The ADC Blog

Lots of new content now up in the Adobe Developer Connection:

Using Flex Ant tasks to build Flex projects – Part 2: Adding build tasks: Extend Flex Ant build scripts with additional tasks.

Tour de Flex planetary dashboard: See who is using Tour de Flex right now across the world.

Creating your first website – Part 1: Setting up your site and project files: Learn to set up a local site in Dreamweaver CS4, then create a page layout in CSS.

Creating your first website – Part 2: Creating the page layout: This tutorial explains how to create a CSS-based page layout in Adobe Dreamweaver CS4.

Mastering CSS with Dreamweaver CS4 excerpt: Using the liquid CSS layouts: Authors Stephanie Sullivan and Greg Rewis demonstrate the time-saving tips and techniques that make Dreamweaver and CSS such a powerful combination.

Getting started with the ActionScript 3 FLVPlayback component : Learn how to use the FLVPlayback component to play progressively downloaded Adobe Flash Video files over HTTP or play streaming video files from Adobe's Flash Media Server or from Flash Video Streaming Service (FVSS).

Skinning the ActionScript 3 FLVPlayback component (updated): This updated article covers three approaches available for skinning the ActionScript 3 FLVPlayback component.

Working with the Project panel in Flash: Take advantage of the project management tools available in Flash CS4 Professional when building applications.

Real-Time Messaging Protocol specification: Read about the open RTMP spec, which delivers video, audio, and data in various formats compatible with Adobe Flash Player. Also, check out this blog post for additional information.

Posted by Edward Sullivan at 8:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New content just launched on the Adobe Developer Connection:

Effects in Adobe Flex 4 SDK beta – Part 2: Advanced graphical effects: In Part 2 of this series, learn how to take your Flex applications to the next level with the new effects included in the Flex 4 beta.

Building data-driven map applications using the Flex DataMap control: Discover the capabilities of the DataMap control and see the process of building a simple yet powerful application in a few lines of code

Video Learning Guide for Flash CS4 Professional (Updated for Flash CS4): Learn all you need to know about video on the web: capturing, encoding, adding video to web pages, delivering with custom playback controls.

Performance tuning for ColdFusion applications: Explore different ways to improve ColdFusion application performance.

Using Drupal themes with Dreamweaver CS4: Understand the fundamentals of a Drupal theme and how Dreamweaver CS4 helps designers produce these themes.

Adobe Reader compatibility documentation: These documents provide guidance and important information regarding changes in Adobe Reader 9 that may affect enterprise workflows.

>>The Adobe Reader compatibility promise (PDF)

>>Adobe Reader 9.0 compatibility overview (PDF - updated for Reader 9.1)

Posted by Edward Sullivan at 7:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Adobe Developer Connection (ADC) Write and Give Program gave $3,400 USD to charities in the second quarter of 2009. The program acknowledges the writing efforts of our ADC community authors by giving US$100 to a charity for each author's published article on the ADC. Each author chooses his or her charity from a list of five preselected charities (listed below).

To date the ADC has donated $33,600 to these charities in recognition of our ADC authors. To our ADC authors, we thank you for sharing your technical expertise with the greater developer community while helping other communities at the same time!

Read on to find out more about the charities that the program supports, and to see the list of authors for this quarter who made these contributions possible!

* Benetech: Creates new technology solutions that serve humanity and empower people to improve their lives.

* Nature Conservancy: Works around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.

* Mercy Corp: Alleviates suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities.

* Care: Fights global poverty by serving individuals and families in the poorest communities in the world.

* Feeding America: Is the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization.

The authors who participated in this program from March 1, 2008 – May 31, 2009 are:

• Alessandro Pace
• Alex Cougarman
• Bobby van der Sluis
• Branimir Angelov
• Chris Charlton
• Damien Bianchi
• Dan Carr
• Darren Osadchuk
• David Flatley
• David Hogue
• Jan Ozer
• Jeanette Stallons
• Jim Babbage
• Juan Sanchez
• Katie Evans
• Kevin Fauth
• Marc Esher
• Mariano Ferrario
• Matt Stow
• Mike Nimer
• Mohinish Basha
• Tommi West

Thank you, authors, for your contributions to the ADC!

Posted by Edward Sullivan at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TONS of new content released today in support of the Flash Builder 4, Flex 4 SDK and Flash Catalyst betas!

Flash Builder 4 on Adobe Labs

Flex 4 SDK on Adobe Labs

Flash Catalyst on Adobe Labs

Learn to Use Flash Builder 4 and Flex 4 SDK

Learn to Use Flash Catalyst

Tutorial and demonstration videos for the Flash Builder 4, Flash Catalyst and Adobe Flex 4 SDK betas

Differences between Flex 3 SDK & Flex 4 SDK beta

What's new in Flex 4 SDK beta

Flex for ColdFusion developers learning center

Getting started with ColdFusion and Flash Builder 4 beta

Understanding the role of CFCs in Flex application development

Effects in Adobe Flex 4 SDK beta – Part 1: Basic effects

Two-part Flash Catalyst/Flex 4 tutorial

InsideRIA article: Overview of Flex 4 (Gumbo)

InsideRIA article: Flash Catalyst Beta 1 [Top Branch Demo Part 1]

InsideRIA article: Flash Catalyst Beta 1 [Top Branch Demo Part2]

Flex 3 vs Flex 4 State Management

FlashCamp SF Keynote

Flex 4 beta cookbook recipes

Posted by Edward Sullivan at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lots new in the Adobe Developer Connection this week. Be sure to check it out.

Flex 3 in Action book excerpt: Advanced reusability in Flex: Understand some of the advanced reusability features in Flex in this Flex 3 in Action book excerpt.

Flash Quick Start: Loading images and Library assets in Flash with ActionScript 3: Learn strategies to dynamically load images and assets from your Library, as well as from local and remote locations.

Understanding live DVR – Part 2: Using DVRCast with Flash Media Live Encoder 3: Build a sample live DVR video player that utilizes the updated FLVPlayback 2.5 component.

Invoking the LiveCycle ES Distiller API from Java: Learn how to invoke a LiveCycle ES SOAP endpoint to convert a PostScript file into a PDF file.

LiveCycle ES Update 1 – FormGuides: Get a set of best practices to plan, develop, customize, and maintain data capture experiences with form guides.

Graphic Effects Learning Guide for Flash CS4 Professional: Control the expressiveness of creative graphic effects in Flash to enhance the look and feel of your projects.

Design Learning Guide for Fireworks CS4: Explore the many ways to work with graphic images in the latest version of Fireworks.

Posted by Edward Sullivan at 7:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out the content recently made available in the Adobe Developer Connection:

Uploading a file with Flex and Java: Implement file upload functionality with a Flex front end and a Java servlet.

Protecting Flash Lite content packaged in a Symbian installer with OMA DRM 1.0 Forward Lock: Learn how to package your mobile content into a SIS installer and apply digital rights management with OMA DRM 1.0 Forward Lock.

Using Dreamweaver, InContext Editing, and Spry to build a dynamic site: Build a simple dynamic site that users can edit online without HTML or Ajax knowledge.

Invoking the LiveCycle ES 8.2.1 Distiller API from Java: Convert a PostScript file to a PDF file from Java using LiveCycle ES.

ADC developer survey: Please help the ADC by taking a moment to provide some valuable feedback.

Posted by Edward Sullivan at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some great new articles just posted to the Adobe Developer Connection:

AdvancED Flex 3 excerpt: Sculpting interactive business intelligence interfaces: Represent, aggregate, and manipulate data effectively for BI scenarios.

Adobe AIR in Action excerpt: Copy and paste, drag and drop: Copy-and-paste and drag-and-drop operations are a standardized way for users to interact with an application, so it's a good idea to build these behaviors into AIR applications.

Adobe AIR 1.5 Training: Building desktop applications with Flex 3: This course introduces you to building Flex applications on Adobe AIR. This course is divided into modules, most of which contain demonstrations and walkthroughs.

The Essential Guide to Flash CS4 AIR Development excerpt: Building your first AIR application: This chapter appears in The Essential Guide to Flash CS4 AIR Development, published December 2008. It is being reproduced here by permission from Friends of Ed.

Prototyping AIR applications with Fireworks: Leverage the features in Fireworks CS4 to create an interactive prototype of an AIR application.

Adobe LiveCycle ES Java service invocation: Learn how to remotely invoke services using the APIs and SOAP endpoints.

Understanding ActionScript 3 debugging in Flash: Whether you're a designer or developer, learn the basics of debugging and understand the most common issues that occur in debugging ActionScript 3 projects in Flash CS4 Professional.

Building a Drupal site in 10 steps (Dreamweaver): Learn to set up a Drupal site, including adding content and altering menus, modules, and themes.

Understanding video formats and controlling video volume in Flash Lite 3.x: Learn how to control the volume of embedded video in a Flash Lite 3.x mobile application.

In the Developer spotlight: Elad Elrom: Meet Elad Elrom, picked for his use of Flex and Flash Catalyst to create applications for the web, desktop, and mobile devices.

Posted by Edward Sullivan at 6:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out what's new this week in the Adobe Developer Connection.

Deploying your first Flex application on Facebook: This tutorial will step you through the process of deploying a Flex application in an iFrame on the Facebook website in 15 minutes.

Building a kiosk using Flex: This article covers some basic kiosk concepts, such as working with both user-driven and timed events, as well as describes the general architecture of a kiosk application, and build a simple kiosk application to help explain the concepts.

Design and prototype Flex applications using Fireworks: This article explores the designer-developer hand off process and shows how Fireworks is uniquely qualified to make the process of product development more efficient.

Flash Player enterprise deployment: Deliver secure, high-performance apps that run consistently across operating systems and browsers, in alignment with IT policies.

Building a list component in Flash Lite: Learn how to build a simple but useful List component for Flash Lite applications. The article also includes the sample files for the completed custom List component and the sample project can be extended and updated to tailor any part of it to fit the needs of your Flash Lite mobile application.

Software as a Service: A pattern for modern computing: Understand the core pattern of SaaS in pragmatic terms and its strategic advantages.

Test Driven Development with ColdFusion – Part 2: Design components for easy testability: Create unit tests for ColdFusion using the MXUnit built-in mock capabilities.

Animation Learning Guide for Flash: Dive into this comprehensive resource for learning animation, including the new, improved way of creating and editing motion tweens. See below for 12 individual tutorials:
oOverview
oFrame rates
oTimelines and keyframes
oFrame-by-frame animation
oMotion tweens
oMotion tween manipulations
oMotion paths
oMotion Editor
oPreset and custom eases
oMotion presets
oUsing ActionScript 3
oShape tweens

Posted by Edward Sullivan at 8:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lots new in the Adobe Developer Connection this week, with a ton of new AS2 to AS3 migration content in the ActionScript Technology Center:

Creating desktop applications for the cloud with Adobe Flex, AIR, and Amazon S3: Employ the Amazon Simple Storage Service in place of a multi-tiered server infrastructure.

Externalizing service configuration for BlazeDS and LiveCycle Data Services ES: Configure your services at runtime to simplify deployment.

Migrating to ActionScript 3: Whether you use Adobe Flash CS4 Professional or Flash CS3 Professional, this resource will help you get started with ActionScript 3.

ActionScript 3 migration cookbook beta: Browse through the entries in the ActionScript 3 migration cookbook beta to see how the semantics of the core language are not much different from ActionScript 2 and should not present much of a learning curve. Or download the PDF.

Top five misconceptions about ActionScript 3: Read about the incorrect beliefs some people have about ActionScript 3.

Top five benefits of ActionScript 3: Find out what some of the top advantages are of using ActionScript 3 in your projects.

Posted by Edward Sullivan at 5:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several new articles now available in the Adobe Developer Connection:

H.264 for the rest of us: Understand F4V-specific settings in Adobe Media Encoder and Flash Media Encoding Server to achieve optimal bit rates for H.264 video.

Test Driven Development with ColdFusion ― Part 1: Driven by the cold: Use MXUnit to build unit tests for ColdFusion.

Flex 3 in Action excerpt: Introduction to pop-ups: Learn how to create, position, communicate with, and close pop-up windows.

Using pages, states, and layers in Fireworks CS4: Learn best practices to structure your Fireworks document, organize objects, and reuse common elements.

Seamlessly storing and managing documents protected with LiveCycle ES: Make interaction seamless through the use of spaces and smart policies.

Posted by Edward Sullivan at 6:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)