User Guide

222 ActionScript language elements
Parameters
variableName:String - An identifier.
Example
The following ActionScript creates a new array of product names.
Array.push adds an
element onto the end of the array. If you want to use strict typing, it is essential that you use
the
var keyword. Without var before product_array, you get errors when you try to use
strict typing.
var product_array:Array = new Array("MX 2004", "Studio", "Dreamweaver",
"Flash", "ColdFusion", "Contribute", "Breeze");
product_array.push("Flex");
trace(product_array);
// output: MX
2004,Studio,Dreamweaver,Flash,ColdFusion,Contribute,Breeze,Flex
while statement
while(condition) { statement(s); }
Evaluates a condition and if the condition evaluates to true, runs a statement or series of
statements before looping back to evaluate the condition again. After the condition evaluates
to
false, the statement or series of statements is skipped and the loop ends.
The
while statement performs the following series of steps. Each repetition of steps 1 through
4 is called an iteration of the loop. The
condition is retested at the beginning of each
iteration, as shown in the following steps:
■ The expression condition is evaluated.
■ If condition evaluates to true or a value that converts to the Boolean value true, such as
a nonzero number, go to step 3. Otherwise, the
while statement is completed and
execution resumes at the next statement after the
while loop.
■ Run the statement block statement(s).
■ Go to step 1.
Looping is commonly used to perform an action while a counter variable is less than a
specified value. At the end of each loop, the counter is incremented until the specified value is
reached. At that point, the
condition is no longer true, and the loop ends.
The curly braces (
{}) used to enclose the block of statements to be executed by the while
statement are not necessary if only one statement will execute.
Availability: ActionScript 1.0; Flash Lite 1.0