CFUnited: Adam Lehman — Writing your first RIA with CF and Flex
Having never done anything with Flex before, I hope to get a fairly basic intro -- how to get started -- but at the same time, see an overview of the neat stuff you can do with Flex, in order to get some inspiration to learn it. We'll see how it goes...
- Adam says that the hardest part was just getting up and getting here this early (8:30am). It should all be downhill from here.
- "Flex is just a framework for writing ActionScript."
- Rather than HTML, we use MXML (Macromedia XML Markup Language -- they really though that one through!) and ActionScript.
- Can communicate via SOAP, HHTP/S, AMF/S (Flash Remoting), RTMP/S. AMF is binary, so really fast.
- Flex SDK is the compiler: command line, free.
- Flex Builder: Nice UI for Flex SDK. Professional eddition for charting, advanced data grid/OLAP, and performance profiling. Very nominally priced at $250-$700!
- LiveCycle Data Services seems like ADO.NET data management. Enables their equivalent of "disconnected mode" with offline work & re-sync when you come back online -- but somehow, seems even easier!
- BlazeDS: is a free, open source product, very similar but not as full featured as LCDS. Offers real time data push to clients!
- Data Services is not required for Flex.
- Flash Remoting is baked in and has been available since CF 7.01.
- Flex uses {} as CF uses ##.
- Use <mx:RemoteObject ...> to create an object that will communicate with CF.
- Flex's <mx:Application applicationComplete=""> is like HTML's <body onLoad=""> "mate" (pronounced "mah-tay") is Adam's recommended Flex Framework.
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