Foundation Flash MX Applications

Transcription

1 r Foundation Flash MX Applications Scott Mebberson Steve Webster 0 1: ~ I G Jil l l T 0 Ill t i I G l 1._

2 Foundation Flash MX Applications 2003 A press Originally published by friends of ED in 2003 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. The authors and publisher have made every effort in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the authors, friends of ED nor its dealers or distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused either directly or indirectly by this book. First Printed February 2003 Trademark Acknowledgements friends of ED has endeavored to provide trademark information about all the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, friends of ED cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information. ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI /

3 Foundation Flash MX Applications Credits Authors Scott Mebberson Steve Webster Technical Reviewers Aaron Freitas Cath 0 Flynn jeremy Thomas Sam Riggs Scott Ysebert Indexers Joanne Crichton Simon Collins Proof Readers Victoria ldiens Simon Collins Editors Phill Jackson Gavin Wray Author Agent Laura jones Project Manager Victoria ldiens Commisioning Editor Andy Corsham Graphic Editor Avtar Bhogal Cover Design Katy Freer Managing Editor Sonia Mullineux

4 Foundation Flash MX Applications From Adelaide, Australia, Scott Mebberson cottaborates with developers, artists, and writers au around the world. His daily life includes writing books on Flash and for various columns, creating experimental art, and teaching and preaching Flash to the masses. An active memeber of the Flash community, Scott communicates to the world via Scott tries to make a living from freelancing, the world over. You can reach him almost 24 hours a day at the office, and he's always interested in cottaboration - don't be shy, make contact! He wants to thank everyone who has helped him, most importantly, his partner Kate- she kicks arse! Steve Webster is a Professional Freelance Web Developer and Author who specializes in advanced dynamic web application development using PHP and MySQL with a Macromedia Flash front-end. He has studied for an HND in Software Engineering, during which time he lectured C/C++ programming at one of the largest cotteges in the UK. When he's not neck-deep in chapter manuscripts he's usuatty working on client projects or updating his personal site at Acknowledgements: I have to say a special thank you to my fiancee Nicki for once again putting up with the relentless hours I spend in front of the computer. Without your overwhelming support and encouragement I'm not sure that I could have made it this far, and I only hope that I can repay the favour one day. I can no longer imagine my world without you in it. I don't know exactly when or how it happened, but I'm glad it did. As always, my thanks to the fine people at friends of ED and the rest of the book development team who have helped to deliver this book - you guys rock!

5 Table of Contents Introduction 1 Aims and philosophy... 1 How to use this book... 2 Layout conventions used in this book... 3 Support we're here for you... 4 Section 1: Framework 6 1 Essential Concepts 7 What is a Flash application?... 8 How does a Flash application work?... 9 What is a Web application? Flash applications vs. Web applications Client technology Flash Player 6: the rich client Communication technology/data transfer Introducing XML Flash Remoting Server technology Alternative platforms The platform matrix So which platform is for you? Landscape Getting technical What is a Flash application used for? What is a Flash application capable of? Associated technologies PHP XML MySQL Flash applications: in detail 27 Planning a Flash application Road map: the workflow of a Flash application The client-side Flash application intent Target audience End-user technology The client-side graphic user interface User feedback The client-side road map The server-side Data, data, and more data The server-side road map Platform independence... 39

6 Foundation Flash MX Applications Piecing it together An entire Flash application road map Object-oriented programming Dynamic Flash OOP and GUis Why should I use OOP? OOP glossary Flash application development cycle Concept Planning Workflow/Structure Prototype Concept revision Workflow/Structure revision Testing End product Planning: a visual road map Why is this so important? How to create a road map FlashBlog...,.50 The FlashBlog front-end FlashBlog's client-side road map The FlashBlog back-end Section 2: Building the Application 66 3 Structural Elements 67 FlashBlog's timeline structure FlashBlogClass Object-oriented programming Objects and classes Instantiation The new operator Prototype objects vs. classes XML XML syntax XML and Flash applications Parsing the XML object Whitespace Case study: FlashBlog message templates Building the FlashBlog templates 127 FlashBlog's templates Markup and templates Template structure Text fields

7 Table of Contents Resizing text fields Objects Why use an Object? Creating a FlashBlog template The getlnfo function Developing the Message Display Module 155 FlashBlog: markup SWF The getlnfo function Dynamic resizing and positioning Preloading the template SWF loading external movies duplicatemovieclip duplicatemovieclip versus attachmovie Using Array notation Debugging How do I debug Flash files? The Debugger User Interface Components 189 Flash Ul Component Sets What is a component? When should a component be used? FlashBlog Ul: the console Inside the console How will it work? Components dissected Components and Flash applications ScrollPane How does it work? Behind the scenes 1: PHP 225 Introducing PHP Flash applications and PHP XML and PHP Parsing an XML file in PHP Access permissions Flash and PHP Retrieving XML remotely Behind the Scenes II: MySQL and Data Storage 293 lntroduc~ng databases SQL FlashBlog's MySQL structure Using PHP and MySQL with Flash

8 Foundation Flash MX Applications Securing sensitive database information Case study: completing the Message Display Module Server file structure Configuration files FlashBlog: Plugging it together 349 FlashBlog Ul components Integrating the ProgressBarPlus and MessageBox into FlashBlog Enhancing the back-end Configuration file Saving configuration files PHP and file i/o Reading and writing XML files FlashBlog configuration settings interface Creating the configuration interface Parsing XML Centralizing the Message Display Module The posting interface Housekeeping Interface design 453 FlashBlog login interface Shared objects CheckBox component Font symbols Authentication and security Authenticating users on the client-side Section 3: Further Resources Departure Lounge 535 Techniques LoadVars vs. XML Tools More PHP ASP Flash Remoting Flash MX components DataGrid Extending FlashBlog CommentBlog MultiBlog

9 Table of Contents Appendix A- Installing Apache, PHP, and MySQL 555 Installing and configuring Apache, PHP, and MySQL on Microsoft Windows Installing and configuring Apache Installing and configuring PHP Installing and configuring MySQL Appendix B- PHP Resources 571 Authors' homepages PHP for Flash links Software homepages Setup tools PHP editors PHP forums PHP web resources Hosting companies supporting PHP Index 575

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