What is needed?

[Ruffnekk]

I'd like to get started on Flash programming, but can you advise me on what I would need (software/tools)?

Thanks!

[mouser]

There are some reasonable open source flash actionscript ide stuff.. i think some links are posted in the dev corner thread..  this section could benefit from some links so if you find some please do post the links.

[Arjen]

This article gives a nice introduction on how to get started with programming in Flash with open source tools (Eclipse IDE, MTASC compiler and others).

I just installed it myself yesterday. I promised mouser a while ago to post something on the MTASC compiler, so maybe this is the right occassion? :-}

[Ruffnekk]

This article gives a nice introduction on how to get started with programming in Flash with open source tools (Eclipse IDE, MTASC compiler and others).

I just installed it myself yesterday. I promised mouser a while ago to post something on the MTASC compiler, so maybe this is the right occassion? :-}

Okay that went well, but I run into one problem: I have to have access to the Macromedia Flash core classes. Any suggestion how I can get this without buying Macromedia Flash?

[Arjen]

You can use all the "basic" ActionScript classes with MTASC.

If you want to use the MX components (GUI components etc.) you need to have a license. If you want to build a GUI in Flash you could use an open source alternative like AsWing.

You can view or download all the Flash documentation here. I recommend downloading the ActionScript language reference!

[tinjaw]

If you want to build a GUI in Flash you could use an open source alternative like AsWing.

I have used OpenLaszlo with some success in the past. You may want to look into for building GUIs.

OpenLaszlo programs are written in XML and JavaScript and transparently compiled to Flash and, with OpenLaszlo 4, DHTML. The OpenLaszlo APIs provide animation, layout, data binding, server communication, and declarative UI. An OpenLaszlo application can be as short as a single source file, or factored into multiple files that define reusable classes and libraries.