The Bookshelf
One of the things I love to do is read. I’m a book junky always looking for my next big fix. Here is a cherry picked list of books I think every Flash developer should have on their bookshelf. I’m always looking for good recommendations so let me know if there’s something I should check out.
So far I’m starting off with three books but I’ll add more as time goes on and I find time to right up appropriate reviews so check back here from time-to-time.
Head First Design Patterns
Authors: Elisabeth Freeman, Eric Freeman, Bert Bates, Kathy Sierra
This is probably my favorite book on my bookself which I’ve read cover-to-cover more than once. Be warned, the book was written for Java but that said it’s very easy to follow if you don’t know Java. I’ve ported all of the code samples in this book to ActionScript 2.0 without a problem and will be posting the code on my blog over time so keep an eye out for it. What makes this book great is three fold. First, the writing is fun and witty so its an enjoyable read you’ll likely read again and again. Second, even someone with no OOP experience will be coding like a OOP champ at the completion of this book. Lastly, the code examples and patterns build gradually through the chapters so they are very easy to follow and understand. You’ll no longer be intimidated by concepts like singletons, coupling, factories, inhertence, composition as well as complex patterns like the Model View Controller (MVC).
Essential ActionScript 2.0
Author: Colin Moock
This is one of my favorite books which I refer to very often. It gets down to the core of the ActionScript language with excellent rationalle and strong code examples. The last few chapters go in-depth on applying practical design patterns to your Flash programming including MVC. Master the concepts in this book and you’ll earn yourself a fat pay raise. When I go to the bookstore the first thing I look to see is if Colin has a new book out and certainly a sequel to this one.
Macromedia Flash 8 Bible
Author: Robert Reinhardt
Robert’s Macromedia Flash 8 Bible is likely the most comprehensive book you can buy on Flash 8. This book is an excellent starting point for someone who is new to Flash.
Extending Macromedia Flash MX 2004
Authors: Todd Yard, Keith Peters
One neat thing about Flash’s IDE is it’s extensibility. If you’re missing a tool or command that would make you more efficient just write it yourself. Todd and Keith do a terrific and comprehensive job at covering everything you need to know to extend Flash. The book has great examples on tools, behaviors and commands using Flash JavaScript and XML.