Client and Server Side Programming Concepts Incorporating Macromedia Flash

Abstract

This chapter demonstrates the usefulness of Macromedia Flash MX as a medium for providing interactive content. The motivation for using Flash is presented first. This is followed by an overview of Flash, a brief illustration of Flash’s animation ability, and a straightforward example of data communication from a Flash movie to an external server-side script. Furthermore, basic concepts of object-oriented programming are introduced within the context of the application. The similarity of Flash’s ActionScript to other object-oriented scripting languages is mentioned, and the important non-linear aspect of program development using Flash is pointed out. It is intended that an understanding of Flash’s underlying principles make it more accessible to a larger audience of web designers and developers.