The constant NaN (not a number) can come up in a lot of situations. In AS3 it’s the default value of a Number field, it’s the result of division by zero in AS2, AS3, and JavaScript, and you can get it in a number of other ways. This article is about the reality of dealing with NaN.
Archive for June, 2009
Uses for arguments
Jun 26
The arguments magic variable has been around since the AS2 days. It used to be more useful than it is in AS3, but don’t overlook it completely!
Clearing an Array or Vector
Jun 24
There are many ways to clear an Array or Vector. I’m tired of seeing the foolish ones. Read this and make sure you’re not doing anything foolish:
Two Kinds of Casts
Jun 22
AS3 has two ways you can typecast a variable. These ways are not equivalent. Let’s take a look at how they differ:
Everything’s a Function
Jun 19
The function call operator () is one of the most straightforward, well-understood, and universal operators in all of programming. Let’s see how AS3 can butcher it:
Details of toString()
Jun 17
When an object is converted to a String, it is first checked for a toString() method. But there are subtleties to this that you may not have considered.
The Type-Safety of Vectors
Jun 15
I really want to like Vectors, the new typed array functionality in Flash 10. In fact, I use it as often as I can. But there are some really awkward things about it that make it a pain. Here are some gotchas:
Spot The Problem
Jun 12
You could probably do this in most languages and it might be hard to spot. See for yourself.
Null and Undefined
Jun 10
Usually languages just have one way to specify “no value”. Call it null or nil or whatever you’d like, but AS3 and JavaScript have two: null and undefined. Here’s a little bit to help you understand when and why you’ll come across the two as well as some tricky differences between them.
The Magic of is
Jun 8
By now you’ve certainly heard of the is operator in AS3. It’s the replacement for instanceof in AS2. But the two are not the same! Don’t make this mistake…
