ActionScript has matured into a full-fledged, object-oriented programming language for creating cutting-edge Web applications, and this comprehensive book is just what you need to succeed. If you want to add interactivity to Flash, build Flex applications, or work with animation — it's all here, and more. Packed with clear instruction, step-by-step tutorials, and advanced techniques, this book is your go-to guide to unlock the power of this amazing language. Learn the basics, apply object-oriented programming, and more.

 Flex is a very powerful and versatile technology for creating web application front-ends. But what every good web application needs is a robust data source, be it XML, or a database. Flex is very adaptable in terms of connecting to data sources, and that is the main focus of this book. In Foundation Flex for Developers, Sas Jacobs assumes that you've got the basics of Flex down already, and explores in detail how to create professional data-centric Flex 2 and Flex 3 applications. In the first half of the book, she starts off with a brief exploration of Flex and ActionScript 3.0, before looking at application essentials in detailcreating custom components, user and web browser interactions, binding, formatting, and validating data, debugging, and more. In the second half of the book, the focus is on connecting Flex to data sources, and covers XML, Flex Data Services, PHP, ASP.NET, and ColdFusion in detail, via a series of step-by-step case studies.

• Covers Flex application basics
• Covers connecting Flex 2 and Flex 3 to a variety of Data Sources
• Includes several complete case studies.

Laszlo in Action is the first comprehensive guide to the Laszlo system and its language LZX. OpenLaszlo is an increasingly popular open-source platform for the development and delivery of rich internet applications across multiple platforms: Flash, DHTML, and J2ME. The dramatic emergence of Ajax over the past year was a first step in the transition from page-oriented HTML web applications towards more full-featured rich internet applications. OpenLaszlo provides another important step in this continuing evolutionary process through the increased productivity resulting from LZX's declarative approach. It provides developers with the tools to create web-based applications offering the usability and interactivity associated with desktop applications, and the low costs associated with web-based deployment. The cross-platform nature of Laszlo LZX applications allows source code with only minimum modifications to run natively on all popular web browsers, on all desktop operating systems, on the Flash platform, and other platforms in the future. Written to address the needs of a wide spectrum of developers, ranging from client-side HTML and JavaScript developers all the way to enterprise-class Java or Rails engineers, this book provides a very hands-on approach towards building applications that solve real-world problems across both the Flash and DHTML platforms. Starting with the fundamentals of Laszlo LZX, the authors quickly move towards applying this knowledge to the design and development of a full-scale application called the Laszlo Market. This provides a working context to assist understanding the underlying concepts of Laszlo LZX and, more importantly, how to apply this knowledge in innovative ways. The construction of the Laszlo Market proceeds over the course of the book illustrating topics starting with an initial wireframe and storyboard design to optimization issues dealing with the application's deployment across the Flash and DHTML platforms.

Flexible Rails is a unique, application-based guide for using Ruby on Rails 2 and Adobe Flex 3 to build rich Internet applications (RIAs). It is not an exhaustive Ruby on Rails or Flex reference. Instead, it is an extensive tutorial in which the reader builds multiple iterations of an interesting RIA using Flex and Rails together. Author Peter Armstrong walks readers through eleven iterations in which the sample application–pomodo–is variously built, refactored, debugged, sliced, diced and otherwise explored from every conceivable angle with respect to Ruby on Rails and Adobe Flex. The book unfolds both the application and the Flex-on-Rails approach side-by-side.

As a Flex developer, you'll no doubt come across repetitive problems every day in your workwouldn't it be nice to have a library of solutions to turn to, to solve these problems quickly and easily? Well, this book provides just that, with over 100 solutions to common problems in one easy volume. In Flex 2 Solutions, renowned Flash and Flex expert Marco Casario assumes you know the basics, and dives straight into practical code examples that you could build up yourselves via step by step tutorials, and plug straight in to your own code, saving you hours of development time. Areas explored include Flex 2 components, charting, working with remote data, data validation, displaying data with list based controls, controlling the look and feel of your applications, application security, working with dynamic data sources (such as ColdFusion, PHP, and Java backends,) and much more. In each solution, Marco takes you through the workings of the example step by step, and then presents some expert's tips, which will take your understanding further, and give you unique insights into Flex development.

• Over 100 Solutions to common problems included
• Plug the code example straight into your own applications, saving hours of development time
• Covers the full spectrum of Flex 2 topics, from styling your applications, to security, and interfacing with databases.

This book is for any Flex developer who has mastered the basics, but wants to take their skills to the top levelit is packed with essential practical techniques in use in a professional production environment, which you can learn from and use in your own Flex 2 or Flex 3 applications. Written by a team of expert developers from the Los Angeles-based Almer/Blank consultancy, the book takes you through exactly how they built the popular Rich Media X (RMX) application for Adobe user groups, step by step. Assuming the basics, they take you through planning the project, wireframing and application design, putting the basic structure together (including the PHP and MySQL backend,) customizing the look and feel of the application (to make it not just look like any other Flex application,) and implementing all the killer features that make the RMX great, such as blog, wiki, content aggregation from RSS and other sources, video, audio visualizer, events calendar, and advertising mechanisms.

• Learn how Rich Media X was built!
• A real-world Flex book, written by experts using the technology in their day-to-day work
• Contains all the killer features you need to build up your own web 2.0 Flex applicationblog, wiki, video, content aggregation, events calendar, and much more.

If you want to create exciting dynamic web sites that will amaze your online audience, then the Flash platform is a great way to go, with it's many features, including powerful graphical and sound and video capabilities. To really harness the power of Flash though, you need to make use of ActionScript, Flash's coding language, to provide dynamic effects, enable user interaction, and manipulate data. Adobe just made things even more powerful with ActionScript 3.0. They've taken ActionScript and expanded it into a fully-fledged programming language, with full object-oriented capabilities, improved events, sounds and video support, and drawing capabilities, support for regular expressions, and much, much more. Whether you are an aspiring ActionScript developer, or an experienced ActionScript developer who wants to upgrade your knowledge to version 3.0, this book teaches all you need to know to start to harness the power of ActionScript 3.0 using Flash CS3, Flex 2 or Flex 3. It covers all the essential techniques from the ground up, allowing you to get up and running quickly and easily. The sensible layout of the book makes it easy to refer back to techniques when you need to, and there are even reference sections at the back of the book to allow you to look up syntax quickly. With this book as your guide, you'll be creating killer ActionScript powered Flash applications before you know it!

Whether you are an experienced Flash designer or developer looking for a guide to doing animation in Flash, or a novice to Flash who is looking for an effective way to create and distribute animations, this book will prove invaluable to you. Covering every aspect of Flash animation, the book is a fast-paced yet thorough review of the Flash animation process. Written by the Emmy-Award winning team at ANIMAX, this book not only reveals the step-by-step process followed by one of today's leading Flash animation studios, it gives you valuable tips and tricks to take your Flash animation to the next level. Divided into three phases of production (pre-production, animation, post-production) this book breaks the Flash animation process into smaller, more manageable steps. And because the authors approach the animation process from various perspectives (such as producer, animator, and editor) the book balances many of the real-world issues facing today's Flash animators, from artistic to technical to financial. The book starts off by looking at planning and designing an animation project, including working out your goals, and putting together character libraries and storyboards. Next up we look at the production phase, which includes using plug-ins to make your work more efficient, implementing your animation, and adding special effects. Finally, we look at post-production work, including how After Effects can be used effectively alongside Flash for tasks such as camera mechanics, how to make Flash not look like Flash, and tips and tricks from the experts. Whatever the reason, like millions of others around the world you've become interested in Flash animation. And you've come to the right place to learn more. This book is compatible with pretty much any fairly recent version of Flash.

If you need to get to grips fast with creating interactive graphics and animation in Flash - then look no further! Whether you are a new user or a professional, this highly visual book is all you need to get up and running with the latest powerful upgrade - Macromedia Flash 8.

Birgitta Hosea breaks down the software into its main components and offers simple, visual step-by-step instructions to explain the fundamental practical techniques you need to create finished projects. The accessible style and structure lets you dip in and out when working on a project, or work straight through to explore more of the programs capabilities and develop your skills.

Written by a designer for designers The Focal Easy Guide to Macromedia Flash 8 offers a thorough coverage of the basic features of Flash, without going into in-depth coding with ActionScript.

Birgitta Hosea is a motion graphics artist and Course Director of the London Animation Studio at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Her experience ranges from designing moving branding to art directing pop promos and short films.

A Volume in The Focal Easy Guide Series.

The Focal Easy Guide series:
Starting working with new software immediately regardless of your level
Achieve professional results, learn practical skills from industry experts
Focused, user-friendly coverage of the key tools you need to know

*If you need to get up and running fast with creating interactive graphics and animation in Flash - then look no further!
*Offers a thorough coverage of the basic features of Flash, without going into in-depth coding with ActionScript
*Dip in and out of the book when working on a project, or work straight through to explore more of the program's capabilities

Packed with hands-on instruction and step by step tutorials, the ActionScript 3 Bible is everything you need to harness the power of this amazing language. ActionScript experts Roger Braunstein and Mims Wright guide you through the in's and out's of building Rich Internet Applications with ActionScript 3. Coverage includes:

* The ActionScript 3 language—variables, datatypes, operators and expressions, functions, and more
* Object-Oriented aspects of ActionScript 3
* Working with XML
* Dealing with events
* Handling error events and making your applications fault tolerant
* Debugging ActionScript applications
* Loading external data
* Working with audio, video and graphics
* Working in binary
* Developing for Apollo
* Application deployment
* And more…