Posted By : Dan Wilson     October 8, 2007 9:18 AM

When I tried to install Subclipse into Flex Builder 3 beta Standalone version, I got an error claiming org.eclipse.jdt.core was missing. A recent post by Joao Fernandes pointed me in the right direction. In my case, I needed to update the Java Development Tools and the Plugin Development Environment.

To perform the updates:

[More]

34120 Views Print Comments (19) Flex, Subversion

del.icio.us Digg It! Linking Blogs

Posted By : Dan Wilson     October 3, 2007 8:05 AM

The brilliant people at Adobe have just let us know that Flex Builder for Linux has been alpha released on labs.

Why does this matter? Allow me to present my perspective:

• While statistically small, the Linux userbase is very influential and represents disproportionally influential users who use and recommend advanced technology.
• Linux is a serious desktop Operating System and market share for Linux based systems continues to grow.
• Adobe has aligned the organization behind a cross-platform strategy. Any ground gained for platforms not belonging to other commercial competitors is a boon for Adobe. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"

Congratulations to the Adobe team in charge of implementing the Linux version. Equally, congratulations to the management who greenlighted the project. This shows amazing vision.

3109 Views Print Comments (0) Flex

del.icio.us Digg It! Linking Blogs

Posted By : Dan Wilson     August 21, 2007 8:02 AM

This past Saturday evening, the Adobe onAir Bus Tour breezed into Raleigh/Durham for a three hour stop. Mike Chambers and Kevin Hoyt gave presentations on AIR, the technology formerly known as Apollo, and the rest of the onAIR Bus Tour team took questions.

Overall, I was left with the impression that jumping from Web Application Development to AIR Application Development can be very easy and the learning curve is small. By leveraging skills I already possess, HTML, Javascript, Ajax Frameworks, and Flex/ActionScript, I can create relevant cross-platform applications with all the power and reach of Native Desktop applications.

[More]

6787 Views Print Comments (0) Flex, Javascript, ColdFusion

del.icio.us Digg It! Linking Blogs

Posted By : Dan Wilson     July 12, 2007 9:26 AM

I recently slicked the development environment on one of my laptops and reinstalled everything; ColdFusion, Flex Builder, Eclipse etc.

While testing, I found I could create and run basic projects but creating a Flash Remoting project does not work.
Even if the new application contained simply an mx:application tag and a mx:panel tag, it would throw two runtime errors:

Tom and João pointed me to a hotfix for FlexBuilder at http://www.adobe.com/go/kb402000. After installation of the hotfix, the errors went away. I should have looked for a hotfix, but since I downloaded a fresh binary, I thought I was above the law! No one is above the law, are they?

5480 Views Print Comments (0) Flex

del.icio.us Digg It! Linking Blogs

Posted By : Dan Wilson     June 5, 2007 6:20 PM

Does anyone remember my posting a while ago about Adobe purchasing Flex books from Amazon Wishlists? I remember quite a few people doubting it was true. When I originally heard the news, I immediately set up a wishlist and added every Flex resource I didn't already have.

After my nice long vacation in the Florida Keys, I came home to a nice surprise! A package from Amazon containing the Lynda videos for Flex!

So, yes it is true. Adobe isn't just going Mad Hatter, of course. I imagine they have a budget and they dole out some books from time to time. I am very happy to be the recipient.

Turns out I already have the Lynda Videos. I was slow in removing them from the wishlist. The only proper thing for me to do was give them to some other deserving soul. Sean has agreed to host a 1,000,000 hits contest for the Videos. You can find details of the contest at Sean's blog.

A big thank you to Mike Potter and the Flex.org team for their continued community support.

7509 Views Print Comments (0) Flex

del.icio.us Digg It! Linking Blogs

Posted By : Dan Wilson     May 15, 2007 2:19 PM

The next iteration of 360 Flex is coming in a few months. I saw the speaker/topic list was just posted and the sessions look incredible. If I go to another conference this year, I expect this to be it.

I am very interested in:

• Custom Flex component development. - Doug McCune
• Advanced Charting - Brendan Meutzner
• How to create a theme - Juan Sanchez
• Practical Patterns in Flex - Joe Berkovitz
• Deep Linking in Flex Apps - Sim Bateman
• Flex Framework nitty grity - Deepa Subramaniam
• Memory Management for Flex/Apollo Developers - Jun Heider
• Flex and Scorpio - Ben Forta
• Building Stunning Flex Apps with Flex Builder and CS3 - George Comninos

IAll of the talks are very interesting so I am saving my nickels for plane fare...

Hope to see you all at 360 Flex : Seattle

3527 Views Print Comments (0) Flex

del.icio.us Digg It! Linking Blogs

Posted By : Dan Wilson     April 20, 2007 7:51 AM

Bob Tierney spoke to the NYFlex user group about Flex Data Services and Moxie. Bob, along with Kevin Hoyt is a Senior Product Managers for Flex and he came with some interesting and new information. As you know, plans for Flex 3, code named Moxie, are in full swing. Additionally, Flex Data Services is undergoing some significant changes, not the least of which is the name. Flex Data Services will be rebranded to LiveCycle DataServices. This shift will bring FDS into the fold and bring new functionality to the application.

LiveCycle DataServices version 2.5 is now in Release Candidate 2. The new product has the following new features:

[More]

4646 Views Print Comments (0) Flex

del.icio.us Digg It! Linking Blogs

Posted By : Dan Wilson     April 18, 2007 3:18 PM

I heard on the latest The Flex Show Podcast that Adobe will purchase and send any Flex books on Amazon wishlists. I just loaded up my wishlist with all the Flex books I don't currently have.

My Amazon.com Wish List

Any books I get I will review on this blog. Also, if I missed any Flex books, please let me know so I can add them.

Thanks in advance Adobe!

8352 Views Print Comments (1) Flex

del.icio.us Digg It! Linking Blogs

Posted By : Dan Wilson     April 13, 2007 7:55 AM

Toby Tremayne has put forth some code as to how Bender will generate AS objects and connect to Transfer. This is an early first pass and there will undoubtedly be changes, but I am pleased to see he has pushed this stone forward.

In Transfer, your business objects, their properties and relationships to other business objects are configured in Transfer.xml. Bender takes advantage of this 'single source' for object properties/relationships by consuming the Transfer.xml, creating AS classes based of the configured Transfer objects as well as a wrapper for Remoting to the back-end TransferFactory. I believe Chris Scott called the Bender Architecture a 'Remote Command Factory'.

Looking forward to more posts on Bender. Maybe Toby will come to #CFFlex again so I can Bender his ear. (Todo: Remove Bad Pun)

3521 Views Print Comments (0) Flex, Rapid Development, ColdFusion

del.icio.us Digg It! Linking Blogs

Posted By : Dan Wilson     April 12, 2007 7:34 AM

I recently purchased Rich Internet Applications with Adobe Flex and Java. At 700+ pages, this book is no lightweight. Street price for the book is $119 and this seems like the higher end for technical books. If you order soon, you can take advantage of the Pre-Order pricing of 69.99. Let me tell you why this book is worth the money.

The pace of the book suited me well. I do a fair amount of research on technical topics on my own so when I get a book on programming, I want to see code and write programs. A lot of technical books begin with a history of the topic followed by a hundred or so pages of background and concepts. If you are like me, you usually skip to chapter 6 and start from there. RIA with Flex and Java begins with a page and a half by Bruce Eckel (of Thinking in Java fame), another page and a half by Matt Chotin (Flex Product Manager) then a quick fourteen pages on RIAs, Architecture and alternatives to Flex. You will build your first application on Page 22.

This book is about building applications in Flex, which is taught incrementally by building a number of applications ranging from an XML fed Gas Station application to a Portfolio/Charting application to Flex+MSExcel integration. As the applications progress, you learn more advanced topics. Even though Java is the server side language used in the book, developers familiar with other languages will gain plenty. The concepts and execution are the same. Don't let the word 'Java' scare you away from this great learning resource.

To further that point, here are the chapters in the book:

1. Architecture of Rich Internet Applications
2. Getting Familiar with Flex
3. Flex Builder Development Environment
4. Learning Flex Through Applications
5. A Complete Application with RPC Communications and JMS
6. End-to-End Rapid Application Development with Flex Data Management Services
7. How to Write Your Own Data Management Services
8. Enhancing and Extending Flex Controls
9. Trees with Dynamic Data Population
10. Working with Large Applications
11. Advanced Data Grid
12. Logging and Debugging Flex and Java Applications
13. Building a SlideShow Application
14. Developing Custom Charts
15. Integration with External Applications

As you can see, this book covers a lot of Flex development scenarios.

As the man on T.V. says "But wait! There is more!

In addition to the book, you also get a DVD with all the sample code on it as well as 10 video sessions on Real World Flex.

The Authors of the book are principals of Farata Systems, rated in the top 10 Flex companies in the world so between the video content and the numerous applications you will build with the help of the Adobe Flex and Java book, this is the best $69.99 you can spend on your Flex Education. You can order the book here and get a PDF copy of the book instantly while the book is being shipped.

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way to write this article. I paid $69.99 all by myself

Update: Bruce Phillips does not agree with me about my recommendation on this book. In the interest of fair and balanced reporting, please read the comments below.

13797 Views Print Comments (2) Flex

del.icio.us Digg It! Linking Blogs