthinking-quickdraw type, this book is for thinkers and I give it 110% for optimising the time you spend reading/studying it vs. the results you get.

As for myself, productivity on generic flash websites has doubled, and the quality of the websites has also. Actionscript is developing with each release of Flash and will turn from being a designers-only tool to a programmers-who-can-design tool.

So all you designers out there - get studying!