Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 for Server Geeks

is written specifically tor web developers who want to learn how to use Flash to augment their web applications. Flash development and programming procedures come alive through the creation of sample widgets and visual interfaces, all of which exhibit some kind of server integration.

Why learn about Flash first and data integration later? This book teaches you both at the same time. Every example in this book includes both server-side and client-side code that work together to present your data in a rich and interactive fashion. The examples include scrolling interfaces, data collectors, animated bar charts, real-time data displays, and more. In each case, separate versions of the server-side code are provided for ColdFusion, ASP.NET, and Java developers. Next, the client-side code is presented and explained thoroughly, with extensive notes and cross-references to Macromedia's own documentation.

Contents

• Part I: A Crash Course In Flash
  • Getting Acquainted with Flash
  • Your First Flash Interface
  • Digging a Bit Deeper
• Part II: Key Flash Concepts From A Developer's Perspective
  • ActionScript: A Primer
  • Movie Clips as Objects
• Part III: Getting Connected To Your Data
  • Connecting to Servers with Plain Text
  • Connecting to Servers with XML
  • Connecting to Servers with Flash Remoting
  • Connecting to Servers with Web Services
• Part IV: Using Flash For Data Collection
  • Flash and Sessions
  • Building Better Forms with Flash
• Part V: Appendixes
  • A Notes on Building the SimpleBarChart Component
  • B Cross-Domain Data Access Policies in Flash Player 7
  • Index