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.

We all know what a great tool Flash is for creating dynamic, engaging web content, and Adobe's CS4 release just makes it even better. Among the newer features is the ability to take all the power of Flash for the Web and put in on the desktop using AIR. AIR capability is built right into the Flash CS4 integrated development environment, which means you can start writing desktop applications right away. This book not only covers the essentials of using Flash with AIR (and AIR with Flash), but also shows you how to extend application functionality in new ways. Once you've got Flash on the desktop, you're no longer constrained by the limitations of running inside a web browser. You'll have access to the local desktop file system, and AIR adds SQLite functionality for native database support. And just as Flash animations have a consistent look and feel across browsers, AIR allows you to create applications that work consistently across operating systems—Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux. For any Flash developer who wants to go from the Web to the desktop (and who doesn't?), this book is required reading. It not only tells you how to do it, but is full of practical, easy-to-follow examples that will have you building desktop AIR applications with Flash in no time. Expanding your existing Flash skills with the Essential Guide to Flash CS4 AIR Development will make you an even more potent and indispensable force on any development team!

This book is a design-slanted guide aimed at giving aspiring Flash designers a solid grounding in the new version, as well as giving established Flash designers a clear look over the new flash CS3 features. Written by renowned Flash designers Tom Green and David Stiller, it features real world examples throughout, presented in an accessible, friendly tutorial style. No other beginner's Flash CS3 guide is specifically aimed at designers. Flash still remains a huge market area, and in 2007 Adobe released Flash CS3 which boasts a whole host of new features for Flash designers to get excited about.

Thoroughly vetted by Adobe's AIR development team, Adobe AIR 1.5 Cookbook addresses fundamentals, best practices, and topics that web developers and application designers inquire about most. The hands-on recipes in this cookbook help you solve a variety of tasks and scenarios you may encounter using Adobe AIR to build Rich Internet Applications for the desktop. It's an ideal way to learn the nuances of Adobe AIR, with practical solutions you can use right away, and detailed explanations of why and how they work. These recipes will help you: Build an AIR application with Flex, Flash, or HTML and Ajax Create a database and connect it to your application Put together native menus for PCs and Macs Work with the Service Monitor Framework Utilize the Adobe AIR Update Framework Create branded desktop experiences with custom chrome and custom application icons Distribute your AIR application with the Seamless Install Badge And more. Adobe AIR 1.5 Cookbook includes dozens of recipes from rising stars in the AIR development community-David Tucker, Rich Tretola, Marco Casario, and Koen De Weggheleire-along with the best solutions posted by visitors to the Adobe AIR Cookbook community website hosted by Adobe and O'Reilly (www.adobe.com/go/air_cookbook). If you're ready to expand your skill set with Adobe AIR, this is the book you've been waiting for.

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.