Flash Actionscript 3 and Code Snippets in Flash CS5.5

Sometimes I drag my heels when new coding technology evolves. I am a terrible typist, so coding is a frustrating experience for me. This year I resolved to learn how to code a button to move to a certain frame using Flash Actionscript 3. So I was pleasantly surprised to find a Paul Trani video on Adobe TV that gave me everything I needed to know. I knew I only movie clips and frames can use Actionscript 3, but didn’t know how to make a movie clip into a button. It turns out you need to nest a button inside the movie clip, name the instance in the properties panel, and use code snippets to place in the code in the Actions window.

I wondered whether to teach Flash this year, because it doesn’t work on Smartphones, but I am glad I did because the Adobe TV movies go through how to make an app for an IPhone or Android in Flash. That would be a cool project for my students! They could work in pairs. I will be multitasking and watching the Adobe TV movies to prepare.