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Programmers and developers using Macromedia's Director multimedia software need to speak the Lingo to get the most from its highly defined control mechanisms.
A programming language designed with multimedia in mind, learning Lingo can be an interesting experience, especially for those who rely on the online documentation and barely-useful manuals provided by Macromedia as standard.
Covering versions from 5 to 6.5 it may seem that this tome is already out of date (given that the software is already at version seven) but nothing could be further from the truth. According to the author, many of the new features touted in v7 were made available in 6.5 and his personal Web site is kept up to date with any amendments and additions necessary to keep the book fresh.
In six segments, Lingo in a Nutshell guides users of all abilities through the world of Lingo, covering event-driven programming data types, debugging hints ands tips information on behaviours ands Xtras, surpassing the vast majority of printed resources then kicking sand in their respective faces.
There's so much information in here that it's difficult to take it all in, and this forms only 50 per cent of author Bruce Epstein's Director experience. A companion volume, Director in a Nutshell is also available which takes a longer look at the whole Director design interface as well as providing more background to the Lingo language.
Irrespective of your programming ability there's something here for all users, the chapter of undocumented Lingo commands being particularly useful(not to say interesting). If you're a Lingo user there's only book you should buy this year, and it's this one.
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Once again, O'Reilly scores big with a comprehensive treatment of a programming language that doesn't spend much time teaching the fundamentals.
Lingo in a Nutshell sets a benchmark for Lingo documentation that no other book or online resource meets.
Lingo in a Nutshell has to do with behind-the-scenes aspects of Lingo, including file management, data structures, loops, conditionals, and event handlers. Simply put, this book treats Lingo as a programming language, rather than merely as a piece of Macromedia Director. The coverage you'll find in Lingo in a Nutshell backs up the more obviously practical material found in this book's companion volume, Director in a Nutshell. This book also features an excellent chapter called "How Lingo Thinks," which explains how the various pieces of a Lingo-controlled presentation fit together.
Like most Nutshell books, Lingo in a Nutshell includes a very good language reference in addition to its tutorial and explanatory materials. Listing Lingo's enumerated values, keywords, and commands in full--including some otherwise undocumented ones--this reference makes it easy to locate the information you need as you write programs. The only minor drawback of this book is that it doesn't cover the changes made to Lingo in the newly released Director 7. --David Wall
