Help, advice needed for learning Action Script

[emil emil]

I don't have any experience with programing and even scripting and I can't find tutorials for total beginners. I started to read this one

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/ActionScript/3.0_ProgrammingAS3/WS5b3ccc516d4fbf351e63e3d118a9b8cbfe-7ff...

but I have difficulties understanding the explanations.

If you have any advice and pointers to tutorials for total dummy beginners I will greatly  appreciate it.

[Guest]

learning as3 is pretty straightforward and easy if you have done any programming before. I took only a few weeks to get up to speed with all the neccessities needed for my application. i suggest following one of the many tutorials on google (that are related to what part of as3 you wish to get familiar with) There are also books on actionscripting and they will definitely clearer than any tutorial and easier to follow than as3 documentation. Good luck!

[emil emil]

Thanks gibbetg

UnfortunatleyI don't have any programing experience and I know it will be difficult but I can't find any tutorial or material for total beginners. Everything I find assumes some programing experience.

If I have to, I'm willing to start with some other programing language that has a lot of learning materials and tutorials for total beginners and then I can continue with Action Script. Is this a better idea?

I wouild really appreciate if someone share links or info about learning material made for total beginners without prior programing experience.

Thank you.

[Ned Murphy]

You really need to get some of the basics of programming under your belt, so your best bet would be to find a school course that has something for you to begin the process. That approach gives you both a hands on approach along with people to help you thru the learning. If that isn't agreeable, then your best bet will be to Google "learn programming" and go thru the results to see if you can find something that walks you thru the concepts.

[Guest]

Try this book Learning ActionScript 3.  A lot of people rave about it.  I have just bought it and seems a lot more accessible than the O'reilly text books.

[emil emil]

Thank you very much  nicolanicola

That's really helpful - I'm going to get this book too.

[sergey_landar · Accepted solution]

I’m 27 years old and one month ago I started study ActionScript 3.0. After red a lot of forums with recommendations about what need to do for study as3 I clear next things:

• Try to visit forums about as3 and discus with people about your problems and also try to help other solve their problems (you can help a lot of people to solve their problems, you can find a lot answers to your questions, you can share your experience with others)
• Try to read books about as3 (in books you can find all theory and some examples for this theory, so this info will be very helpful for you, because it’s a fundamental knowledge what you must to know)
• Try to visit sites with tutorials (on the net you can find a lot sites with tutorials and there you step by step will study a lot of things)
• Share your knowledge with others (create your blog or something else where you will show to people your examples of work, where you will write about as3 and will share your experiences and knowledge, this can give you chance to consolidate your knowledge and give opportunity other people study as3)
  
• Try to separate big not understandable problem to smaller(after you find answer to all small problems you can find answer to big problem)
  
  And the main what you must remember then YOU MUST CODING EVERY DAY! (I think without it you never been a as3 coder.)
  

I can recommend next sites witch can help you to study ActionScript 3.0:

Books:
<a href="http://help.adobe.com/en_US/ActionScript/3.0_ProgrammingAS3/">http://help.adobe.com/en_US/ActionScript/3.0_ProgrammingAS3/</a><br>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Essential-ActionScript-3-0-Colin-Moock/dp/0596526946">Essential ActionScript 3.0</a><br>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Learning-ActionScript-3-0-Beginners-Guide/dp/059652787X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261737552&sr=1-2">Learning ActionScript 3.0: A Beginner's Guide</a><br>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/ActionScript-Adobe-Flash-Professional-Classroom/dp/0321579216/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261737552&sr=1-6">ActionScript 3.0 for Adobe Flash CS4 Professional Classroom in a Book</a><br>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/ActionScript-3-0-Game-Programming-University/dp/0789737027/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261737552&sr=1-7">ActionScript 3.0 Game Programming University</a><br>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/ActionScript-3-0-Cookbook-Application-Developers/dp/0596526954/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261737552&sr=1-8">ActionScript 3.0 Cookbook: Solutions for Flash Platform and Flex Application Developers</a>

Forums:
<a href="http://forums.adobe.com/community/flash/flash_actionscript3">http://forums.adobe.com/community/flash/flash_actionscript3</a><br>
<a href="http://www.actionscript.org/forums/forumdisplay.php3?f=75">http://www.actionscript.org/forums/forumdisplay.php3?f=75</a><br>
<a href="http://www.flasher.ru/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=83">http://www.flasher.ru/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=83</a>

Blogs:
<a href="http://theflashblog.com/">http://theflashblog.com/</a><br>
<a href="http://www.mikechambers.com/blog/">http://www.mikechambers.com/blog/</a><br>
<a href="http://as3journal.blogspot.com/">http://as3journal.blogspot.com/</a><br>
<a href="http://flash-templates-today.com/blog/">http://flash-templates-today.com/blog/</a> <br>
<a href="http://xitri.com/">http://xitri.com/</a><br>
<a href="http://www.hamstersteam.com/">http://www.hamstersteam.com/</a><br>
<a href="http://flash-animation.ru/">http://flash-animation.ru/</a><br>
<a href="http://www.keyframer.com/">http://www.keyframer.com/</a>

Tutorials:
<a href="http://cookbooks.adobe.com/actionscript">http://cookbooks.adobe.com/actionscript</a><br>
<a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/30-free-flash-photo-galleries-and-tutorials/">http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/30-free-flash-photo-galleries-and-tutorials/</a><br>
<a href="http://www.ilike2flash.com/">http://www.ilike2flash.com/</a><br>
<a href="http://xuroqflash.com/">http://xuroqflash.com/</a><br>
<a href="http://www.emanueleferonato.com/category/actionscript-3/">http://www.emanueleferonato.com/category/actionscript-3/</a><br>
<a href="http://www.graphicmania.net/category/adobe-flash/">http://www.graphicmania.net/category/adobe-flash/</a><br>
<a href="http://www.flashperfection.com/">http://www.flashperfection.com/</a><br>
<a href="http://active.tutsplus.com/category/tutorials/">http://active.tutsplus.com/category/tutorials/</a><br>

[emil emil]

Sergey thank you for all these links. And sorry for the late reply - I missed your message.

Before I started this thread I tried to learn reading the manual which are the first links in your reply. I tried hard but I couldn't understand most of it. It clearly says that "To best understand the ideas and techniques described, you should already be familiar with general programming concepts ..."

I got Learning ActionScript 3. that nicolanicola  recommended. Currently I'm slowly reading it and understand most of it but have some difficulties understanding everything. The book says that it is written for people with small amount of scripting experience which I don't have.

What I'm looking  for is a resources that is for people without any programing and scripting experience. So far I haven't found such resource for Action Script. I need learning resources that can teach me some general programing concepts and I don't mind if I have to learn this associated with another programing or scripting language.

Sergey, I have read some of your posts and you appear to be having a very solid knowledge in Action Script. But I can't believe that you or anyone can learn that much Action Script in a month without any prior programing or scripting experience. I will appreciate greatly if you tell me what kind of programing and scripting knowledge you had prior to learning Action Script and how did you learn it. I cannot afford going to school for that purpose and need to find learning materials like books, videos, or online links that can give me some general programing/scripting knowledge to understand better Action Script.

I wonder if there are and would like to hear from people who have programing or scripting knowledge and know Action Script without learning programing at school.

I would greatly appreciate input form all who can help me in that respect.

[sergey_landar]

I worked as a webdesinger nearly 5 years. And after this understand then all very simple and a little bit borring for me:) Thats why i started to study programming:) Before i used html and css, but its not programming languages. Just try to study as every day. And every day try to find and understand something.. for example in first day whta mean variable, second - what mean types, third what mean for, if, etc... And WRITE CODE with it! Do it 10 day and after this come back in your mind to first day when you started to study. And you will understand that you get somethig;) sure its will be very small knowlege, but its just first step. 10 days + 10 days + 1year, + 1 year:) and you will know anough to make some programs:) sure its all very difficult i don't need go away, just try try and go to top..:)