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I have been using JS for like 3 years. I want to use OpenFL for making mobile apps. However, I do not know Haxe. And I don't know other programming languages either. However, I am comfortable in learning classes, inheritance, etc....

Also, so far from what I have read, OpenFL is better than Adobe AIR in terms of performance and you need to know Haxe to use OpenFL.

So how can I get started? Are there any good resources? All seem to be tailored toward AS3 developers.

Do I need to understand Flash before i can get into Haxe?

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    I don't have time for a full answer at the moment, but there is a work in progress manual here github.com/Simn/HaxeManual/blob/master/HaxeDoc.pdf?raw=true (PDF) or here github.com/Simn/HaxeManual/blob/master/md/manual (Markdown) ... I was in a similar boat to you a few years back (PHP/JS, and a tiny bit of AS3), I found working through this ref helpful: haxe.org/ref . Using Haxe to target JS can be fairly similar to vanilla JS (use jQuery etc), but for games and the like, OpenFL replicates the Flash API, so knowledge about Sprites, stages, movieclips etc would help Commented Jan 5, 2014 at 3:53
  • after looking at it, it feels like flash...so if i go ahead and learn as3 first...i might be in better position to approach haxe than being a js dev. I'm 100 pages into the book 150 left. MOst of stuff in beginning was just like js, beside object/classes part. Main thing i guz is going to be understanding of apis... Commented Jan 5, 2014 at 4:30
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    To be up-to-date in the haxe world itself, make sure you follow the 'haxe roundups': blog.skialbainn.com there a lot of interesting haxe projects passing by. Commented Jan 6, 2014 at 13:21

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Haxe and OpenFL in general ARE tailored for Flash developer to access more advanced features and improved performance.

While in time of NME most classes had same name as Flash, but a different package. Now, OpenFL has the same packages, class names, methods etc.

Haxe has a very similar syntax to AS3 (and therefore similar to all ECMAscript languages), the only few differences are:

  • Casts
  • Contructors
  • For Loops

and many minor things, like absence of uint, Number is known as Float etc, semicolon is mandatory.

Feel free to look into ActionScript 3, and you'll be able to just right into Haxe development with no problem. Except the differences listed above there are really few differences for beginner, mid-level developers.

In general Haxe is richer as a language, but as some small features that are present in as3 but missing in Haxe (e.g.: no labels for loops, blocks and if statements)

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I wouldn't say that Haxe is tailored for flash development. OpenFL definitely is though ;)

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