Synopses & Reviews
Is there an easier way to build and deliver rich internet applications (RIAs) other than the Flash IDE or Ajax? Absolutely. With Adobe Flex 2, the Flex 2 SDK, and this book, you have all you need to build RIAs. Programming Flex 2 offers you plenty of practical and useful examples that reveal how and why to use a particular feature of Flex 2, and when and when not to.
As part of the Adobe Developer Library, Programming Flex 2 is the authoritative guide to this new Adobe framework. You learn to use a markup language called MXML and a vast library of off-the-shelf and highly-configurable components to build Flash-based applications that combine the immediacy of the Web with the functionality and responsiveness of desktop applications. You also discover why -- with the Flash Player runtime environment and the powerful ActionScript 3.0 programming language -- the possibilities with Flex 2 are nearly limitless.
Topics include:
- Managing Layout
- Working with Components
- Working with Media
- Managing State
- Using Transitions and Effects
- Working with Data
- Customizing Application Appearance
- Client Data Communication and Remote Data Communication
- Debugging Flex Framework Applications
- Creating Custom Components
Flex may be easier to learn than the Flash IDE, but you still need a reliable guide to the framework. Programming Flex 2 not only serves as a reference, but provides valuable and practical insight into this new technology. As you learn how to build Flex applications, you'll also discover how Flex works. This book supplies all the information you need in one convenient place.
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.
Synopsis
Written for development professionals, this book discusses the Flex framework in context. The authors introduce features with practical and useful examples that tell the reader not only how, but also the reasons why to use a particular feature, when to use it, and when not to.
Synopsis
Flex may be easier to learn than the Flash IDE, but you still need a reliable guide to the framework. Programming Flex 2 not only serves as a reference, but provides valuable and practical insight into this new technology. As you learn how to build Flex applications, you'll also discover how Flex works. This book supplies all the information you need in one convenient place.
About the Author
Chafic Kazoun is the founder and Chief Software architect at Atellis, and is widely considered one of the world's top experts on Flex (outside of the Adobe Flex engineering team). He has worked with Flash technologies since 1998 and with Flex since its inception, and he has a deep understanding of the internals of the Flex framework. He maintains a busy speaking and consulting schedule. When he's not busy developing solution-based applications, Chafic is actively involved in the Flash community, delivering presentations at numerous conferences including Adobe's MAX, Flashforward, FITC, Spark Europe, and MXDU. He is also the contributor of numerous published works and is the author of Programming Flex 2.0, a book recently released by O'Reilly Publishing. He is also an Adobe Community Expert, and shares his thoughts on his blog http://www.rewindlife.com.
Joey Lott is a founding partner of The Morphic Group, a Flex and Flash consulting company. At The Morphic Group Joey serves as a technology director, building some of today's most innovative Flex applications and advocating for the use and adoption of agile software development methodologies. He has written many books on Flex and Flash-related technologies, including Programming Flex 3, ActionScript 3 Cookbook, Adobe AIR in Action, and Advanced ActionScript 3 with Design Patterns.
Table of Contents
Foreword; This Shouldn't Be Too Hard; Maybe We Need a Different Approach; My First Meeting with Flex; Flex, Take 2; Taking Another Look at Flash; Programming Flex 2; Looking Ahead; Preface; Who This Book Is For; How This Book Is Organized; What You Need to Use This Book; Conventions Used in This Book; Using Code Examples; Comments and Questions; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1: Introducing Flex; 1.1 Understanding Flex Application Technologies; 1.2 Using Flex Elements; 1.3 Working with Data Services (Loading Data at Runtime); 1.4 Understanding the Differences Between Traditional (HTML) and Flex Web Applications; 1.5 Understanding How Flex Applications Work; 1.6 Understanding Flex and Flash Authoring; 1.7 Understanding Flex 1.5 and Flex 2; 1.8 Summary; Chapter 2: Building Applications with the Flex Framework; 2.1 Using Flex Tool Sets; 2.2 Creating Projects; 2.3 Building Applications; 2.4 Deploying Applications; 2.5 Flash Player Security; 2.6 Understanding HTML Wrappers; 2.7 Using SWFObject; 2.8 Using Runtime Shared Libraries; 2.9 Summary; Chapter 3: MXML; 3.1 Understanding MXML Syntax and Structure; 3.2 Making MXML Interactive; 3.3 Summary; Chapter 4: ActionScript; 4.1 Using ActionScript; 4.2 MXML and ActionScript Correlations; 4.3 Understanding ActionScript Syntax; 4.4 Variables and Properties; 4.5 Inheritance; 4.6 Interfaces; 4.7 Handling Events; 4.8 Error Handling; 4.9 Using XML; 4.10 Reflection; 4.11 Summary; Chapter 5: Framework Fundamentals; 5.1 Understanding the Flex Application Life Cycle; 5.2 Differentiating Between Flash Player and Framework; 5.3 Bootstrapping Flex Applications; 5.4 Understanding Application Domains; 5.5 Understanding the Preloader; 5.6 Summary; Chapter 6: Managing Layout; 6.1 Flex Layout Overview; 6.2 Making Fluid Interfaces; 6.3 Putting It All Together; 6.4 Summary; Chapter 7: Working with UI Components; 7.1 Understanding UI Components; 7.2 Buttons; 7.3 Value Selectors; 7.4 Text Components; 7.5 List-Based Controls; 7.6 Pop-Up Controls; 7.7 Navigators; 7.8 Control Bars; 7.9 Summary; Chapter 8: Framework Utilities and Advanced Component Concepts; 8.1 Tool Tips; 8.2 Pop-Ups; 8.3 Cursor Management; 8.4 Drag and Drop; 8.5 Customizing List-Based Controls; 8.6 Focus Management and Keyboard Control; 8.7 Summary; Chapter 9: Working with Media; 9.1 Overview; 9.2 Adding Media; 9.3 Working with the Different Media Types; 9.4 Summary; Chapter 10: Managing State; 10.1 Creating States; 10.2 Applying States; 10.3 Defining States Based on Existing States; 10.4 Adding and Removing Components; 10.5 Setting Properties; 10.6 Setting Styles; 10.7 Setting Event Handlers; 10.8 Using ActionScript to Define States; 10.9 Managing Object Creation Policies (Preloading Objects); 10.10 Handling State Events; 10.11 When to Use States; 10.12 Summary; Chapter 11: Using Effects and Transitions; 11.1 Using Effects; 11.2 Creating Custom Effects; 11.3 Using Transitions; 11.4 Creating Custom Transitions; 11.5 Summary; Chapter 12: Working with Data; 12.1 Using Data Models; 12.2 Data Binding; 12.3 Enabling Data Binding for Custom Classes; 12.4 Data Binding Examples; 12.5 Building Data Binding Proxies; 12.6 Summary; Chapter 13: Validating and Formatting Data; 13.1 Validating User Input; 13.2 Formatting Data; 13.3 Summary; Chapter 14: Customizing Application Appearance; 14.1 Using Styles; 14.2 Skinning Components; 14.3 Customizing the Preloader; 14.4 Themes; 14.5 Runtime CSS; 14.6 Summary; Chapter 15: Client Data Communication; 15.1 Local Connections; 15.2 Persistent Data; 15.3 Communicating with the Host Application; 15.4 Summary; Chapter 16: Remote Data Communication; 16.1 Understanding Strategies for Data Communication; 16.2 Working with Request/Response Data Communication; 16.3 Web Services; 16.4 Real-Time/Socket Connection; 16.5 File Upload/Download; 16.6 Summary; Chapter 17: Application Debugging; 17.1 The Flash Debug Player; 17.2 Using FDB; 17.3 Debugging with Flex Builder 2; 17.4 Remote Debugging; 17.5 Logging Using trace( ) Within an Application; 17.6 The Logging Framework; 17.7 Debugging Remote Data; 17.8 Summary; Chapter 18: Application Components; 18.1 The Importance of Application Components; 18.2 MXML Component Basics; 18.3 Component Styles; 18.4 Summary; Chapter 19: Building Custom Components; 19.1 Component Framework Overview; 19.2 Component Life Cycle; 19.3 Component Implementation; 19.4 Adding Custom Properties and Events; 19.5 Adding Styling Support; 19.6 Summary; Colophon;