Recently Flex 4.0 SDK is released. In this release Fx improve developer designer workflow. Not just import flash, Photoshop or AI files into flex builder but true Developer Designer workflow. It means thermo integration, new skin file (FXG) type included , and new name space “2009” will be in place to support new graphic rendering. I guess now every Fx component will have separate skin file which will describe look and feel and function behavior of the component.

When you think of list component in Fx 3.0 or older, what come to your mind?

Ammmm ….. list items can be display in a box with right hand scrollbar, Item can be rendering with itemrenderer and scrollbar can be skinup with .png or flash. Now take look this video and change your mind for list component. In Fx 4.0, every component will be reassemble easily with very less efforts. So, therefor it’s truly amazing Developer Designer workflow in FX 4.0.

Really gr8 going Gumbo

For developer it’s always pain to decide position, layout, navigation and containers. here i found very interesting web site which has numbers of layout design ideas. go and explore the site http://www.layoutcookbook.com/

Few days back FlashPlayer 10 (Code name Astro) released, as usual again with new milestones. This version include lots of new feature like native 3D support (Yes it means myMovie.x, myMovie.y and now myMovie.z available), new text rendering engine, custom filters and effects, improved  new drawing methods. All above this feature, I like the most is access of local files within your browser.

http://www.gotoandlearn.com/player.php?id=76

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashplayer10/demos/

Great going Astro !!!

Well, formally conference title was initRIA so, please might be expecting more talk on RIA and around technology. But most of the people talk on flash platform except Rakshith who talk on ajax. Session started with Raghu’s presentation and ended with “Birds of a feather” under dim light.

Mrinal had organized my session earlier but I reach venue very late [my mistake ] so, he had rescheduled all sessions and put me on second half. People enjoy first half with Raghu, Rakshith and Yash’s session very well.

In lunch break we had dominos pizza with coke :-). Once again people grab there seat and show started with InstaColl’s presentation. All the session was amazing and well organizes but I really delighted with InstaColl’s presentation. They demonstrated their upcoming online office suite. take a look this, this, and this. It was so good that every one clapping in during presentation.

It was really nice time. I personally appreciate Mrinal and all other head involve in this success of initRIA.

Thanks adbul for caught initRIA on camera.

Finally it come up !!!

I have seen often people are asking for flex training center in india. When I met priyank at Mumbai flex user group meeting, he told that NIIT is working on this curriculum. Since our talk with him nothing had came.

Three to four (6^th Dec 2007) days back I was reading “Times of India” at home. Suddenly I got excited by seeing one advertisement of NIIT institute about new courses for “rich internet application”. They will cover Flash CS3.0, Flex, Dreamwewer and coldfusion during this cource. I really don’t know insight of this course. Click on below image for more information.

I think this initiative help fresher to pickup flex and flash technology very fast. Even this will help to blow RIA technology.

For more information mail edgeineers@niit.com and rush NIIT telephone lines (1800 180 8448).

Every one knows Cairngorm micro architecture is such a powerful for enterprise big size application development. But generating and creating same kind of classes and interface makes task boring.  I found http://www.tylerbeck.com/CairngormCreator/ application of Tyler Beck while I was looking for solution.

Application has lots of features like

• User-defineable package name
• User-defineable folder names
• Custom build file
• Save and Load structure definitions (XML)
• Editable source XML
• Preview Files
• Downloadable Zip File

Refer below link for more information http://tylerbeck.com/archives/23/introducing-cairngorm-creator/      

I made three themes with different color code, Orange, Black and Grey. Those themes are having almost every components graphic skinning. It has art work files, if you want to modify any thing on graphics. Those themes are ready to use in any of flex or AIR projects.

You can download and explorer themes from here.

“RangeSelector” component is extend from HSlider Class. It is just customized the view of the HSlider. It give better visually rage selection. Component also dispatch event when user click on any between Range with starting and ending range.

Check in action
Download the code

Robert X. Cringely write very good article on FLASH and PDF today’s stand.

Some of the very good statements he has write.

• Being the owner of two invisible technologies [PDF and Flash] makes Adobe more powerful than most of us can even imagine.
• Adobe absolutely dominates nearly every market for graphical software and is a strong competitor in video, too.
• Adobe is moving into developer tools in a big way to support its grab for mindshare in the interactive/rich web application space where much of the excitement lately seems to be.
• My money is on Adobe simply because of those two invisible weapons, PDF and Flash.
• But invisibility offers no advantage to those who can’t follow through. That’s not Adobe, by which I mean that’s not Flash, which has grown to be so much more than it was ever intended to be.
• By itself, Flash has had an amazing evolution.
• Java applets were fantastic with major shortcomings (huge Java runtime, poor performance, clunky and ugly interface, etc). Flash fixed all or most of those.
• Expect Flash in everything and perhaps even Flash in a chip. Deploying software in hardware is the ultimate DRM.
• And Flash does cross-platform so much better than Java ever did.
• Flash potentially solves all those problems AND creates new opportunities.

Read complete article here.

From years back SEO doesn’t recognize use of flash content in site. May be they are right because googlebot can’t ready each and every visual and text content of the .swf format. And flash is really not medium for SEO, it’s completely visual medium. But still we can use .swf content in SEO friendly web site by taking care of search engine prospective.

Tip for SEO friendly flash content creation

1. Use dynamic text rather then static text and graphics
2. Use “deep linking” new feature of flex 3.0
3. Make two different version of site one should target SEO and another should target usability
4. Place flash content wherever it require in your html page [i.e youTube, Google Earth and Google finance]

One of the google webmaster publish article “Best uses of Flash” can give better vision to SEO to optimum use of flash.