Editing ActionScript (section)

{{Short description|Object-oriented programming language created for the Flash multimedia platform}}
{{for|the endpoint management interface|IBM BigFix#Action Script{{!}}IBM BigFix § Action Script}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2013}}
{{Infobox programming language
| name = ActionScript
| logo = ActionScript icon.png
| paradigm = [[Multi-paradigm]]: [[Object-oriented programming|object-oriented]] ([[Prototype-based programming|prototype-based]]), [[Functional programming|functional]], [[Imperative programming|imperative]], [[Scripting language|scripting]]
| family = [[ECMAScript]]
| released = {{Start date and age|1998}}
| designer = [[Gary Grossman]]
| developer = [[Macromedia]] (now merged into [[Adobe Inc.|Adobe Systems]])
| latest release version = 3.0
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2006|06|27}}
| typing = [[Strong and weak typing|strong]], [[static typing|static]]
| implementations = [[Adobe Flash Player]], [[Adobe AIR]], [[Apache Flex]], [[Scaleform GFx]]
| scope = [[Scope (computer science)|lexical]]
| influenced by = [[HyperTalk]], [[JavaScript]], [[Java (programming language)|Java]]
| influenced = [[Haxe]], [[TypeScript]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Gary |date=28 April 2020 |title=How ActionScript foreshadowed TypeScript |url=https://javascript.plainenglish.io/how-actionscript-foreshadowed-typescript-149cdb764de9 |access-date=9 July 2022 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref>
}}
{{Infobox file format
| name          = ActionScript
| extension     = .as
| mime          = application/ecmascript<ref>{{IETF RFC|4329}} (limit compatible with EcmaScript)</ref>
}}

'''ActionScript''' is an [[Object-oriented programming|object-oriented]] [[programming language]] originally developed by [[Macromedia]] Inc. (later acquired by [[Adobe Inc.|Adobe]]). It is influenced by [[HyperTalk]], the scripting language for [[HyperCard]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/government/apples-lost-decade-hypercard-and-what-might-not-have-been-if-apple-then-was-like-apple-is-today/10185|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110421072519/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/government/apples-lost-decade-hypercard-and-what-might-not-have-been-if-apple-then-was-like-apple-is-today/10185|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 21, 2011|title=Apple's lost decade, HyperCard, and what might NOT have been if Apple then was like Apple is today|work=[[ZDNet]]|date=2011-04-17|access-date=2014-12-04}}</ref> It is now an implementation of [[ECMAScript]] (meaning it is a superset of the syntax and semantics of the language more widely known as [[JavaScript]]), though it originally arose as a sibling, both being influenced by HyperTalk. ActionScript code is usually converted to [[bytecode]] format by a [[compiler]].

ActionScript is used primarily for the development of websites and software targeting the [[Adobe Flash]] platform, originally finding use on [[web page]]s in the form of embedded [[SWF]] files.

ActionScript 3 is also used with the [[Adobe AIR]] system for the development of desktop and mobile applications. The language itself is [[open-source]] in that its specification is offered free of charge<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://help.adobe.com/livedocs/specs/actionscript/3/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm |title=ActionScript 3 Language Specification |access-date=November 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327122455/http://help.adobe.com/livedocs/specs/actionscript/3/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm |archive-date=March 27, 2017 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> and both an open-source compiler (as part of [[Apache Flex]]) and open-source virtual machine ([[Tamarin (software)|Tamarin]]) are available.

ActionScript was also used with [[Scaleform GFx]] for the development of three-dimensional video-game user interfaces and [[heads up display]]s.