Beginner question about errors and warnings

[allison_flash]

Hi, I'm still kind of new to Flash development -- coming from a Visual Studio background. Is there a way to set up flash so that it will give me additional errors or warnings when I compile my .swf file? For example:

var myNumber:Number = 3;
myNumber = myNummer + 2;

This code compiles and runs just fine, but I'd much prefer an error "variable myNummer not declared"

if (myTestVar = 3) doSomething();

This line of code would give me "Warning: Assignment within conditional expression" in Visual Studio, and that was quite useful.

[Whyves]

Flash being a dynamically typed language, this is legal. You actually don't have to type the variable for it to work. At runtime, Flash will cast it to the proper type according to the value it stores.

Bottom line, you have to get used to this. I'm not sure but I believe that you can actually do some minor compilor tweaking for the Flash Virtual Machine 2 (VM2) but definitely not for this.

[fx.barrett]

Your code actually give and error:

var myNumber:Number = 3;
myNumber = myNummer + 2; 

You'll get something like this:
1120: Access of undefined property myNummer.

PS: just remembered... the code you posted would not display an error only if you are using ActionScript 2.0 ; why ? Because AS 2.0 is not as strict as AS 3.0 and it did permit variable declaration anywhere, any when...

Not sure if you can do anything about it in AS 2.0, it wasn't designed to be strict.

[fx.barrett]

Flash being a dynamically typed language, this is legal. You actually don't have to type the variable for it to work. At runtime, Flash will cast it to the proper type according to the value it stores.

This is only true for ActionScript 2.0, things have changed in AS 3.0.

[Whyves]

I have not really used AS3 for the moment. But from what I read you can set some setting for the VM2 that will allow for a more or less strict compilation. So, depending on your VM2 settings, you might not get the errors. I also think that some classes are dynamic by nature and that will allow you to add non typed variable. Is it the case?

[allison_flash]

you're right, it gives an error in AS3.0. Unfortunately I have to use AS2.0 for this project.

I'm really surprised they couldn't have written the AS2.0 compiler to have some kind of a 'strict mode' where it at least give warnings for these kinds of things.

[allison_flash]

Whyves, you are right that it does catch the error when its inside a class, even in AS2. I didn't realize that. Thanks!