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I have no doubt that many Flash designers have used the classic work-around approaches for adding 3D to Flash, for working with 3D in Flash, or even for displaying 3D on the web with Flash as the medium, simply because Flash is the most efficient way to go. In previous years, we've seen a lot of 3rd party applications, engines and open-source projects to help work with 3D inside of Flash, such as Swift 3D, Papervision 3D, and Away 3D, etc.

Flash CS4 is the first version in Flash history to include a native 3D tool set to help designers transform and rotate objects in the 3D space. While this is exciting news, be aware that Flash CS4 does not create a full-fledged 3D object with the full meaning of 3D, such as having objects with volume, like 3D Studio Max or Swift 3D. While far more basic than that, Flash's new 3D tools do give the stage a 3rd dimension by adding the Z dimension to the stage in Flash Player 10 and higher.

Rafiq Elmansy has been a multimedia graphic designer since 2001 and a graphic and web designer since 1999. His background is in fine art and sculpture. He uses Flash to create graphics and animations for desktop applications, cartoons, games, web sites, e-learning courses, and mobile and Pocket PC applications. He is the founder of Bee Design Studio. He is an Adobe Flash CS3 Certified, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Certified, and the founder of the first Adobe User Group in Egypt. Rafiq also creates computer artworks and writes articles and reviews about graphic, animation, and Flash topics at his articles site, Graphic Mania. Rafiq is an Adobe Community Expert and Contributor writer at Adobe Design and Developer center.

Approximate download size: 6.8MB

Character Animation with Bones in Flash CS4
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Rafiq Elmansy has been a multimedia graphic designer since 2001 and a graphic and web designer since 1999. His background is in fine art and sculpture. He uses Flash to create graphics and animations for desktop applications, cartoons, games, web sites, e-learning courses, and mobile and Pocket PC applications. He is the founder of Bee Design Studio. He is an Adobe Flash CS3 Certified, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Certified, and the founder of the first Adobe User Group in Egypt. Rafiq also creates computer artworks and writes articles and reviews about graphic, animation, and Flash topics at his articles site, Graphic Mania. Rafiq is an Adobe Community Expert and Contributor writer at Adobe Design and Developer center.

Nowadays, Flash is known as a tool that enables us to create different type of content and applications for many types of devices and platforms. But, behind these amazing capabilities that Flash gives to us is a simple definition that we used to hear about Flash: Flash as an animation program to create small size animation files.

The magic behind Flash tools is that it is simple and can be used to create different types of animation tricks, either directly or with a work-around. However, the needs are always there for new tools and new capabilities.

Animators and cartoonists were depending on Flash to create animation, especially for web, taking advantage of the small file size and working with the rest of the team, such as designers and developers, using the same tool. They can get their work out for different types of media such as web, Video and even mobile devices. There was still a lack in cartooning animation tools in Flash. However, animators were always trying to find a work-around and looking for tricks and tips to create the work output they dreamed of.

In this article, we will dig into a tool that will make animators happier than ever, the Bones tool. The Bones tool allows you to create a skeleton for your character, object and even water bubbles to gives it more realistic animation more easily and with less effort.

Flash-Flex Integration - Part 8: Creating Custom Flex Components with Flash CS3
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Sometimes, when you're coding a Flex application, don't you just wish you could use a Flash animation, right there? And in Flash, don't you sometimes wish you could use that one class in Flex, or that one component, which would make your life so much easier? It is at such times that a developer encounters the limitations of their tools, be it in Flex or in Flash. This series aims to explore the possibilities inherent in an integrated Flash-Flex workflow, bridging the gap between the two technologies, enabling a greater range of development options.

In this tutorial we will examine creating a custom Flex component in Flash CS3 using the Flex Component Kit for Flash CS3. You will learn how to design a Flex button having custom states and timeline animation. A flash-flex component takes advantage of the best of both worlds: Flex state-based events and component-based API, combined with Flash timeline animation.

We will also be taking a look at a few best practices for using both Flash CS3- and Flex-compiled files in the same project workflow. And as a bonus, we'll end up with an advanced look at incorporating Flex states with the StateChangeEvent class and the undocumented MovieClip.addFrameScript method.

Extending the AS3 FLVPlayback Component in Flash CS3: Part 1 - Adding a Background Color Free!

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In this FLVPlayback component series, you'll learn how to enhance the capabilities of the AS3 FLVPlayback component that ships with Adobe Flash CS3 Professional. Over the next several tutorials, you'll learn how to create an arbitrary class called FLVPlaybackPro and add custom methods and properties to accomplish common Flash Video tasks. The FLVPlaybackPro class extends the FLVPlayback class. In this tutorial, you learn how to create the FLVPlaybackPro class and build a background and backgroundColor property.

NOTE: This series augments the material discussed in my book, Adobe Flash CS3 Professional Video Studio Techniques (Adobe Press). Some of the ActionScript 3.0 (AS3) custom classes I built and included on the book's DVD-ROM are discussed and expanded in this series.

TodCon 2007 Session: Introduction to Design Patterns for Flash and Flex Free!

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Whether you consider yourself to be a Flash developer or a Flex programmer, eventually you will discover that projects have become too complex, too feature-rich, to rely exclusively on the Flash timeline, or on Flex MXML markup. Taking your project that extra step may require using ActionScript class files and structured Object-Oriented Programming.

However, using OOP principles without a plan, without a way of structuring your classes, can very quickly lead to convoluted and unmanageable code. The solution is to use a tool called Design Patterns.

This session will dispel the myth that design patterns are only for geeks with PHDs, and explain how and why to use them in both Flash and Flex projects. Participants will come away with powerful tools to simplify and organize their coding projects to be better suited for efficiency and team development.

This is a presentation made at TodCon 2007 in Las Vegas, June 12, 2007.

Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 5: Extending the Stage Class
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Ever wondered how some Flash applications "break free" of the constraints of a fixed stage size, flowing from one size to another depending on browser size or application state? Creating these fluid layouts in Flash is considered by some to be one of those "hidden mysteries" of Flash coding. By others it is regarded as a milestone to be achieved on the path of ActionScript mastery. For me, it is both.

We will take you through the steps, from intermediate to advanced, necessary to create application layouts in Flash which can exhibit "fullsize" or "fluid" functionality. In this series we will explore the basic principles of creating fluid layouts in Flash, build a sample application with a class architecture using components, finishing off with an exploration of the new "fullscreen" feature available in Flash Player 9.

In the last tutorial we created an encapsulation of certain document properties into a static Movie class. In this tutorial we will continue to lay the groundwork for our AS 2.0 "Fluid stage layout engine" by extending the Stage class, thereby adding to its functionality. And along the way we will take a look at some basic ActionScript 2.0 object-oriented programming techniques and best practices.

The Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash Series:
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 1: The Basics
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 2: Proportional Layouts
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 3: Application Development
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 4:Creating the Movie Class
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 5: Extending the Stage Class
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 6: Using Fullscreen

Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 4: Creating the Movie Class
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Ever wondered how some Flash applications "break free" of the constraints of a fixed stage size, flowing from one size to another depending on browser size or application state? Creating these fluid layouts in Flash is considered by some to be one of those hidden mysteries of Flash coding. By others it is regarded as a milestone to be achieved on the path of ActionScript mastery. For me, it is both.

We will take you through the steps, from intermediate to advanced, necessary to create application layouts in Flash which can exhibit "fullsize" or "fluid" functionality. In this series we will explore the basic principles of creating fluid layouts in Flash, build a sample application with a class architecture using components, finishing off with an exploration of the new "fullscreen" feature available in Flash Player 9.

In the last tutorial we created an application with a fluid proportional layout using v2 components. In this tutorial we will continue evolving our code by encapsulating certain properties of the Flash document SWF into a static class file called the Movie class, which will be used as a foundation for the rest of this series. We will also show you how to get the document size set in the FLA, at runtime, without needing to use a constant or pre-defined variable.

The Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash Series:
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 1: The Basics
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 2: Proportional Layouts
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 3: Application Development
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 4:Creating the Movie Class
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 5: Extending the Stage Class
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 6: Using Fullscreen

Building a Custom Flash Video Player Part 1: The Basic Application Free!

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For online video, delivering it with Flash is your best bet. Flash gives you the ability to create a fully customized and branded streaming experience for the end user. Other streaming formats and platforms stream through players that cannot be customized, or that are extremely difficult to embed and integrate into a customized environment and require expensive development and testing to do so. Further, ad insertion, closed captioning and selective player controls are also quite easy to integrate in Flash video applications. The ubiquity of the Flash player and fast download time of the plug-in allows you to reach a much larger audience.

This series will guide you from creating the basic building blocks for a simple customized Flash video application to developing a full-on television station type of environment complete with error handling and status messaging, playlists, ad insertion and many other bells and whistles.

This tutorial will start with creating the basic building blocks to plan a strong, well-designed custom video application. After completing this tutorial, you will have a functional, custom Flash video player that you can build upon.

Particle Trails in Actionscript 2.0
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BitmapData, introduced in Flash 8, opens the door to new capabalities for complex motion effects. This tutorial will cover some of the more common techniques for creating motion trails, and will analyze the process efficiency of each one.

Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 3: Application Development
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The completed fluid layout application

Approximate download size: 1.5MB

The Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash Series:
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 1: The Basics
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 2: Proportional Layouts
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 3: Application Development
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 4:Creating the Movie Class
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 5: Extending the Stage Class
Creating Fluid Layouts in Flash - Part 6: Using Fullscreen

Building a Drag-and-Drop Jigsaw Puzzle - Part 2
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Jigsaw puzzles were a mainstay of my youth on rainy afternoons. The earliest puzzles I remember had merely a dozen pieces, but ah, the sense of accomplishment! Piecing together the artwork was always a rewarding experience. One year, my mother found an ad in a magazine for a company that would convert your personal photo into a puzzle — at the time, the notion struck me as incredible! We ordered one and I treasured it for years.

After reading this two-part series, you'll be able to do the same thing on your own computer! Over the course of these tutorials, you will write an ActionScript 2.0 class to build a re-usable jigsaw puzzle engine. Here in Part 2, we resume our efforts and step through the helper methods called by the sizable method introduced last time, buildPuzzle().

The Building a Drag-and-Drop Jigsaw Puzzle Series:
Building a Drag-and-Drop Jigsaw Puzzle - Part 1
Building a Drag-and-Drop Jigsaw Puzzle - Part 2

Building a Drag-and-Drop Jigsaw Puzzle - Part 1 Free!

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Jigsaw puzzles were a mainstay of my youth on rainy afternoons. The earliest puzzles I remember had merely a dozen pieces, but ah, the sense of accomplishment! Piecing together the artwork was always a rewarding experience. One year, my mother found an ad in a magazine for a company that would convert your personal photo into a puzzle — at the time, the notion struck me as incredible! We ordered one and I treasured it for years.

After reading this two-part series, you'll be able to do the same thing on your own computer! Over the course of these tutorials, you will write an ActionScript 2.0 class to build a re-usable jigsaw puzzle engine. Here in Part 1, we will deconstruct our endeavor into a handful of bite-sized methods and write one large method, CMXJigsawPuzzle.buildPuzzle(), to call those as necessary. The complete code is already included with this tutorial, but the full explanation will span into Part 2.

The Building a Drag-and-Drop Jigsaw Puzzle Series:
Building a Drag-and-Drop Jigsaw Puzzle - Part 1
Building a Drag-and-Drop Jigsaw Puzzle - Part 2

Flash Printing Tasks - Part 8: Printing Filter Effects
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Flash Printing Tasks - Part 7: Printing Alpha and Color Mode Effects
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In the last installment of this series, you created a color toggle to the preview window for a printable certificate. In this tutorial, you learn how to correctly print alpha and color mode effects added to graphic elements of the certificate. During the process, you learn how to use the printAsBitmap feature of the PrintJob class to faithfully reproduce your certificate on the printed page. You can preview the finished version of the Flash movie here.

The Flash Printing Task Series:
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 1: Building a Certificate Template in Illustrator and Flash
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 2: Basic Printing of the Certificate
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 3: Adding Dynamic Text to the Certificate
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 4: Creating a Form for Certificate Information
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 5: Building a Preview for the Certificate
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 6: Creating a Color/Grayscale Toggle for the Certificate Preview Window
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 7: Printing Alpha and Color Mode Effects
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 8: Printing Filter Effects Coming Soon

Flash Printing Tasks - Part 6: Creating a Color/Grayscale Toggle for the Certificate Preview Window
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In the last installment of this series, you created a preview window for a printable certificate. In this tutorial, you learn how to add a color toggle to the preview window, enabling the user to preview a black & white (or grayscale) version of the certificate before it is sent to a black & white laser printer. During the process, you learn how to use the new filters property of the MovieClip class in Flash Player. You can preview the finished version of the Flash movie here.

Approximate download size: 887k

The Flash Printing Task Series:
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 1: Building a Certificate Template in Illustrator and Flash
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 2: Basic Printing of the Certificate
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 3: Adding Dynamic Text to the Certificate
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 4: Creating a Form for Certificate Information
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 5: Building a Preview for the Certificate
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 6: Creating a Color/Grayscale Toggle for the Certificate Preview Window
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 7: Printing Alpha and Color Mode Effects
Flash Printing Tasks - Part 8: Printing Filter Effects Coming Soon

Flash Printing Tasks - Part 5: Building a Preview for the Certificate
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Getting Started with Eclipse - Part 3: ActionScript Development Free!

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In Part 3 of this series, you'll learn how to install the ASDT plugin for Eclipse and set up your environment for ActionScript development. You will also learn how to compile SWFs using MTASC and enable trace statements with Flashout.

The Getting Started with Eclipse Series:
Getting Started with Eclipse - Part 1
Getting Started with Eclipse - Part 2
Getting Started with Eclipse - Part 3

Using Events in ActionScript - Part 3: A Better Approach
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In Part 2 of this series, you learned how to use the built-in EventDispatcher class to dispatch events from AS2 classes. In this part, you'll learn how to implement Danny Patterson's event framework to add event support to your Flash applications.

The Using Events in ActionScript Series:
Using Events in ActionScript - Part 1: Listening for Events — How to define event handlers for Flash UI components
Using Events in ActionScript - Part 2: Dispatching Events — Using the EventDispatcher class to dispatch events from AS2 classes
Using Events in ActionScript - Part 3: A Better Approach — How to implement Danny Patterson's event framework

Building an Image Uploader/Downloader in Flash 8
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Perhaps the most requested feature for Flash by developers is the ability to upload and download files right from inside Flash. For years developers have been writing "workarounds" for this feature using Javascript and HTML. Now with Flash 8, developers can use this funtionality from within Flash. In this article we will examine this new feature and build a simple Image Uploader/Dowloader application; all without any Javascript.

Migrating a Configuration Class to AS3 Free!

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With the release of ActionScript 3.0 (AS3) in the Flex 2 public alpha, many developers have already been speculating on the difficulty of migrating code written is ActionScript 2.0 (AS2). This article will migrate a class I wrote an article on a few weeks ago that is used to load XML configuration settings into your application at runtime. In this article we will examine the various changes related to this class and build this same class in AS3.

Distributing a Class Library: Part 2
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Continuing with the series on distributing ActionScript classes, this article will examine creating documentation for your classes. We will comment our classes with Doc-Style documentation. Then we will use a product called BLDoc created by B-Line Express. This tool will parse our classes and generate help files that we will then include in our installation package. This will make the documentation available right inside the Help Panel of the Flash authoring environment.

The Distributing ActionScript Classes Series:
Distributing ActionScript Classes - Part 1
Distributing a Class Library: Part 2

Creating an XML Configuration File for your Flash Application
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Creating an XML Configuration file can prove to be a big time saver when it comes to maintaining your application. There are many constants in an application that you should be able to change without re-compiling your SWF. That is one of the main advantages of using an external configuration file. Since its not compiled into the final application, you can change it without recompiling. XML is the preferred format for this file because it can be read by many different technologies.

In this article we will look at creating an XML configuration file, an XML Schema file for validating the configuration file's format, and finally we will create a Settings class for managing the loading and retrieval of the configuration constants.

JavaScript Integration in Flash 8 Free!

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Flash's ability to integrate with JavaScript just took a huge leap forward with the release of Flash 8. Introducing the External Interface! This is a new feature in Flash 8 that allows for better communication between Flash and its host. Most of us will use this for integration with JavaScript. This article will show you how easy this new feature is to use. It will whet your appetite and get you thinking about how you want to use this in your applications.

Applying Filters Programmatically in Flash 8 Free!

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If you read Tom Green's article, Getting Expressive with Flash 8 Professional, you learned about the new filters — Drop Shadow, Blur, Glow, etc. — that you can apply to movie clips and text at authoring time. In this article, you'll learn how to apply the new filters to movie clips and text fields at runtime using ActionScript.

A Programmer's Look at Flash 8 Free!

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Flash 8 was announced today (August 8, 2005) and that always means two things. There is not only a new version of the Flash authoring environment but also a new version of Flash Player. This article will examine many of the new features available to programmers in Flash Player 8.

Flash Component Series: PopUpManager
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Flash MX 2004 ships with two UI Components that enable you to display modal and nonmodal alerts and windows: the Alert component and the Window component. The Alert component displays a centered dialog box with a title bar, message, and optional icon and buttons. The Window component features a title bar, optional close button, and the ability to display content loaded from a movie clip in the library, a SWF file, or a JPEG.

In this article, you'll learn how to display alerts using the Alert.show() method, and how to show and hide windows using methods of the PopUpManager class.

The Flash Component Series:
Flash Component Series: Tab Bar
Flash Component Series: Data Connection Wizard
Flash Component Series: Flash Remoting 2004
Flash Component Series: MenuBar
Flash Component Series: Tree - Part 1
Flash Component Series: Tree - Part 2
Flash Component Series: Creating an Editable DataGrid
Flash Component Series: PopUpManager
Flash Component Series: ComboBox
Flash Component Series: RadioButton

Using the Macromedia Flash / JavaScript Integration Kit Free!

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The Flash/JavaScript Integration Kit was developed by Christian Cantrell and Mike Chambers at Macromedia. It was developed to make the communication between Flash and JavaScript easier to implement. This isn't a new technology, but it's a straightforward way to implement this type of communication between these different pieces of your application. This article discusses the benefits of the Integration Kit and gives a simple demonstration of how it can be used.

Using Collections and Iterators in ActionScript
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The idea of collections and iterators is borrowed from Java. In Java there are two interfaces, Collection and Iterator, that describe this functionality. Implementations of the Collection interface in Java would be classes like ArrayList. In this article, you will learn how to use a generic Collection and Iterator class and what the advantages are. Our implementation won't follow the Java collection framework exactly, but it borrows many of the same concepts.

Streaming MP3s with Flash Communication Server - Part 8: Playing Streams from Virtual Directories
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In this installment of the "Streaming MP3s with Flash Communication Server" series, you learn how to apply the knowledge from Part 7 to the Flash UI you started building in Part 6. In the following sections, you will accomplish the following tasks:

Setup a virtual directory for your music MP3 files, so that your FlashCom applications can access them.
Edit the ColdFusion component (CFC file) created in Part 5 to return a FlashCom-friendly URI to the Flash UI. The MP3 file locations stored in the MP3 database file are local paths (e.g. C:\MP3\Johnny Cash), which cannot be used for runtime playback in the Flash UI.
Create NetConnection and NetStream instances within the Flash UI to play a MP3 file that is selected in the songs list.

This tutorial assumes that you have read and completed Parts 5, 6, and 7. Please review these other tutorials before you proceed with this tutorial.

Resolving Undefined Methods and Properties Within a Flash Object
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The __resolve method of the native Object class in Flash is a fairly unknown feature. When implemented, it gives an object the ability to handle requests to undefined members. In this article we will look at how we can use this feature to resolve undefined properties and methods. We will then use it in a real world example as we create a proxy class to an XML document.

Streaming MP3s with Flash Communication Server - Part 7: Linking MP3 Directories to the FCS App
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Working Around the Flash Security Model with a Web Service Proxy
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One of the most powerful techniques in Flash development is the use of Web Services. This allows a Flash client to call a remote web service. However, at times the restrictions imposed by the Flash Security Model can become a problem. This article will identify the cross-domain security restriction and provide a solution with a Web Service Proxy built in ColdFusion.

ColdFusion 7: Using ActionScript in Flash Forms
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Recently, some of our subscribers have asked how they can manipulate Flash forms — a new feature of ColdFusion MX 7 — using ActionScript. At first glance, support for ActionScript in Flash forms seems limited. However, Flash forms are generated on ColdFusion 7 using a modified version of Flex Server, so if you know a little about Flex and ActionScript, you can get your Flash forms to perform some amazing tricks.

In this article, we're going to use ActionScript to resolve two issues posted on the Community MX Forums: how to create interdependent combo boxes using <cfselect>, and how to set focus to text fields (<cfinput>) in an accordion control.

Streaming MP3s with Flash Communication Server - Part 6: Displaying Dynamic MP3 Data in a Flash UI
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Streaming MP3s with Flash Communication Server - Part 5: Creating a MP3 Database
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Captioning Flash Video - Part 2
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In Part 1 you learned the basics of adding captions to Flash video. In Part 2 you'll use slightly different (and more advanced) techniques to apply captions. Using the Video and NetStream classes you'll playback the video without using the media components, and you'll learn how to make the captions scroll.

Working with Shared Objects in Flash MX 2004
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Shared objects are a powerful class in Flash. They offer real-time data sharing between objects stored locally on the user's computer. Shared objects are basically "cookies" for Flash.

I will cover local shared objects, as well as walk through an example of a user-customized Flash movie that keeps the same personal settings upon their return to the site.

Streaming MP3s with Flash Communication Server - Part 3: Adding a Playlist to the MP3 Component
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Flash Logging - A Better Trace Free!

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Using the ASCBLibrary Logging library you can more readily accomplish both simple and complex logging. Rather than using trace() - which only allows you to write simple output in the test player - the Logging library enables you to write log output to a variety of locations even when not using the test player. You can apply custom formatting and message level prioritization. Read more in this article.

Secure Communication with Flash Remoting on IIS
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If you're using Flash Remoting with a Microsoft IIS server enabled with an SSL certificate, you will experience problems with Flash Remoting service calls from your Flash movies. In this tutorial, you learn how to prevent problems with Flash Remoting and secure data communications over SSL.

Creating a Custom Flash Video (FLV) Player - Part 3
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In Part 1 of this three-part series, you learned how to create a Flash video (FLV) player using the MediaDisplay component. In Part 2, we created the same player using the NetConnection and NetStream classes, resulting in a smaller SWF file (2K versus 58K). In this part, you'll associate an ActionScript 2.0 class file with a movie clip symbol to create a reusable Flash video player component. You'll also learn how to export an SWC file (or component package) so it appears in the Components panel.

Includes: Complete source files for the CMX Flash Video Player extension, as well as sample FLVs.

Distributing Classes in SWC Files Free!

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As a developer working with several ActionScript 2.0 (AS2) classes, you may find it easier to package your classes as a compiled clip within a distributable SWC file. While authoring in Flash MX Professional 2004, you may have already seen such compiled AS2 classes, such as the RemotingClasses clip or the DataBindingClasses clip. In this tutorial, you learn how to package custom AS2 classes and distribute them as SWC files.

Flash Component Series: Tree - Part 2
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In Part 2 of the Tree component series you'll build several stages of an application that builds upon what you learned in Part 1. Starting with a static XML document, you'll then retrieve the data from a dynamic XML document, and eventually you'll retrieve the data on demand from a series of dynamic XML documents.

The Flash Component Series:
Flash Component Series: Tab Bar
Flash Component Series: Data Connection Wizard
Flash Component Series: Flash Remoting 2004
Flash Component Series: MenuBar
Flash Component Series: Tree - Part 1
Flash Component Series: Tree - Part 2
Flash Component Series: Creating an Editable DataGrid
Flash Component Series: PopUpManager
Flash Component Series: ComboBox
Flash Component Series: RadioButton

Building a Flash Randomizer Class
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This tutorial will examine the creation of a Flash randomizer class in ActionScript 2.0. This randomizer class will allow us to specify an array of items and randomly return one item from the array when we request it. Sounds fairly straightforward, however, what makes this Randomizer class different is that it is persistant across sessions. It never returns the same array item back-to-back, and it displays all of the items once before another item is displayed again.

Enabling the Back Button in Flash
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One of the big issues that Flash development brings to the table is with browser history. Since a Flash web site only really needs one page, browser history becomes irrelevant. The problem is that many web site users don't know this and will often hit the back button and get unexpected results. This tutorial will show one scalable technique for integrating browser history with your Flash movie navigation.

Graphical Clock in Flash MX - Part 1
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Using the Date class in Flash, you can retrieve the current date and time from the user's computer. By manipulating the time values, we can apply them to still and motion graphics to re-purpose what a clock can look like. As mentioned above, we will be using the Date class in this article. The Date class can be used to do more than just retrieve the time and date from a users machine. Time and dates can be referenced for timing in games, tracking time between events, creating countdowns to events and whatever way you'd like to manipulate time and dates. In this article, we will be focusing on retrieving the hours, minutes and seconds from the users computer using the Date class, and we will use these numbers to graphically represent the time.

Using the Singleton Design Pattern in Flash
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Design patterns are standardized solutions to solving common programming problems. The Singleton design pattern is one of the most widely known design patterns; and it's also one of the simplest. It's used to insure that a class is only instantiated once. The pattern also provides a global point of access to the sole instance of the class.

This article explains how to use the Singleton pattern within Flash and it gives a real-world example of how it can be used.

Creating Custom Component Cell Renderers Free!

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Custom cell renderers provide a way to enhance and change the functionality of List-based UI components in Flash. In this article, you'll learn the basics of how to implement a custom cell renderer using two sample Flash documents. This will enable you to implement custom cell renderers in other projects.

Programmatic Color Tweening
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You've learned how to create programmatic tweens in another CommunityMX article. In this article learn how to apply that information in order to programmatically tween between colors in order to create complex and exacting effects.

Understanding Model-View- Controller (MVC)
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Design patterns have gained a lot of popularity in the ActionScript arena — especially Model-View-Controller, or MVC for short. While MVC has benefits, one of the difficulties is that there doesn't seem to be any simple, clear tutorials that explain what it is, and how you can implement it. This article does just that. By the time you have read this article you will have a good introduction to the basics of MVC.

Organizing ActionScript Data - Part 3
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This, the third part in a series on working with data structures in ActionScript, looks at the application of associative arrays and creating custom data structures. This article looks at the application of associative arrays and creating custom data structures. Includes a drag-and-drop example using an associative array to keep track of items.

Extending MovieClip/Creating Components - Part 3
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Do you want to know how to create, package, and distribute Flash components? In this continuing series on Flash components, you'll learn how to add custom icons to your components as well as how to package your components using Macromedia Extension Manager.

Extending MovieClip/Creating Components - Part 2
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In Part 2 of this article, you'll learn about advanced Flash component topics such as creating inspectable parameters and live previews.

Extending MovieClip/Creating Components - Part 1 Free!

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In this article, you'll learn how to create MovieClip subclasses using ActionScript 2.0.

Tabbed Folder Application
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Managing how you display content to the user can be an important part of your application. A useful and interesting interface can provide added value. In this tutorial you'll get the chance to build a folder tabbing system using Flash MX 2004.

Create an Animated Snowglobe in Fireworks and Flash
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It's Christmas time here at Community MX, and time to get a little holiday cheer under way. And of course, what better way to celebrate the holidays than with some fun animated graphics? In this tutorial you'll learn how to use the tools in Fireworks to create a realistic looking snowglobe and then animate the globe in Flash. Along the way you'll learn some great lighting effect techniques and a little more about the tools that Fireworks contains for generating the kinds of cool images that will set your designs apart.

The New Flash Player 7 Security Model
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You need to be paranoid in today's programming world. Very paranoid. Safe security is the only solace and in this article you will learn how to tighten down the security within your Flash movies.

Flash MX 3D Design
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3D is the new big "thing" for Flash. In this article you will learn how to construct a 3D model with just ActionScript. By the end of this article you will understand what you need to fool Flash (a natively two-dimensional tool) into thinking it is a 3D modelling tool.

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