ActionScript Developer Hiring Guide

Hiring Guide for ActionScript Engineers

Ask the right questions to secure the right ActionScript talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

ActionScript is a powerful object-oriented programming language, primarily used for website and software development. Introduced by Macromedia in 2000, it was later developed and maintained by Adobe Systems, following their acquisition of Macromedia in 2005. ActionScript is extensively used in the Adobe Flash Player platform for creating interactive multimedia applications and video games. The language has evolved through three major versions, with ActionScript 3.0, released in 2006, being the most recent and widely-used version. It's known for its robustness, flexibility, and its compatibility with various platforms and devices.

First 20 minutes

General ActionScript knowledge and experience

The next 20 minutes of the interview should attempt to focus more specifically on the development questions used, and the level of depth and skill the engineer possesses.

What are the different types of loops in ActionScript?

ActionScript supports several types of loops, including 'for', 'for-in', 'for-each', and 'while' loops.

How would you create a function in ActionScript?

In ActionScript, you can create a function using the 'function' keyword, followed by the function name, parameters within parentheses, and the function body within curly braces. For example, 'function myFunction(param1:String):void { // function body }'.

Describe the difference between '==' and '===' operators in ActionScript.

The '==' operator checks for equality of values, performing type coercion if necessary. The '===' operator, on the other hand, checks for both value and type equality, without performing type coercion.

What are the primitive data types in ActionScript?

The primitive data types in ActionScript are Number, String, Boolean, undefined, null, int, and uint.

How would you declare a variable in ActionScript?

You can declare a variable in ActionScript using the 'var' keyword, followed by the variable name and its type. For example, 'var myVariable:String;' declares a variable named 'myVariable' of type String.

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What youre looking for early-on

Does the candidate show a willingness to learn and adapt?

The technology field is constantly evolving, so it's important for the candidate to be open to learning new skills and adapting to changes.

Is the candidate able to work under pressure and meet deadlines?

This is important as the candidate will often need to work on tight schedules and handle multiple tasks.

How well does the candidate communicate?

Good communication skills are important for understanding project requirements and working effectively with a team.

Does the candidate have experience with similar projects?

Previous experience with similar projects can indicate that the candidate is capable of handling the tasks that will be assigned to them.

Has the candidate demonstrated problem-solving skills?

These skills are important as the candidate will need to troubleshoot and solve issues that arise during development.

Does the candidate have a strong understanding of ActionScript?

This is crucial as the candidate must have a comprehensive knowledge of ActionScript to perform the job effectively.

Next 20 minutes

Specific ActionScript development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should attempt to focus more specifically on the development questions used, and the level of depth and skill the engineer possesses.

How would you create a custom event in ActionScript?

To create a custom event in ActionScript, you would need to create a new class that extends the Event class and add any additional properties or methods that are needed for your custom event.

Describe the difference between Event Bubbling and Event Capturing in ActionScript.

Event Bubbling is the process where an event starts from the target element and goes upwards to the root of the DOM tree. Event Capturing is the opposite, it starts from the root and goes downwards to the target element.

What are the different types of events in ActionScript?

ActionScript supports various types of events, including MouseEvent, KeyboardEvent, TimerEvent, IOErrorEvent, ProgressEvent, and many more.

How would you handle exceptions in ActionScript?

In ActionScript, exceptions can be handled using 'try-catch-finally' blocks. The 'try' block contains the code that might throw an exception, the 'catch' block contains the code to handle the exception, and the 'finally' block contains the code that is executed regardless of whether an exception is thrown or not.

Describe the difference between a static method and an instance method in ActionScript.

A static method belongs to the class itself and can be called without creating an instance of the class. An instance method, on the other hand, belongs to an instance of the class and requires an object of the class to be invoked.

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The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the ActionScript engineer at this point.

By this point, a skilled ActionScript engineer should have demonstrated a profound understanding of the language, problem-solving abilities, and good communication skills. Red flags would include a lack of knowledge about OOP principles, inability to write clean and scalable code, or struggles with explaining complex concepts clearly.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with ActionScript.

What does the following ActionScript code do?

var myString:String = 'Hello, World!';
trace(myString);

This code declares a string variable named 'myString', assigns it the value 'Hello, World!', and then outputs this value to the console.

What will be the output of the following ActionScript code?

var num1:int = 10;
var num2:int = 20;
trace(num1 + num2);

The output of this code will be '30'. It adds the integer values of 'num1' and 'num2' and then outputs the result to the console.

What does the following ActionScript code do?

var myArray:Array = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
myArray.reverse();
trace(myArray);

This code declares an array 'myArray', reverses the order of its elements using the 'reverse' method, and then outputs the reversed array to the console.

What does the following ActionScript code do?

import flash.utils.Timer;
import flash.events.TimerEvent;

var myTimer:Timer = new Timer(1000, 5);
myTimer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, onTimer);
myTimer.start();

function onTimer(event:TimerEvent):void {
  trace('Timer ticked.');
}

This code creates a Timer object that ticks every second for 5 times. Each time the timer ticks, it triggers an event listener function 'onTimer' which outputs 'Timer ticked.' to the console.

What does the following ActionScript code do?

class MyClass {
  private var myVar:String;

  public function MyClass(input:String) {
    myVar = input;
  }

  public function getVar():String {
    return myVar;
  }
}

This code defines a class 'MyClass' with a private string variable 'myVar'. It has a constructor that takes a string as input and assigns it to 'myVar', and a public method 'getVar' that returns the value of 'myVar'.

What will be the output of the following ActionScript code?

var myObject:Object = {name:'John', age:30, city:'New York'};
for (var key:String in myObject) {
  trace(key + ': ' + myObject[key]);
}

The output of this code will be 'name: John', 'age: 30', and 'city: New York'. It iterates over the properties of 'myObject' and outputs each property name and its corresponding value to the console.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for ActionScript role questions

The final few interview questions for a ActionScript candidate should typically focus on a combination of technical skills, personal goals, growth potential, team dynamics, and company culture.

Describe the difference between early binding and late binding in ActionScript.

Early binding, or static typing, is when the data type of a variable is known at compile time. Late binding, or dynamic typing, is when the data type of a variable is known only at runtime.

What are the different types of polymorphism in ActionScript?

ActionScript supports several types of polymorphism, including subtype polymorphism (or inclusion polymorphism), parametric polymorphism (or generics), and coercion polymorphism.

How would you implement inheritance in ActionScript?

Inheritance in ActionScript can be implemented using the 'extends' keyword. For example, 'class ChildClass extends ParentClass' would mean that ChildClass inherits from ParentClass.

Describe the difference between an Array and a Vector in ActionScript.

An Array is a dynamic collection that can hold any type of data. A Vector, on the other hand, is a type-safe and performance-optimized collection that can only hold data of a specific type.

What are the different types of collections in ActionScript?

ActionScript supports several types of collections, including Array, Vector, and Dictionary.

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ActionScript application related

Product Perfect's ActionScript development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your ActionScript engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in ActionScript projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.