UCSC: Porter 34B, ActionScript MX Minicourse, Spring 2003

Apology for Flash MX

Flash MX = Flash 6. Flash 5 had no appeal to me. But the addition of the Drawing API (primitive graphics methods for the Movie Clip object) in MX makes it desirable for three reasons.

#1. The files are VERY small (same as Flash 5).
#2. Interpreter included with MOST web browsers (same as Flash 5).
#3. Line and fill graphics may be drawn by math scripts (new in Flash 6).

This adds up to an obstacle for the author, with compensating advantages for the user. Previously, scripts written in Tcl/Tk, Python, or Berkeley Madonna required downloading and installing freeware interpreters: daunting to many customers of visual math applets.

In our current context, the author buys Flash MX and uses it primarily as a compiler for files to post on a website. Flash compiles ActionScript (AS) files into ShockWave (SWF) files.

The client then just clicks a link on a webpage, et voila!! Try some of these examples and see for yourself.

My ultimate goal here is to duplicate all of the chaos gym programs at www.visual-chaos.org in AS, and along the way to make some new demos for www.visual-euclid.org.