Foundation Flex For Developers

In Foundation Flex for Developers, Sas Jacobs explores in detail how to create professional data-centric Flex 2 and Flex 3 applications. In the first half of the book, she starts off with a brief exploration of Flex and ActionScript 3.0, before looking at application essentials in detail, including creating custom components, user and web browser interactions, binding, formatting and validating data, debugging, and more. The second half of the book focuses on connecting Flex to data sources and covers XML, Flex Data Services, PHP, ASP.NET, and ColdFusion in detail, via a series of step-by-step case studies.

This book details how to customize the look and feel of Flex applications. It takes you through how to customize style and layouts using CSS; how to bring design assets into Flex from applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, and Flash; how to spice up your design work with some handy ActionScript 3.0 techniques; and even a look forward to designing hybrid desktop/web applications with Flex and AIR. It culminates with several design-oriented case studies, including a video picker application, picture gallery, customer service site, and more.

Provides information on building internet applications using Flex Builder 3 along with ActionScript 3.0.

XML is the lingua franca of the Web. All designers and developers working in a web environment need a sound understanding of XML and its role in application development. Many software packages and organizations allow for the exchange of data using an XML format. Web services and RSS feeds are now commonplace. For those working with Flash and Flex, a thorough understanding of XML is particularly important. XML documents are one option for the data provided to SWF applications. Flash and Flex can load, display, and modify XML content. These applications can also send XML content to other applications for updating or for use in different situations. ActionScript 3.0 introduced some fundamental changes to the way in which Flash and Flex applications work with XML. One significant change is that XML is now a native data type. ActionScript 3.0 also introduced new classes and a different framework for working with external documents. These changes are based on the E4X ECMAScript standard, and they streamline and simplify the process for working with XML in Flash and Flex. In Foundation XML and E4X for Flash and Flex, Sas Jacobs gives you an introduction to XML and E4X. She explores the XML and XMLList classes and explains E4X expressions, providing examples for both Flash and Flex. In addition to explaining how to incorporate XML documents in Shockwave Flash applications, Sas shows you approaches specific to Flash and Flex and explores real-world usage. The book finishes with two case studies. In the first, you will learn how to consume and display information and images from Flickr using Flash. In the second, you will work with Adobe Kuler in Flex. Whether you are a designer or developer, this book will help you work with XML and make the transition from ActionScript 2.0 to ActionScript 3.0. It will also provide you with an excellent grounding if you are new to Flash and Flex.

Well before Ajax and Microsoft's Windows Presentation Foundation hit the scene, Macromedia offered the first method for building web pages with the responsiveness and functionality of desktop programs with its Flash-based "Rich Internet Applications". Now, new owner Adobe is taking Flash and its powerful capabilities beyond the Web and making it a full-fledged development environment. Rather than focus on theory, the ActionScript 3.0 Cookbook concentrates on the practical application of ActionScript, with more than 300 solutions you can use to solve a wide range of common coding dilemmas. You'll find recipes that show you how to: Detect the user's Flash Player version or their operating system Build custom classes Format dates and currency types Work with strings Build user interface components Work with audio and video Make remote procedure calls using Flash Remoting and web services Load, send, and search XML data And much, much more ... Each code recipe presents the Problem, Solution, and Discussion of how you can use it in other ways or personalize it for your own needs, and why it works. You can quickly locate the recipe that most closely matches your situation and get the solution without reading the whole book to understand the underlying code. Solutions progress from short recipes for small problems to more complex scripts for thornier riddles, and the discussions offer a deeper analysis for resolving similar issues in the future, along with possible design choices and ramifications. You'll even learn how to link modular ActionScript pieces together to create rock-solid solutions for Flex 2 and Flash applications. When you're not sure how ActionScript 3.0 works or how to approach a specific programming dilemma, you can simply pick up the book, flip to the relevant recipe(s), and quickly find the solution you're looking for. Adobe Developer Library is a co-publishing partnership between O'Reilly Media and Adobe Systems, Inc. and is designed to produce the number one information resources for developers who use Adobe technologies. Created in 2006, the Adobe Developer Library is the official source for comprehensive learning solutions to help developers create expressive and interactive web applications that can reach virtually anyone on any platform. With top-notch books and innovative online resources covering the latest in rich Internet application development, the Adobe Developer Library offers expert training and in-depth resources, straight from the source.

Taking a hands-on learning approach, Foundation iPhone App Development: Build An iPhone App in 5 Days with iOS 6 SDK quickly enables existing programmers to become familiar and comfortable coding Objective-C using Xcode 4.5, Storyboarding and the iOS 6 SDK to create apps for the iPhone. Nick Kuh, an experienced, Apple award-winning developer, will teach readers how to build an iOS 6 iPhone app from start to finish in 5 days. During a 5-day process you will learn how to build a professional, custom-designed, object-oriented iPhone App. You’ll start with a PhotoShop PSD design and an app idea. Then, throughout the remainder of the book, Nick will guide you through each stage of building the app. But it’s you who will build the app. You will learn how to think like an app developer, how to turn an idea into a beautiful iPhone app. In addition to the code and programming practices introduced, the book includes numerous tips, tricks and lessons learned to help new iPhone App developers succeed on the App Store: SEO, in-app marketing approaches and how to win more 5 star reviews. The 5-day learning process is divided into the following key stages: Day 1 begins with the initial planning, paper prototyping and Photoshop design phases of an app idea. You’ll learn how to provision your iOS apps for deployment to your iPhone. By the end of your first day you’ll get to learn on the job, creating an Object-Oriented Black Jack Game that implements the Model View Controller paradigm in Objective C. Day 2 is all about Storyboarding: creating and connecting all of the user interface views of our app. Day 3 begins with table views and data population. By the end of the third day you’ll be knee-deep in Core Data: building a data model and creating an editable, persistent data storage solution for your app. By Day 4 you’ll be learning how to communicate with Facebook using Apple’s new Social framework introduced in iOS 6. Day 5 kicks off with code and methods to add in-app social network marketing to your app. With your completed app you’ll then learn how to submit an App to Apple alongside numerous tips and tricks to improve your chances of success and visibility in this unique marketplace. From start to finish, this book inherits Nick’s tried and tested methods to build beautiful native iPhone Apps efficiently. After reading and using this book, you’ll come away with a core iOS development process and coding concepts that can be re-used and applied to your own iPhone app projects. Moreover, you’ll gain an understanding of how to architect your own apps, write reusable code and implement best practices for faster productivity and maybe even make some money, too.

If you want to use Adobe Flex to build production-quality Rich Internet Applications for the enterprise, this groundbreaking book shows you exactly what's required. You'll learn efficient techniques and best practices, and compare several frameworks and tools available for RIA development -- well beyond anything you'll find in Flex tutorials and product documentation. Through many practical examples, the authors impart their considerable experience to help you overcome challenges during your project's life cycle. Enterprise Development with Flex also suggests proper tools and methodologies, guidelines for determining the skill sets required for the project, and much more. Choose among several frameworks to build Flex applications, including Cairngorm, PureMVC, Mate, and Clear Toolkit Apply selected design patterns with Flex Learn how to extend the Flex framework and build your own component library Develop a sample AIR application that automatically synchronizes local and remote databases to support your sales force Get solutions for leveraging AMF protocol and synchronizing Flex client data modifications with BlazeDS-based servers Determine the actual performance of your application and improve its efficiency

Keep ahead of the game and get up to speed with Flex 3, Flex Builder 3, and ActionScript 3.0, with this comprehensive guide. Expert Flash trainer Charles Brown first takes you through the basics of installation and the Flex Builder environment. He then teaches you all the essentials of MXML and ActionScript 3.0, such as containers, states, and events, before moving on to more advanced topics like interfacing Flex with ColdFusion and .NET, creating Flex components with Flash, and much more. No matter what level you were to start with, by the end of the book you'll be creating powerful Flex applications.

If you're a Flash designer looking for a solid overview of Flash CS4, this book is for you. Through the use of solid and practical exercises, you will soon master the fundamentals of this fourth edition of the Adobe Flash authoring tool. Using a series of carefully developed tutorials, you will be led from basic Flash CS4 techniques to the point where you can create animations, MP3 players, and customized Flash video players in no time. Each chapter focuses on a major aspect of Flash, and then lets you take the reins in a "Your Turn" exercise to create something amazing with what you've learned. This book focuses on the core skill set you need to feel at home with Flash CS4, and also introduces you to some of the biggest names in today's Flash community through interviews and actual "How To" examples, so you can learn from the masters. You will start by studying the Flash CS4 interface, and while you're at it, you'll be guided toward mastery of the fundamentals, such as movie clips, text, and graphics, which will lead you into some of the more fascinating aspects of Flash, including audio, video, animation, and 3D transformations. By the time you finish, you will have created an MP3 player and a Flash video player, been introduced to the basics of ActionScript 3.0, learned how to combine Flash with XML, styled Flash text with CSS, created animated scenes, and worked your way through a host of additional projects. All of these exercises are designed to give you the knowledge necessary to master Flash CS4 from the ground up. If you're already a seasoned Flash designer, this book will get you up to speed with the fourth version in relatively short order. This book covers all of the new Flash CS4 features, such as the new animation and 3D tools, the new Adobe Media Encoder, and a pair of the coolest new additions to the tools panel: a spray brush tool and a deco tool. You can discover more about this book, download source code, and more at the book's companion website: www.foundationflashcs4.com.

This book teaches ActionScript to both aspiring ActionScript developers and experienced ones who want to upgrade their knowledge to the new version. It details how to use ActionScript through both Flash CS2 and Flex 2 (open source ActionScript developers should also be able to make use of the book). Coverage focuses on essential real world techniques and assumes no previous ActionScript knowledge. In addition, the book features a host of practical examples; reference sections are also included at the back of the book allowing the reader to easily look up syntax.