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There are so many errors and typos in their code, many of them not even fixed on the website's errata, that as you're working along side by side you'll be constantly confused as to why your code isn't working.I don't know what guide is better, it's well suited for my experience level, but the amount of errors is just too much to be acceptable. What good are they doing you showing how to write actionscript 3.0 code when they can't even write the proper code.
I followed this book with _Essential ActionScript 3.0_ by Colin Moock. I did a little bit of floundering in ActionScript before I got this book. _Learning ActionScript 3.0: A Beginner's Guide_ Is excellent, far superior to the other books I tried to start with. I wouldn't have made it through Moock's book if I hadn't started here. This was the resource I was looking for. It is truly an introduction, but goes fairly deep into the language with good examples and clear presentation.
If the novice is looking for point and shoot solutions, they should look elsewhere, but if they are willing to endure a bit of brain strain, they will get and excellent look at the big picture an will end up being very well equipped for handling advanced projects. While this is excellent book, this is actually "a beginners guide" for ActionScript 3, and may not be the best choice for complete novices with ActionScript in general.
Document Class is a new feature in Actionscript 3, and this documentation spends 4 pages on it. I had to download their source files to figure out what I could, but I still have to go elsewhere to understand the Document Class. There are a lot of good things about this book. Your flash file won't run without proper use of the Document Class so this lack of coverage is a killer. How does an omission like this happen. Concisely written, I like the step by step approach to covering topics. But I can't give it above a 3-star review because it really drops the ball in its coverage of the NEW Document Class.
The only problem I have with the book is that it is inconsistent in referencing the downloadable files. I came to Flash from a procedural programming background. For the most part the files are organized such that it is not too difficult to figure out which one to use, but this seems like a simple edit that could have been added to the book. Sometimes it tells you exactly which file contains the code, sometimes it doesn't even tell you there is a file. I took one class to learn the Flash interface but still felt confused about using Actionscript. Of all the Actionscript resources I have read, this is the one with the most clear explanations and that goes at about the right pace for me.
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