Reflex: Rethinking Component Design



So is the title of the upcoming 360|Flex presentation on Reflex, a toolkit for Flash developers that has been in the works. The conference in March will finally mark its début:

With the emergence of so many new technologies it is an exciting time to be a developer. Embracing the spirit of advancement, Reflex was created to extend the Flash Platform with a component toolset worthy of its industry. Reinventing the features of Flex for the creative workflow, Reflex enhances the Flash Player (rather than abstracting it) to meet the demands of next generation applications and devices. Come be among the first to see what Reflex can do and learn about its unique architecture, the details of the project, its goals and its future. (session description)

The presentation will begin at 1:00pm on Tuesday, the 9th of March. Right after lunch. Be sure to come early for a good seat.

Finally! Undo in Flash/Flex TextFields



One of those things that the browser has built in that you wish would just work in Flash – a simple TextField undo & redo. My brother recently released a really slick solution to the problem. It isn’t a UI component – it sits above the display list and works with all types of Flash TextFields: Flex components, Flash components, bare naked TextFields. It’s really small (1 manager and 3 command classes) and you attach it to the highest level display object necessary for a custom level of influence – so if you want the whole app to be effected then you attach it to the root.

Here’s what the API looks like:

var undoTextFields:UndoTextFields = new UndoTextFields();
undoTextFields.target = this;


Boom! done. (sound effect not included) And it works just like the browser – each TextField has its own undo/redo independent of the others.

NOTE:
The component uses the Flight Framework history without adopting the rest of the framework methodology. A great use of Flight, as it prescribes utility and a minimalistic approach to development. I’ll probably demo this utility at my upcoming presentation.

AS3 Button Behavior Made Easy



I posted a rant on “releaseOutside” earlier this month – finally, here is the example and the code for making anything a Button in ActionScript 3. I’ve also added some really nice features since then. I realized after venting about dragOver, dragOut, and releaseOutside that, unless you built custom components in ActionScript 2, you probably have no idea what these events actually mean for a Button. So now, instead of imparting the boring details of exactly how a Button should work, I’ve implemented 3 new events: stateUp, stateOver and stateDown.
(more…)

Programming on Paper



I love starting out a new project. This is the part where I get to sketch on paper for a day or so and really plan out usability and component relationships. I’m just starting out with a new project where I’m in charge of the admin interface for an large web application. It sounds pretty boring? Yeah, it would be if I didn’t take usability seriously, so now it’s a big just a big challenge. And I love design, whether I stink at it or not. My favorite presentations at MAX were the Flash XD (experience design) topics that covered usability and moving graphical interfaces which add to the users experience rather than detract. So I’m sharpening my pencil and hittin’ the paper for the next few days!

There is also a web-based mockup editor by Balsamiq. It’s got its bugs, but works well enough to get the job done. If I weren’t so tied to my paper I might use it. I still recommend checking it out, as it is a cool flash-based design tool complete with undo/redo and free transform.

ActionScript 3.0 Language Reference for Flash Player 10



I can never find the language reference for Flash Player 10. I finally bookmarked the thing, but thought it might be useful to share the (apparently un-indexed) web location: flash player 10 language reference

The api for the new Vector type is here, which is identical to the Array in all ways except the sort and sortOn (I wish they’d have Array and Vector implement a similar interface)

Also the references I use the most recently
• the new drawing api features: GraphicsPath, GraphicsData, lineBitmapStyle
• DisplayObject 3D: the ever-so-cool ‘z’ coordinate, PerspectiveProjection, Matrix3D

And I’d love to get involved with the dynamic sound generation, but right now that’s left to my genius co-worker Joe Snow.