Shashank Tiwari

AdvancED Flex 4 makes advanced Flex 4 concepts and techniques easy. Ajax, RIA, Web 2.0, mashups, mobile applications, the most sophisticated web tools, and the coolest interactive web applications are all covered with practical, visually oriented recipes.

• Completely updated for the new tools in Flex 4
• Demonstrates how to use Flex 4 to create robust and scalable enterprise-grade Rich Internet Applications.
• Teaches you to build high-performance web applications with interactivity that really engages your users.

What you'll learn

Practiced beginners and intermediate users of Flex, especially those with a knowledge of other web development tools, will learn to leverage Flex 4’s new tools and capabilities to build truly advanced web applications.

• Get the most out of the new features introduced in Flex 4.
• Integrate Flex 4 with PHP, Java, JavaScript, and Ruby on Rails.
• Leverage architectural and design patterns.
• Create mashups and collaborative applications using Flex 4.
• Build rich media applications using audio and video streaming and open source 3D libraries.
• Tune the performance of your Flex applications.

Who is this book for?

This book is for web developers who want and need to create Rich Internet Applications on time and within budget. It is also for all Flex developers including those upgrading from Flex 3, intermediate users who want to build their skills to an advanced level, and other web developers who want to integrate their web tools with Flex.

A hands-on guide to creating Rich Internet Applications (RIA) using BlazeDS

BlazeDS enables you to easily connect to back-end distributed data and push data in real time to Adobe Flex and Adobe AIR applications in order to garner more responsive Rich Internet Application (RIA) experiences. It is a scalable option for Flex and Java integration and allows you to create excellent RIAs with both Flex and Java.

This informative resource provides you with detailed examples and walkthroughs that explain the best practices for creating RIAs using BlazeDS. You'll begin with the essentials of BlazeDS and then more on to more advanced topics. Along the way, you'll learn the real-world concerns that surround enterprise-based Java and Flex applications.

• BlazeDS enables you to connect to back-end distributed data in order to garner more responsive Rich Internet Application (RIA) experiences
• Begins with an introduction to BlazeDS, and explains the necessary features for integrating new and existing Java data sources and applications with Flex-based RIAs
• Provides hands-on examples and addresses real-world concerns surrounding enterprise-based Java and Flex applications
• Serves as a comprehensive walk through for creating RIAs using BlazeDS

If you're looking to create rich, productive, and engaging applications, then this book is for you.

Whether you're a Flex 3 beginner or intermediate user, this book provides the necessary information to help you develop into an expert. Using a practical hands-on approach, it illustrates exactly how to create robust and scalable enterprise-grade Rich Internet Applications (RIAs).

The book is divided into three parts. The first part discusses the architectural and design aspects of Flex 3 application development. It explains the internals of a Flex 3 application and advocates a few best practices to fine-tune your application to ensure maximum performance. It includes tutorials on creating custom components, data binding, and creating AIR-powered desktop applications.

The second part concentrates on effectively integrating Flex 3 with server- and client-side technologies. Techniques for integration with Java and PHP are covered in detail, and content covering interaction with client-side technologies is also included. After reading the chapter on JavaScript integration, you will be ready to create applications that can use Ajax and Flex 3 together.

The third and final part of the book is a unique and eclectic mix of some advanced topics like mashups, collaborative applications, 3D rendering, highly interactive visualization, and audio and video streaming.

In summary, through reading this book, you will benefit from the wealth of information and years of experience the authors hold, and will then be ready to cruise with comfort in the world of Flex 3 application development on your own.

In this book, you'll learn how to

• Integrate Flex 3 with PHP, Java, JavaScript, and Ruby on Rails.
• Leverage architectural and design patterns.
• Create mashups and collaborative applications using Flex 3.
• Build rich media applications using audio and video streaming and open source 3D libraries.
• Tune the performance of your Flex applications.

Summary of Contents

• PART ONE: HARNESSING THE POWER OF FLEX 3
  • Chapter 1 Leveraging Architectural and Design Patterns
  • Chapter 2 Constructing Advanced Components
  • Chapter 3 Turbo-Charging Data Binding
  • Chapter 4 Tuning Applications for Superior Performance
  • Chapter 5 Flex and AIR: Taking Applications to the Desktop
• PART TWO: INTEGRATING WITH CLIENT- AND SERVER-SIDE TECHNOLOGIES
  • Chapter 6 Integrating with Java Using Services
  • Chapter 7 Integrating via Data and Media Services
  • Chapter 8 PHP and Flex
  • Chapter 9 Talking with JavaScript and HTML: Web Page Integration
• PART THREE: GAINING REAL ADVANTAGE IN THE NEW WEB
  • Chapter 10 Flex Mashups
  • Chapter 11 Migrating Web 1.0 Interfaces to RIA
  • Chapter 12 Sculpting Interactive Business Intelligence Interfaces
  • Chapter 13 Working with Web 2.0 APIs
  • Chapter 14 Facilitating Audio and Video Streaming
  • Chapter 15 Using 3D in Flex