Attaching code to objects

Avoid attaching ActionScript to objects in a FLA file, even in simple SWF files. (Only ActionScript 1.0 and 2.0. can be attached to objects; ActionScript 3.0 cannot.) Attaching code to an object means that you select a movie clip, component, or button instance; open the Actions panel; and add ActionScript using the on() or onClipEvent() handler functions.

Attaching ActionScript code to objects is strongly discouraged for the following reasons:

• It is difficult to locate, and the FLA files are difficult to edit.

• It is difficult to debug.

• ActionScript that is written on the timeline or in classes is more elegant and easier to build upon.

• It encourages poor coding style.

• The contrast between two styles of coding can be confusing to people learning ActionScript; it forces students and readers to learn different coding styles, additional syntax, and a poor and limited coding style.

  Avoid attaching ActionScript 2.0 to a button called myButton_btn, which looks like the following:

  on (release) {
  	//do something
  }

  However, placing ActionScript 2.0 with the same purpose on the timeline (which is encouraged), looks like the following code:

  myButton_btn.onRelease = function() {
  	//do something
  };

  Note: Different practices apply when using behaviors, which sometimes involves attaching code to objects.