Ian Bale

Want to make your Flash forms more FLEXible? Well, now you can! But, is there any point, you say, now that Flex 2 is out and effectively free (if you can make do without FlexBuilder)? Well, if you can go with Flex 2 then do so, but maybe like me, it's currently off limits to you... Since a bunch of the work I'm doing right now is for Sun Microsystems, it's vital that the application runs on Solaris, and for now there's no sign of FlashPlayer 9, which is required for Flex 2, being near to release. Same goes for Linux and just about every portable device out there. Assuming that you're not taking the Flex 2 route, read on... Why don't we start by whetting your appetite? Take a look at Figures 1-4 for some ideas of the additional features available that you can't access directly from Flash Forms. To use these controls as well as pretty much anything else Flex (version 1.... (more)

Flash Remoting: An Alternative Approach

Although an "undeniably excellent" product, Flash Remoting presents a few problems. This article offers solutions in the areas of authentication and error-handling. Most people who have experienced Flash Remoting seem to be impressed with it. I, for one, couldn't help but be impressed by the demonstration Macromedia gave at one of their seminars. (See reservations.broadmoor.com for an excellent example.) Building on the component structure provided by ColdFusion MX, Flash Remoting promises the world: a platform-independent rich client that interacts seamlessly with the server. ... (more)