Date: Fri, 04 Apr 2008 22:11:34 -0600 (CST)
   From: Mark Jacobson <jacobson@math-cs.cns.uni.edu>
     To: 810-088-09-spring@uni.edu
Subject: Friday 04/04 ActionScript and Flash...

Hi Flash students,

        Ironically, on 04/04 we discussed the usefulness of the
for statement, which seems poetically to be
      what the 4th day
        of the 4th month is especially
      suitable for.

Here  is the ActionScript 3.0 code we used in the first half of class:

         http://www.cs.uni.edu/~jacobson/flash/raceEm.txt

And here is the ActionScript 3.0 code we transformed that into to show the 
usefulness of Arrays and for loops.

         http://www.cs.uni.edu/~jacobson/flash/raceEm2.txt

-----------------------------------------------------------------
function raceEm(evt:Event):void {       // Without any ARRAYS
    r1.x += Math.random()*12;
    r2.x += Math.random()*12;
    r3.x += Math.random()*12;
    r4.x += Math.random()*12;

    if (r1.x > finish.x || r2.x > finish.x ||
        r3.x > finish.x || r4.x > finish.x) {
            tmr.stop();
    }
}
-----------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------
var r:Array = new Array();     // WITH ARRAYS and FOR loop raceEm2.txt

r[0] = r1;
r[1] = r2;
r[2] = r3;
r[3] = r4;

function race(evt:Event) {
     for (var i:int = 0; i < 4; i++) {
        r[i].x += Math.random() * 21;
     }

     for (i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
        if (r[i].x > finish.x) {
           tmr.stop();           // determine the winner NOT DONE
        }                        // Need to report who won for very close race.
    }
}
-------------------------------------------------------------


     On Monday, we will go over a more fully developed version of this.

function race(evt:Event):void {
     ...
     ...   as shown above
     ...

     for (i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
         if (r[i].x > finish.x) {
            reportWinner();   // <-- reportWinner() will be a new function...
            exit();
         }
     }
}

function reportWinner() {

     tmr.stop();

     Additional code to determine who came in first and somehow convey that
     to the user of the rectangle race software.
         Could have the winning rectangle start up a victory celebration
           animation, perhaps, for one example.

}

     We will, of course, talk about and do some exercises and answer 
question related to the take home quiz that is due on Wednesday.

     http://www.cs.uni.edu/~jacobson/flash

     Mark