IS it possible to teach Actionscript to youself?

[Thor, Clod of Blunders]

I was just wondering... Is it possible to teach yourself Actionscript without attending classes? Are there any books for learning actionscript?

[dzlpwr]

Yes.Yes.

[darcie]

Thor,

I'm where you're at. I've been using Flash to make animations for the last year or so and know the Basic Action stuff (goto, stop, loadMovie), but that was about all.

I've got to finish my thesis and thought, "Wouldn't games be cool to include in my cartoon animation?". Well, now I've got to do it and guess what...I don't know ActionScript.

So...I've spent the last 3 days learning A TON (but working/learning A.S. for 20 hours a day can do that to a person).

I recommend my all time favorite book: "ActionScript -- The Definitive Guide" by Colin Moock. Basically, I give myself a project and then figure out how to make it work. I will download and try many FlashKit tutorials. A lot of them help...even if they don't directly relate to my project, I can't help but learn the language simply by doing those tutorials. Then as I hit terms I don't know (arrays, functions, strings, properties, etc.) I look it up in my book. Moock explains things very well and has a web site that provides good tutorials that back up his book.

I will also pick apart at tutorials to better understand how they work. If a property equals some number, I change the number around and see what changes in the movie to understand the property better. If there is a variable or array with a certain name, I rename it and try to figure out where it relates to other actions and make sure I can successfully change that same name throughout the movie so I know all the places it is used.

Anyway, I have no one to turn to (except these WONDERFUL people at Flashkit), but I do so after exhausting my brain and my book. It forces me to learn more and use them as a crutch less (but they'd never know it with the number of times I ask questions).

Sigh...well...I hope that helps.

Good luck!

--Darcie

[khu19]

I've been doing flash for about 3months now, and started learning actionscript 2months into it. I did purchase Actionscript, the definite guide, and it's great. You do not have to read it cover to cover, once you learn the basics, you can use it as a reference. It also helps to have programming background, as the .dot syntax will come to you easily. I've discovered that forums and tutorials have helped me GREATLY in learning AS. Good luck, and take al ook at my site

Kevin