I cannot say enough about this book. I, like most programmers, have a stack of computer books that's taller than I am, but this one is by far the best one I've ever seen. The ActionScript reference has entries that you can't find other places, including deprecated functions/operators and functions/objects that Macromedia doesn't tell anyone about. Each and every function, operator, symbol, etc. has an explanation and several examples, including how NOT to use it. Best of all, the entire reference is on CD, complete with text, images, and example files. I keep mine in my CD drive at all times when working with Flash.

This book doesn't stop there, though. It also has 20 chapters (3 on the CD) that discuss various aspects of ActionScript programming. These are all clearly written and easy to read. I would not say they are suitable for absolute beginners, but anyone with some programming experience in any language should be able to get a lot out of them.

The bottom line? If you use Flash MX and you don't have this book, you're not getting all you can out of your ActionScript.

I started with Macromedia's Flash MX ActionScripting Advanced and I learned a lot. However, it does not contain a complete dictionary. I bought John Davey's book and in addition to the complete dictionary in the book, it is also on the CD. I keep the online version loaded when programming Flash. Furthermore, the 400+ pages of tutorials, are simple, plentiful, and each one illustrates one learning objective. Both books are good, but this one is better.

I just bought this book about a month ago. I have experience in C, C++, Java, and Assembly Language programming. I've been messing around with flash mx for awhile and I wanted to get into actionscript. In my opinion, if you have experience in any programming language this book will really help you get into actionscript. It has alot of tutorials that let you see the structure of how things are related. Using flash's methods(functions), creating instances, and dot notation referencing. I would say that it doesn't lead you on any long creation projects. It's alot of one or two pages and done examples. Good for beginning and bad for deep insight. The thing that I think will make this book end up being a great purchase for a first actionscript book is the complete a.s. dictionary in the back. It has a complete def. of every method and how it is used in the back of the book. That is something that will always be good as reference no matter what you are doing. If you have no experience in coding this book should still be able to help you. It's been awhile since I started coding so it's a little harder for me to judge on that note. Pretty good book though.

things needed more of:
xml tutorials, deeper web design creation

It seems that if you want a book that will take you from square 1 to square to... I don't know... square PI that you have to buy a cinder block of a book. I was somewhat skeptical about this book when I first opened the cover but quickly noticed the difference between this book and the other book written by Friends of Ed. This book was not written to cater to lowest common denominator. It was written for the person looking to get as much as humanly possible in order to integrate into their own styles.

The dictionary is worth its weight in gold and I can't say enough about it.

Yes, the size is a little unorthodox, I'll admit, but you can't get this kind of "in your face" information in any other books, including any of the other Friends of Ed books. No more silly references or personal sob stories about "When I was working as a designer full time" [stuff]. This book was written by professionals looking to make more professionals in the field, kudos to them for a superb job on this one. I'll have this book on my desk for as long as I use Flash MX.

Keep in mind that this book was not written for the novice Flash designer. There are numerous (and I mean a bunch) of books that can get you up to speed to allow you to fully enjoy this book in all it's splendor. I own several books on Flash 5 and MX, including several from Friends of Ed, and this is by far my favorite one.

I give it three thumbs up, 6 stars and a bag of chips for these guys.

I thought this would be a reference. Well guess what, I was wrong. This is a reference in the back half, but a How-To in the front half. I'd say, skip every other ActionScript book till you buy this one. If I'd known this would have tutorials in the first half (yes the first 400 or so pages are tutorials), I wouldn't have bought some of the other ones I have. Combined with the CD content, this book is a great first book for the intermediate animator moving into scripting. And, it will stay usefull for as long as you are using Flash MX. Between this book and the O'Reilly book "ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition" by Colin Moock, you'll have all you really need. Then you can buy the specialized stuff on games or UI or whatever.

I've just finished getting through a book on Lingo, and decided to pick this book up in the hopes of becoming an Actionscripter. The writing style of this book is excellent-- it wastes NO time with senseless conceptual jargony and gets straight to the point. You'll find yourself actually learning at a quick pace through a series of short examples of Actionscript that become more advanced and build on previous examples in the book. Better yet, the CD is packed full of open source examples for every short tutorial in the book.

This book is the definitive actionscript reference. Though, beginners be forewarned-- this is not a book for those who are not familiar with the fundamentals of programming and those who are not fully acquainted with Flash's interface and a conceptual understanding of animation.

I've just finished getting through a book on Lingo, and decided to pick this book up in the hopes of becoming an Actionscripter. The writing style of this book is excellent-- it wastes NO time with senseless conceptual jargony and gets straight to the point. You'll find yourself actually learning at a quick pace through a series of short examples of Actionscript that become more advanced and build on previous examples in the book. Better yet, the CD is packed full of open source examples for every short tutorial in the book.

This book is the definitive actionscript reference. Though, beginners be forewarned-- this is not a book for those who are not familiar with the fundamentals of programming and those who are not fully acquainted with Flash's interface and a conceptual understanding of animation.

Learn the basics; then practice what you have learned until you develop your unique style. Then pick up this book and take your flash movies to the next level.
Very good and clear explanations for learning action script. I picked this over Macromedia's advanced action scripting because the writing style is more my speed. I'm not a programmer and things are explained in a way where you understand and can apply and achieve results which gradually turn you into an actionscripter.
I'm a quarter of a way into the book; still practicing and developing my basic flash skills between three other books. You only need one for actionscripting and this is it![.]

I just got this book for Christmas, and have already been through a good portion of it (and it is huge, so that is saying a lot!). A great holiday spent, even if it was practicing scripts!! This book answers a lot of the questions I had about ActionScript - and more. And the CD-ROM has a ton to offer as well: more chapters, reference files for all the code, and so on.

Time well spent, gotta give it a 5 - and that doesn't happen often either.

Every now and then a book comes out that you've just got to have. If you're a flash person then this is one of those MUST HAVE BOOKS. For a start it's NOT that expensive (US$[money] rrp), secondly it's 1000+ pages of PURE reference.

Flash MX has moved leaps and bounds in the sense of just what can be done with the Action Scripting engine inside. However as many people have noted and complained Macromedia failed to ship a printed Action Script dictionary with it. This book steps up to that mark - not just with a list of the commands, but in depth explanations of them.

Loved it ... I use this book over and over and over. The only thing .. it's HUGE. I'm considering "snapping" the spine and getting the 2 halves bound ... one containing the AS Dictionary the other the first half of the book

I've read a number of flash MX manuals and this one is the best of them all. I learned a lot I hadn't known, and have found the reference section invaluable. It stays right by my feet in my office for quick perusal and reference. (There's no room at all on my desk.) This is the one to buy.

If you have been suffering from a malaise after looking at the Flash ActionScript books that have been available, then this book will break the monotony and inspire you to run the New York City Marathon. Okay, you won't want to run the marathon, but you will be invigorated with all of those neurons in your brain working overtime.

Because of its weight and volume this book is often referred to as a `doorstop.' When you peruse the massive volume I think you'll agree that it is more of a `door opener.' The first-half of the book is one of the most insightful overviews of ActionScript that I've found. Those pages are worth the price of admission by itself. The second-half of the book is the most through treatise of ActionScript that has been written. Maybe treatise is too dry of a word to describe it, but it is closer to the truth than the word dictionary; that the authors named it.

If you're still reading this and haven't clicked the order button already, then the scale will tip when you learn about the accompanying CD-ROM. It includes the dictionary that you find in the book, along with hundreds of FLAs and SWFs examples.

The only reason for not buying this book is that you don't have the money.

Very very nice book. Thank you again Sham. It has more detail than any other. It is incredibile useful to me already in one week.

But it is heavy. Very heavy even for my desk. It might be better to print this on thinner papel.

I have longed for a total resource like this, for about two years. I thought the Moock book went part of the way but it was from a Javascript perspective and it was kinda feeble as a reference. But this book takes you all the way man and then some.

I thought Actionscript grew up a good load richer with MX, but somehow and amazingly Macromedia chose not to print the Actionscript reference like they used to with Flash 5 and I really missed that. This book supplies it in a really expanded, totally comprehensive form. And not just the reference, but you also get a 400 page section on what Actionscirpt is really all about (like, it's not just Javascript for vector-dogs) covering just about every question on the detail of working with Actionscript, simple, serious, and some scary. And what's best, in language I can make sense of, because I'm a designer and I'm smart differently from back-end developers. For me coding is for real, it's about what I can see and make move.

But that's not ALL you get, oh no. You then get the CD-ROM version of the dictionary, which in itself is something to amaze. Not just explanations of every element of Actionscript, but also real, worked FLAs and SWFs to illustrate the code in action.

For $... I don't get it. I worked in technical books in Oz and I can't think how we'd have done 1200 pages at that price. How are Sham and Glen and Jen and Tim and Scott getting paid out of that? Not to mention the guy who made the ace CD, I hope they get a fair shake.

It would be awesome as just a labor o' love. A thing of beauty is a joy forever and you just made one guys.

Wow! This book is so completely thorough, it's amazing. Anything you want to know, from simple to advanced, is covered in detail in this book. It's 1100 pages, and all of that is quality content. The dictionary section alone is worth having by your side for every purpose, and it's more than 500 pages in length.

The examples are all contained on a really cool CD, and the nice thing is, the book is designed for designers to completely pick up and learn or refer, yet it teaches the advanced topics in a totally intuitive way. I think this is the new desktop reference.