Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:14:12 -0600 (CST)
   From: Mark Jacobson <jacobson@math-cs.cns.uni.edu>
     To: 810-088-09-spring@uni.edu
Subject: [810-088-09-SPRING] Quiz Two Wednesday...

Hi Flash students,

      On Wednesday, we will have quiz two.

*** Practice question #1:

    Write the Actionscript code for a STOP button that would
cause the animation of the main timeline to pause or stop.

    Answer:    on (release)  {
                  stop();            <---- is the ; required?  Yes!
               }

*** Practice question #2:

     Write the ActionScript code to start up an animation that
     was stopped.  Assume the actionscript code is for a BUTTON.

      on (release)  {

          play();           <----- are the ()s required?  Yes!

      }

*** Practice question #3:

      How do you quickly get to the ActionScript code window, or just
      as quickly hide that window when you need to get it out of the
      way again?  (What Keystroke or key is the shortcut?)

Besides the words release and play(); or stop(); and on
                   -------     -------    -------     --

     what other syntax elements are required and always found in
     programming for a BUTTON release event in ActionScript 2.0?

     You need a pair of parenteses, i.e. ( and ).

     Where do they go?

     After the

          on (someMouseEvent)      i.e.   on (release)

     what do you need?

     Brace yourself for this, you need braces, curly braces.

     {    }  are the package for the statements to be performed
             when the used releases the mouse button.

     on ( release )  {         <------------ opening brace

        whatever things are to be done go here, between the braces...
        ActionScript statements like
                              play(); stop();
                              this.theCar.rearWheel.play();
                              gotoAndPlay(1); gotoAndStop(10);
                              getURL("http://www.uni.edu"), etc.

     }                          <------------ closing brace


     A more concrete example, from today's handout on Cars
        with RotatingWheel objects that go round and round.

     on ( release )  {         <------------ opening brace

        stop();

        this.theCar.frontTire.stop();
        this.theCar.backTire.stop();

     }                          <------------ closing brace


     So basically, all you have to remember to be able to write
a very simple actionscript for a button is:

     on starts if off.  on is a keyword in Flash ActionScript.
     --

     2 ()s are needed, or rather one pair of ()s is needed.

     2 {} are needed, to package all of the statements that are
                      to be performed when the button has a
                      mouse RELEASEd on it.

     Between the braces are statements, of which you only have to know
     two for quiz two.   play(); and stop();
                         -------     -------

     7 characters each in play(); and in stop();

     2 statements, 14 characters...    play();  stop();

     2/14 is Valentine's Day, so how is that for a way to focus and help
                                                   you remember the code.

                                                -------
     Between the ()s is just one word, the word release
                                                -------

     on (release) {

        statements ending in semicolons, most of which
        always end with ();, like
                                  play();
                                  stop();
     }

     release means release of the mouse button, which is when you let it up
             on the stopButton or the goButton or the stopWheelsOnlyButton.

     on (press) {

     }                could also be used instead of on (release) {
                                                    }

*** Practice question #4:

     Explain the difference between a mask layer and a masked layer.

     T or F  What you draw on the mask layer will hide whatever is
             underneath it in the masked layer.

     --------------------------------------------------------------------
     This is enough of a study guide for quiz two.  See you on Wednesday.

     Be sure to review http://www.cs.uni.edu/~jacobson/flash/ often.

     There are lots of new links and material up there.

     Mark