AS3 101

Are you new to ActionScript? Have you previously built Flash projects with AS2 but have decided that it's time for a change? Are you an experienced developer looking to improve your skills or simply refresh your memory? The AS3 101 series is an ever-growing course of tutorials aimed at helping everyone with ActionScript 3.0 fundamentals.

Posts in this series

AS3 101: Variables - Basix
Twice a month, we revisit some of our readers’ favorite posts from throughout the history of Activetuts+. This classic tutorial was first published in June,...
Dru Kepple
27 May 2011
Code
AS3 101: Functions – Basix
This is part 2 of the introduction to ActionScript 3.0 series. We'll be talking about functions. Just like last time, when we focused on variables,...
Dru Kepple
17 Jun 2009
Code
AS3 101: Branching - Basix
In our third installment of AS3 101, we meet the brains of the operation. All applications need to have at least a little logic built in, so that is what...
Dru Kepple
15 Jul 2009
Code
AS3 101: Arrays - Basix
In this installment of AS3 101, we'll spend the entire tutorial exploring a single type of data available to most programming languages: the Array. ...
Dru Kepple
28 Aug 2009
Code
AS3 101: Loops - Basix
Welcome back to AS3 101, the fifth edition! At this point, you should be comfortable with the concepts of variables, functions, conditionals (branching),...
Dru Kepple
23 Sep 2009
Code
AS3 101: The Display List – Basix
In this sixth installment of AS3 101, we'll be studying topics related to the "Display List", Flash's rendering system. With a solid understanding of how...
Dru Kepple
28 Oct 2009
Code
AS3 101: XML – Basix
Well, hey there, hearty ActionScript Journeyman! You've traversed many a strange landscape so far over the last 6 months, but if all went according to plan,...
Dru Kepple
6 Jan 2010
Code
AS3 101: OOP Introduction – Basix
Twice a month, we revisit some of our readers’ favorite posts from throughout the history of Activetuts+. This week’s retro-Active tutorial, first published...
Dru Kepple
25 Oct 2011
Code
AS3 101: Quick Tip – Use Access Modifiers Effectively
There are four access modifiers you can choose from when declaring properties and methods: private, protected, internal, and public. How do you know which...
Dru Kepple
9 Nov 2010
Code
AS3 101: OOP Inheritance, Setters & Getters – Basix
When last we talked, we had a Button class that could be used to quickly create a button of a certain style. However, I also asked you to ignore certain...
Dru Kepple
11 Nov 2010
Code
AS3 101: Quick Tip – When to Use Static Properties and Methods
"Static" properties and methods belong to a class, rather than to an instance of a class, meaning that they are shared, in a sense, across your entire...
Dru Kepple
7 Mar 2011
Code
AS3 101: OOP – Additional Concepts
For this mega-installment of our introduction to Object-Oriented Programming in ActionScript 3, we'll take a look at a few outstanding topics, as well as...
Dru Kepple
9 Mar 2011
Code
Everything You Could Possibly Want to Know About Import Statements*
* Not really everything.
Dru Kepple
4 Apr 2011
Code
AS3 101: OOP - Introduction to Interfaces
In the closing chapters of our Object-Oriented Programming series, we will take a look at some more advanced concepts, focusing on interfaces (the...
Dru Kepple
15 Apr 2011
Code
AS3 101: OOP - Introducing Design Patterns
After many months of learning how to program from the ground up, you're ready to put it all to use: we're going to build a simple drawing application. We...
Dru Kepple
21 Apr 2011
Code
AS3 101: Events - Basix
For this chapter of AS3 101, we will be diving into the mechanics of the Flash event system. If you've been following along so far, you'll have seen events...
Dru Kepple
27 Oct 2011
Code
AS3 101: Quick Tip - Dispatching Events Without Extending EventDispatcher
It's rare, but it happens. Sometimes you absolutely need to extend a class, and that class does not already extend EventDispatcher. At the same time, you...
Dru Kepple
25 Nov 2011
Code