Arguments in AS3 - actionscript-3

Question

Is there arguments that work most of the time in AS3? I want a code setup that will works most of the time. Any suggestions?
Books break it down, but don't show how the programmers arrived at their conclusions. This could turn in to a discussion question, but if there's a secret I want to know.
WHAT I'M AFTER
- an argument structure
- learn a process to perform function calls
- expand variables beyond my "20 lines of code"
- manage variables, events, and functions systematically
2 examples that do the same thing, but are structured different "go figure"
//Example #1 "move the ball"
addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, onLoop, false, 0, true);
function onLoop(evt:Event):void{
ball1.x += 5;
}
//Example #1 "move the ball"
function moveBall(e:Event):void {
ball2.x += 5;
}
ball2.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME,moveBall);
The if...else argument "ball loop"
//growing collection of arguments
addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME,myEnterFrame);
function myEnterFrame(event:Event) {
if (ball.x>800) {
ball.x=-160;
} else {
ball.x+=5;
}
}
DIFFERENT WAY OF DOING IT "from Adobe livedocs"
EQUIVILANT BOOLEANS
var flag:Boolean = true;
var flag:Boolean = new Boolean(true);
var flag:Boolean = Boolean(true);
EQUIVILANT STRINGS
var str:String = new String("foo");
var str:String = "foo";
var str:String = String("foo");
COMMENT
a functional style like lambda calculus would be a good example "more math less syntax and class structures"
EVENT LISTENERS
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/actionscript/articles/event_handling_as3.html

Answer 1

I would suggest you read up on event handlers on Adobe's site. http://www.adobe.com/livedocs/flash/9.0/main/wwhelp/wwhimpl/common/html/wwhelp.htm?context=LiveDocs_Parts&file=00000139.html
From the site, here is the function definition of addEventListener:
function addEventListener(eventName:String,
listener:Object,
useCapture:Boolean=false,
priority:Integer=0,
useWeakReference:Boolean=false):Boolean;
The last three arguments have default values (false, 0, false) so those can be left out when you call the function. The first two arguments are always required.
I think that the rest of your question would be best answered by learning about object oriented programming in AS3. Here is one guide: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/actionscript/articles/oop_as3.html

Answer 2

Actually, many developers prefer to set useWeakReference to true, which requires that you plug in all five arguments into event listeners. The reason is that that way the listener doesn't hold a reference to the target that would prevent garbage collection - it's a memory management technique. Most really good AS3 devs will tell you to always use all five arguments, just to get to that point.
Also, generally speaking it's better to use a literal when you can. "text" instead of new String("text"), true instead of new Boolean(true). Complex reasons, but there's your short answer.
The answers to a lot of these questions can be found here, which is a document that attempts to standardize AS3 coding conventions. It's worth reading over!