Flash Lite Language

So far in my studies, I have learnt to write in numerous programming languages, such as: Turbo Pascal, Visual Basic, C++ and even Java. The problem was, when I start learning the language I could eventually write it and speak it fluently as if it were my second language. But once I stopped practicing it, I ended up forgetting how to even define the simplest of things like variables.

So looking at the language for Flash Lite brought back some memories, but I already knew that some of the designs which I might want to develop will not come to fruition due to my lack of knowledge (and to some extent, motivation).

So today we had some basic code broken down to us. I found quite thorny to wade my way through all the lines, I figured out what the line was doing more or less, I just couldn’t understand the lingo. I eventually managed to work through the code to understand its core task, all it was simply doing was listening out for any key presses and then taking the user back/forth to the next screen.

// set up

fscommand2("FullScreen", "true");

status = fscommand2("SetSoftKeys", "left", "right");

doStart();

// trap key presses

var globalKeyListener:Object = new Object();

globalKeyListener.onKeyDown = trapKeyDown;

function trapKeyDown():Void {

var keyCode = Key.getCode();

var theFrame = _currentFrame;

trace(keyCode +" / "+theFrame);

switch (keyCode) {

case ExtendedKey.SOFT1 :

switch (theFrame) {

case 2 :

doGame();

break;

case 3 :

doStart();

break;

case 4 :

doStart();

break;

case 5 :

doStart();

}

break;

case ExtendedKey.SOFT2 :

switch (theFrame) {

case 2 :

doExit();

break;

case 3 :

doExit();

break;

case 4 :

doBye();

break;

}

}

}

Key.addListener(globalKeyListener);

function doStart():Void {

gotoAndStop("start");

trace("doStart");

}

function doGame():Void {

gotoAndStop("game");

trace("doGame");

}

function doExit():Void {

gotoAndStop("exit");

trace("doExit");

}

function doBye():Void {

gotoAndStop("bye");

trace ("doBye");

}

My test screens using the code above

I think over the next few days I will concentrate on deciphering the above piece of code till I become a little bit more familiar with the lingo.