Differences between ActionScript and JavaScript

ActionScript is similar to the core JavaScript programming language. You don't need to know JavaScript to use and learn ActionScript; however, if you know JavaScript, ActionScript will appear familiar.

This manual does not attempt to teach general programming. There are many resources that provide more information about general programming concepts and the JavaScript language.

• The European Computers Manufacturers Association (ECMA) document ECMA-262 is derived from JavaScript and serves as the international standard for the JavaScript language. ActionScript is based on the ECMA-262 specification.
• Netscape DevEdge Online has a JavaScript Developer Central site (http://developer.netscape.com/tech/javascript/index.html) that contains documentation and articles useful for understanding ActionScript. The most valuable resource is the Core JavaScript Guide.

Some of the differences between ActionScript and JavaScript are as follows:.

• ActionScript does not support browser-specific objects such as Document, Window, and Anchor.
• ActionScript does not completely support all the JavaScript built-in objects.
• ActionScript does not support some JavaScript syntax constructs, such as statement labels.
• In ActionScript, the eval() action can perform only variable references.