User Guide

5
CHAPTER 1
Extending Fireworks Overview
To extend Macromedia Fireworks MX 2004, you must write JavaScript code. You can use
JavaScript to write your own objects and commands that affect Fireworks documents and the
elements within them. To accomplish these tasks, you must be proficient in JavaScript and
in Fireworks.
This guide introduces the Fireworks Object Model, explains how to write cross-product
extensions (extensions written in, or for, other Macromedia applications), and discusses the
JavaScript Auto Shape construction. The final chapter is a reference to the Fireworks JavaScript
application programming interface (API)—the custom JavaScript functions that are built
into Fireworks.
Prerequisites
Because Fireworks extensions must be written in JavaScript, this guide assumes that readers are
familiar with JavaScript syntax and with basic programming concepts such as functions,
arguments, and data types. It also assumes that readers understand the concept of working with
objects and properties. This guide does not attempt to teach programming in general or
JavaScript in particular.
Anyone who wants to extend Fireworks should have a good JavaScript reference to help with
syntax questions (for example, is it
substring() or subString()?). Useful JavaScript references
include JavaScript Bible by Danny Goodman (IDG), JavaScript: The Definitive Guide by David
Flanagan (O’Reilly), and Pure JavaScript by R. Allen Wyke, Jason D. Gilliam, and Charlton Ting
(Sams). For a free JavaScript reference, see: http://devedge.netscape.com/library/manuals/2000/
javascript/1.5/reference.