Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: Am I missing something? Where are all these stars coming from? Only 50% of the time does this book address my questions. The book has a ton of information but is almost unusable for the average researcher. Be sure to review the book in detail before purchasing to verify that it has what you're looking for. The glossary is virtually useless. You'll spend a lot of time searching for your answers. Bad usability.
Rating: 
Summary: The new Flash "Bible"!
Review: As a graphic designer, I have always been impressed with Flash's ability to create sophisticated graphics, animations and websites. The problem for most designers, however, is having to cross the inevitable bridge between design and programming. The bane of nearly all designers is having to come to grips with the fact that without Actionscript, your work becomes one-dimensional: neat looking animations, but limited interactivity. Learning Actionscript is the next step towards Flash mastery; and without it, you're cutting yourself short.
Granted, there have been a great number of textbooks, resources and tutorials on actionscript...but finding a resource or reference manual decent enough to teach you a technique you need to know--in language you can understand--is difficult at best.
Until now.
Derek's conversational writing style results in text that is easy to follow and highly informative. Using clear, practical examples, Derek demonstrates key topics such as functions, arrays and dynamically generated content. Finally, a resource that makes it a lot easier to digest and, more importantly, UNDERSTAND Actionscript as it can be used in real-world applications. Try getting that from O'Reilly's...
As an instructor (and also having poured through hundreds of pages of Flash content myself), I can say without hesitation that this book exceeded my expectations. To say that there's a lot to learn in & about Flash is putting it mildly. But Derek has done an incredible job of breaking down the process of working with and coding Actionscript, which made learning code fun!
Bottom line: easy to follow steps (including completed lesson files so you can go back and check your own work), thoughtful explanation of code, and practical examples make this book a "must have" for anyone wanting to dig deeper into Actionscript.
Rating: 
Summary: Some dynamics about Flash
Review: Before reading this book, I was pissed off. All the Flash books out there show you how to create really cool effects and sometimes build rich applications while leaving you out in the dark clueless as to how the code was put together. Although the only shortcoming of this book is its failure to show a real application being assembled, is great for Flashers who are, like me, making their first steps towards acquiring actionScript. Besides showing good examples, it provides the LOGIC (Yes, I am shouting) behind why X has to be like this, and Y to be like that. Most of the examples seem to be game-related. I'd recommend this to a Flasher who considers himself/herself to be a bit intermediate. It can fit beginners in Flash too (beginners who already know how to paint, animate, you know the little things). Need more learn-by-example tutorials, check out www.actionscript.org. It is really worth the money though!
Rating:
Summary: i got the older version of this particular book..
Review: but that book was awesome and great! it teaches KEY fundementals that helps me create the site i want..
so as for the guy who changed up the tutorials for himself before even completing the tutorial.. should try to do the tutorial to the 'T' 1st, and get the basics before going on to alter the project for his own..
the only problem i didnt like bout it was that it covered ASP and not PHP..
Rating:
Summary: Derek does it again!
Review: Derek Franklin and Jobe Makar have written the best introduction to Actionscript out there. As an instructor I have used this book as a course book for students from Boeing, high-end design shops, and other developers with very little knowledge of Actionscript. The authors use excellent visual examples and commentary to reinforce important Actionscript concepts. I also use this book a primer for preparing students for database driven Flash using Flash Remoting. I appreciate the 200 new pages content from this previous edition with updated examples. As an instructor and consultant, I am delighted to recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: I have the previous book, i expected new tutorials...
Review: First the styl of book is great like previous book (Macromedia Flash MX ActionScripting: Advanced Training from the Source) which i have. I was little bit confused if i opened the new book and saw the same tutorials. If you have the Macromedia Flash MX ActionScripting: Advanced Training from the Source than buy rather book from other author to enhance your "tutorial library".
At the end:
I like the Derek Franklin books, but if I buy new book i expect new content, not remake of older book.
If will out newer book of Derek Franklin ( e.g. Macromedia Flash MX 2006 ActionScript: Training from the Source
by Derek Franklin ;) ) I will read choicely the reviews before I buy it.
I any case if You don't have the great previous (Macromedia Flash MX ActionScripting: Advanced Training from the Source), i say BUY IT!
P.S. Sorry for any grammatical errors, I am foreigner and until quite recently I am begann to study English.
Rating:
Summary: A Necessary Resource
Review: Flash 2004 MX has some exciting new features that make it a dominant program and solution in the increasing popularity of today's web market. To grasp these awesome new features, you must learn Actionscript. "Can't I just find instruction and answers in Macromedia's help index?" Quite honestly, no, but there is a resource that will not only help you understand this powerful programming language, but also will guarantee that you learn them the right way: Derek Franklin's Actionscript book "Training from the Source" is one of the best books on the market b/c it goes beyond sharing a bunch of code; it helps you truly understand how to script. Derek's approach is creative, fun, and filled with so much stuff, you'll always find new methods and ways of writing scripts just based on the examples in this book. There's no other book that gives you so much in a simplistic and easy to understand way than this book. If you're new to Actionscripting, this book will build your confidence and give you the skills to become a seasoned scripter. If you're a seasoned verteran or wondering if you should purchase this book even though you have the previous version, the answer is a dramatic, yes. With Actionscript 2.0, Derek will show you how to make the transition from old scripting to the latest version, as well as help you learn the power behind Flash 7.I frequently refer to this book as a resource.If your desire is to learn Flash's robust language and create dynamic websites, this book is a must.
Rating:
Summary: At last, I get it!
Review: For years I labored to teach myself scripting of various kinds. As resources in that endeavor, the O'Reilly books were impenetrably dense and the "Dummies" books were so slight that I didn't feel like I was learning anything I could build on. Then Flash came along, and in a couple of years Actionscript was added. I felt my way through some simple scripts, but still I couldn't cross the threshold into scripting anything particularly useful. With this book, Derek Franklin and Jobe Makar have launched me across that threshold by helping me to learn Actionscript AND to understand it. By the time I had reached page 116 in this 764 page (the Target Paths chapter) I had already learned more about scripting from these pages than I had EVER learned from all the other books I've read on similar subjects. I imagine that the only training sources better than this $45 book are the online courses which can run into the hundreds of dollars per course. As a layperson, if you want to learn Actionscript you would be well-advised to spend time and money on this book.
Rating:
Summary: Advanced programmers should by a "faster" book
Review: I have found this a between bad and reasonable good book.
I have already a few years actionscript-experience and was looking for a book that could help me in the "whats new departement". Actually it has helped me to find out what is new in AS2.0 however the book is to slow for me (and I haven't done the actual lessons, I have only read it) What I mean is that when you have some actionscript experience I think you are better off buying another more advanced book (like object-oriented Actionscript) that helps in the "whats new departement" while you reading it without loosing time on endless explanations of things that speak for itself.
In this book there is one chapter on Object-oriented-programming (which by the way I found to be interesting). So again if you feel up to moving your programming to OOP than don't buy this book.
If you have no or very little experience with AS : buy it, its written for you!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding...even for a moron
Review: I'll be the first to admit I'm too thick for programming. Sure, I can design stuff, but program? But Flash was just too enticing, too fabulously rich in potentials not to jump in with both feet. And Flash without Actionscript is fun, but it's not all that. You won't build much of a web site without AS. So with great trepidation I set forth to teach myself Actionscript, with about as much enthusiasm as I would for learning hieroglyphics, and with about as much chance for success. This book has been great. I've got way more to learn, but the foundation has been perfect. That's my definition of a good instruction book: it teaches you won't you don't know and inspires you to learn more. Probably if you already knew AS to some degree, this book would be pretty tepid. And certainly, if you're not willing to stick with it, this book will frustrate you. Occasionally the authors skim over some stuff that is probably self-evident to all the but most thick-headed designers. I had to back up from time to time to re-familiarize myself with certain concepts; there's a lot of territory covered and the authors will step you through it, but they won't hold your hand. If you're on a Mac one lesson won't work (at least I couldn't get it to work), and you'll need access to a server with ASP capabilities for another, otherwise the execution is flawless. Still, on balance, a perfect beginner and intermediate introduction to AS.
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