Recently, I’ve been handling some Flash (ad) projects done in ActionScript2. I have to admit that while our shop spec is for ActionScript3, my personal practice in it is wanting.
However, when handling an error apparently caused by a bad mc.getURL() request, I found myself wanting AS3. Strict coding and class structures prevent these kinds of errors, throwing exceptions if they occur. While I was trying to figure out why this error is occurring (seems only to happen with the DoubleClick system, on my local tests, everything works fine) I searched for information about the proper form for the request, and found an article with information about the AS3 call. One response to the article, dripping with sarcasm, caught my eye:
I like how it went from a simple code to a huge retared[sic] paragraph of programing…
Nice job Adobe!
Now, the designer in me (yes, I hold a degree in Graphic Design. I use it more than I care to admit, even though I spend most of my day looking at a screen reminiscent of the Matrix.) would have agreed. Neat, simple code behind my flash, that’s what I want. Not a big old try…catch block with exceptions! But the developer in me sees the wisdom here. If this ad had been done in AS3, I’d have a clear explanation of what was going wrong long before I sent it off to the publisher.
Generally speaking, newer specs are improvements, even if they do mean longer code and *gasp* more learning! (Okay, the whole XHTML/HMTL5 debate will have to wait for another day. There are exceptions to every good rule!)