Flex Developers in Distress as Adobe Scraps Flash Catalyst

Companies like DCKAP developing services for its clients using the Software Development Kit, Apache Flex are in state of anxiety after the Adobe Flash Catalyst tool has not been provisioned with the new CS6 version. Adobe has decided to discontinue the production of Flash Catalyst in order to streamline the product line. With Flash Catalyst, user interface architects from DCKAP were creating the user interface for Adobe Flex (now Adobe Flash Builder 4) applications using Adobe graphic software. Then Flex developers used the result to build the rest of the application in Flex.

It is much expected that the Adobe Flash Catalyst has to remain intact until the Flex community comes up with an alternative which has all the potentials of replacing the Flash Catalyst efficiently and which can be used by Flex developers for rapid Flex app prototyping and Flex skinning techniques.
Now the Flex developers and flex programmers are blaming Adobe which was forever delaying the release of a fully featured Designer/Developer workflow which was finally introduced with Flash Catalyst CS5.5 and Flash Builder 4.5 this year.

Flash Catalyst works based on the idea of Visual learning. Visual learning is a teaching and learning style in which ideas, concepts, data and other information are associated with images and techniques. It is one of the three basic types of learning styles used by Flex developers in the widely used Fleming VAK/VARK model that also includes kinesthetic learning and auditory learning.

Discontinuing Flash Catalyst and removing it from the Creative Suite of Adobe means:

* This is distressing news for all people who prefer to design and think visually.
* It evokes worry for all Flex developers which have to navigate and code large-scale Flex apps.
* Flex designers that need to interact with Flex developers will have hassles.
* This is bad news for all Flex beginners because it adds another barrier while learning Flex development … and this is bad again because we need more highly skilled Flex developers around.

Following this, the website change.org has posted a petition demanding Adobe to sustain Flash Catalyst until a suitable alternative is found. It has also posted a set of questions which could be signed and it requests its users to buy the application to showcase the support.

About DCKAP
DCKAP (www.dckap.com) is a Fremont, CA based global technology Services Company delivering technology driven business solutions that meet the strategic objectives of the clients. Founded in 2005, with offices in California & Colorado, USA, the UK, Australia and a development center in India, DCKAP has earned appreciation from well respected Fortune 100 companies for its competent services.

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Flex Developers Rejoice in the Hands of New Apache Flex

DCKAP, capitalizing on the remarkable updates made by Flex, announced today the services which it will provide and about the elevations on the services it is going to offer. DCKAP and its Flex developers are excited that the new developments provided by Apache Flex, formerly known as Adobe Flex, have made Software Development Kit more accommodating and prompt.

Flex has been a very consistent and adaptable open source framework so now that it has gone into the hands of Flex programmers in the Apache Software Foundation it is expected to be more versatile and elegant, as instead of a single team there are going to be teams of Flex developers from both Apache Software Foundation and Adobe working on it. Programmers in Apache Software Foundation who had a glimpse around the already existing structure say that Flex is going to be developed in such a way that its cross-platform deploying abilities are going to spread out avidly.

The major concern in Flex Programmer’s heads is the speculation of factions migrating towards HTML5 from Flex, to flag such conjectures the Adobe team of Flex Developers pointed out some major advantages that Flex holds over HTML5. Factors such as feature-level consistency across multiple platforms, browsers, and devices; Flex programmers find it very simple to build complex user interfaces using the Flex component set and programming model; For developing large applications ActionScript 3 is an ideal object-oriented programming language; Supporting tools offer a productive development environment with respect to code editing, debugging, profiling, and testing.

As Flex too has been set in hands of expert Flex developers in Apache Software Foundation, DCKAP and its team of Flex developers are looking forward to developing innovative and competent applications.

About DCKAP
DCKAP (www.dckap.com) is a Fremont, CA based global technology Services Company delivering technology driven business solutions that meet the strategic objectives of the clients. Founded in 2005, with offices in California & Colorado, USA, the UK, Australia and a development center in India, DCKAP has earned appreciation from well respected Fortune 100 companies for its competent services.

2201 Walnut Ave, Suite 240
Fremont, CA 94538
Call US: 1 510.796.2525
Email: infoca@dckap.com

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Benefits Of Flex Applications And Developers

Flex development uses MXML for implementing the user interface and navigation on the front-end. It is an interface component in Flex and is an XML based user interface markup language which is used in layout of UI components in a Flex Application. It is a powerful Object Oriented Language with its own classes, components, compiler and debugger.

Flex is a powerful open source application development framework. Flex developers build mobile applications for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Tablet OS devices, as well as Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) for browser and desktop, using the same programming model, tools and codebase.

The scripting language ActionScript is used for dynamic intelligence allowing for stunning animation and multimedia features. Flex developers work with server-side scripting languages such as .Net, PHP, Ruby, ColdFusion and others to for the back-end collaboration. Flex development includes Adobe LiveCycle Data Services ES for the database, which helps in synchronizing data between the user screen and the database server.

Components of the Flex Application Framework:
ActionScript: Client-side scripting that controls application behavior at the client end MXML: Used in Flex server to manage objects constituting the interface of the applications Class Library: Consists of service components -- Flex developers can create custom components

Benefits of Flex Applications:
* Cross Browser; Platform & Device Compatibility
* Custom Components– Data Grids, Charts, Formatters, Validators…
* Open Source Technology – Inexpensive
* Rich User Interface with Enhanced Data Controls
* User Interactive Application with "No Refresh"
* Complex Online Business Applications with Impressive User Interface
* Scalable – Add Features/ Modules according to Business Need
* Rapid Application Development
* No Need for High End Server to Deploy
* Supports Various Technologies Like .Net, PHP, Java, Perl, ColdFusion, Ruby
* Provides Real-Time Updates to Most Current Data
* Enterprise-class Programming Model – provides access to local database, camera, GPS…         
* Developer Tools
* Mobile Applications – high performance applications android, blackberry, tablet OS, iOS…
* Server Integration – Java, Spring, Hibernate, PHP, Ruby, .NET, ColdFusion, SAP…
* Outstanding Performance – Data visualization and UI interactions on the client-side

Flex developers have designed applications for diverse market segments, including trading applications, ecommerce, business intelligence, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and foreign exchange trading. Large organizations are migrating from legacy application to web based Flex applications. Flex programmer develop lightweight plug-ins that install quickly and run hassle-free. Flex applications can be web based or desktop applications. Web applications run in the browser. Desktop applications run on the runtime environment called Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR). They improve both user experience and business productivity.

About Author:
DCKAP is a Fremont, CA based global technology services company delivering technology driven business solutions that meet the strategic objectives of the clients. Also For Free consultation and more informations on regarding Flex Developers, Flex Development and Flex Programmers.

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Adobe’s Commitments to Flex – Official Whitepaper

There have been a lot of questions about the viability and future of Flex recently, and Adobe has published an official whitepaper today detailing their support for Flex going forward. The paper also contains details regarding Flash runtime support, Flash Builder support and other Apache contributions including the Falcon compiler. I believe the paper is a must read and can be found HERE.

Read More..

For Free consultation on regarding Flex Development, Flex Programmers, and Flex Developers,  log on to http://www.dckap.com/

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Flex Mobile Development – Dynamic Splash Screens

Flash Builder 4.6 includes a new feature to allow you to add a dynamic splash screen component to your mobile application. This feature will allow you to load a different image based on a few different properties you can set to ensure you get the best image for the right device. The properties you can use to determine which image is displayed for the splash screen are:

dpi
minResolution
aspectRatio

You can combine these attributes as well to get the best possible image selected. It’s very easy to implement, you simple create an MXML component based on the SplashScreenImage property and include as many SplashScreenImageSource objects to cover the number of situations needed. For example, in the following code I’m setting different images depending on both dpi and aspectRatio properties. Note that this example makes an assumption about tablets generally being 160 DPI (thus needing the bigger image), the 320 DPI being the iPhone 4 and above and most android phones at 240 and setting the image based on that. It also assumes that I want to use the landscape version of the image when the aspectRatio happens to be landscape on startup. You could also use the minResolution to further ensure that the 160 DPI is indeed a tablet etc and that will cause the the stage width and stage height to be compared on startup to find the largest number of the two. If it’s equal to or greater than your minResolution setting, it will select that image for the splash screen.

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Page Visibility in JavaScript

The other day I was reading a post discussing the Page Visibility API and thought this could be a really useful tool for developers. Currently it is still being “standardized” by the W3C but it is available to use in many current browsers using engine specific-prefixes (I will stay out of the red hot prefix debate for the moment). Suffice it to say, you can get it to work on most modern browsers using a combination of prefixes.

The Page Visibility API allows you to determine when your page has moved to the background or the browser has been minimized. Some uses I could think of are things like setting your status as away in browser-based chat clients, pausing a game or video, stopping or starting background processes or even persisting data and settings.
In this simple example I decided to look at a problem I have encountered myself that the Page Visbility API might be able to solve in conjunction with the Local Storage API. The problem is that sometimes when filling out a complex form I get pulled away and forget to finish. In some cases, my session may time out and I could end up losing all the form data I already started. So, my thought was, what if I detect when you’ve left the form and persist your form entries to local storage. This way, when you return to the form, even if the page has been closed or you’re forced to re-login, your form entries won’t be lost.

It turns out this is really easy to do. Let’s look at the code from my example page (view source for the full code). Please note, that for simplicity’s sake, I made this to run specifically in Chrome, but if you borrow this script from Sam Dutton’s example, you could easily modify this to run across browsers. The other thing is, I am also not using jQuery here. I know the tendency is to do so even for simple examples like this but (sorry to rant for a sec) I feel a lot of developers include it unnecessarily. As you’ll see, simple DOM manipulation can be done without it.
 Read More..

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Flex Developers Create Intelligent Business Applications

Large organizations are migrating from legacy application to web based Flex applications.

A Rich Internet Application (RIA) is a web based application with all the typical characteristics of the familiar desktop applications greatly enhanced for impressive visual appeal. Flex applications introduced the "no-refresh" concept and elevated user experience along with graphical representation of data. A Flex application brings with it remarkable growth in online business with the help of RIA technology. It has a rich set of the standard controls which helps a Flex programmer to rapidly create Flex applications to suit any business requirement.

Flex developers create applications that organize historical business data in various formats and offer graphical view to help take crucial business decisions in a competitive market.

A Flex application runs a lightweight plug-in on the client browser, providing cross-browser functionality. In other words, once a Flex developer builds a business application, it can run on any browser and always provide the same/similar interface and behavior. A majority of browsers either have a Flash player or installed a plug-in, so that Rich Internet Applications built on the Flex platform run readily on them and across devices.
Flex applications can be web based or desktop applications. They improve both user experience and business productivity.

Flex developers create applications that organize historical business data in various formats and offer graphical view to help take crucial business decisions in a competitive market. Flex developers can present information as an elegant set of text and graphics with an attractive user interface using powerful data and multimedia controls. A flex developer creates a highly customized design based on CSS using Adobe FlexBuilder. The Flex application is a client-server application -- the RIA runs on the client browser and interacts dynamically with the database on the server.

Flex is a powerful open source application development framework. Flex developers build mobile applications for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Tablet OS devices, as well as Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) for browser and desktop, using the same programming model, tools and codebase.

Expert Flex Programmer/ Flex Developer Services

* Game Programming
* Mobile applications development
* Flex Consulting, business analysis and specification development
* Adobe AIR and Flex programming outsourcing
* Server-side programming with the usage of PHP, Java or .NET technologies
* Client-side programming
* Remote Data Interchange using AMF
* Flash design
* Development of standard Web 2.0 modules like video and audio streaming, messaging components, photo galleries, co-browsing, chat and other modules to allow for in-context interactivity.
* Integration of Flex with third party components
* Flex support

DCKAP is a Fremont, CA based global technology services company delivering technology driven business solutions that meet the strategic objectives of the clients. Also For Free consultation and more informations on regarding Flex Developers, Flex Development and Flex Programmers. Please log on to http://www.dckap.com

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Cool ActionScript/Flash Stuff

Adobe's Thibault Imbert introduces the Flash Player 11.2 and AIR 3.2 beta4 and the advances the runtimes are making related to Stage3D and how this affects Flash game developers.

Andre Vanhulzen shows how to quickly search for specific text in a ByteArray using ActionScript 3.

Simon Bailey shows how to manage message exchanging using AS3-Signals in an MVC application using a framework like Robotlegs.

Hemanth Sharma posts the first in a series of video tutorials showing how to create a balloon shooter game using FlashPunk.

Emanuele Feronato shows the concept behind Stringy Flash game and his solution for determining if the sprite you need to catch is within the lasso. Emanuele also continues his series on building Flash games using Stencylworks with a post showing how to make the player die after a long fall.

Read More..
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2012 Flex User Group Tour

If you hadn’t heard already, Flex has been accepted by the Apache Software Foundation. If you are wondering what exactly this means, or you have asked yourself any of the following questions, then you might want to check out the Adobe Flex User Group Tour:

• Do you want to learn more about the future of Flex?
• Do you want to learn more about the Flex transition to the Apache Software Foundation?
• How can you contribute and help make Flex thrive?
• Do you have questions that you would like to voice to Adobe?

As promised, Adobe is kicking off The Flex User Group Tour to discuss recent events surrounding Flex and the Flash Platform.   These meetings are intended to help you understand the changes happening with Flex and Flash, the impact to related tools, as well as to educate about the process & transition to Apache.   You can learn more about the user group tour and get an up-to-date listing of dates & cities from the Flex Team blog - be sure to check back periodically for updates. Initial cities include New York, Boston, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, Sand Diego, and Dallas.   Expect more cities & countries to be announced at a later date.

We hope to see you at one of the upcoming events. I’m scheduled to speak at the Dallas event in April, and I hop to see you there!

 

Via Tricedesigns.com
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Flex Accepted by Apache Software Foundation

In case you did not see the post on the Flex Team blog on Dec. 31st, it was announced that Flex has officially been accepted by the Apache Software Foundation.   You can view the Apache Flex proposal on the Apache incubator wiki at http://wiki.apache.org/incubator/FlexProposal.

Apache Flex allows developers to target a variety of platforms, initially Apple iOS, Google Android, RIM BlackBerry, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X with a single codebase. Flex provides a compiler, skinnable user-interface components and managers to handle styling, skinning, layout, localization, animation, module-loading and user interaction management.

Just a bit of extra detail for you, all of which is available through Apache:

• Flex source will be available at: http://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/incubator/flex/ (note: it’s not there at the time of this writing)
• Flex will have a public JIRA issue tracker (not available at the time of writing)
• You can subscribe to the Apache Flex mailing list by sending a message to flex-dev-subscribe@incubator.apache.org

Initial goals of the Apache Flex incubation project:

• Donate all Adobe Flex SDK source code and documentation to the Apache Software Foundation.
• Setup and standardize the open governance of the Apache Flex project.
• Rename all assets from Adobe Flex SDK to Apache Flex in project source code, docs, tests and related infrastructure.

Via Tricedesigns.com

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Flex SDK Security Patch Now Available

A security patch for the Flex SDK is now available to address a vulnerability that will cause many Flex applications to be vulnerable to cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.  These applications must be patched in order to protect user data. Please review this bulletin to determine if your applications are at risk and to obtain instructions on how to patch your applications.

If you have any questions about the security bulletin, please email PSIRT@adobe.com

For Free consultation on regarding Flex Development, Flex Developers, Flex Programmers, Flex Experts log on to http://www.dckap.com/

Source :  http://www.adobe.com/

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Flex 4.6 SDK and Flash Builder

The Flex and Flash Builder teams are excited to announce the availability of Flex 4.6 SDK and Flash Builder 4.6 updates. Flash Builder 4.6 is a free update to Flash Builder 4.5 and provides expanded support for mobile application development and all the tools you need to take advantage of the new features in Adobe AIR 3.0 and Flash Player 11.

A lot is included in this update, so much so that we couldn’t deliver it in the Adobe Application Manager.  This means Flash Builder 4.5 users won’t  automatically be notified about the update and will have to download the full Flash Builder 4.6 installer and enter their Flash Builder 4.5 serial number.

You can download the full installer  from Adobe.com. Please note: you must uninstall your previous version of Flash Builder 4.5 or 4.5.1 before installing 4.6.   By default the Flash Builder uninstall program will preserve your preferences and workspace so you can easily reimport them into Flash Builder 4.6.  If you require the standalone Flex 4.6 SDK, you can download the build from the Adobe opensource site.

For Free consultation on regarding Flex Development, Flex Experts, Flex Programmers, Flex Designers log on to http://www.dckap.com/

Source :  http://www.adobe.com/

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Flex Developers, Customized Flex Applications Development

The Flex developer enhances the web application with audio and video features. Through audio / video clips, business managers can easily demonstrate online their product or service. The prospective buyer can access the audio or video clip and understand the finer points of the product or service offered. Time is the essence of business transactions and the web application, therefore, displays the products instantly explaining the salient features to the online viewers. Flex programmer integrates graphics, animation and multimedia into the web application, so that critical business information is displayed clearly, prominently and in the most impressive way. This draws a far better response from the prospective buyers, reflected by an upwards pointing sales graph.

Flex is a comparatively new platform used for developing Rich Internet Applications for custom development projects according to specific business needs. It is also possible to plan well ahead and integrate additional powerful components like CRM and ERP enabled web applications, ecommerce solutions, video and audio messaging solutions, which need additional specialized skills.

Adobe Flex has played a major and significant part in shaping online business today. The increasingly powerful and feature-packed Flex versions have empowered the Flex developer to create outstanding Rich Internet Applications.

Flash ActionScript & Flex Developer
Flex & Flash ActionScript Developer
Components of a Flex Application/ Flash ActionScript Application

* MXML: XML-based markup language used for building layout graphic user interfaces
* ActionScript: Core language of Flash Player used to control user interactivity with server-side scripts
* Class Libraries: Set of user interface components that help developers in using the predefined components like data grids, list boxes, buttons, and various layout containers
* Custom Components: A good Flex developers can also create custom components where required

Why Flex & Flash ActionScript

* Rich user experience through intuitive interaction with Flex applications
* Support for multifaceted business logic running in the browser providing rapid response without the painful need for repeatedly refreshing the page
* Action Script and MXML are the strong development models of Flex enabling the development of powerful business applications

Customized Flex Applications Development

* Rich user interface
* Flex integrated with PHP, MySQL, SQL, Oracle, Asp.Net, XML
* Flex and Adobe AIR programming
* Flex design and Flex web solutions
* MXML development
* Dynamic shopping cart and other eCommerce solutions
* ActionScript development
* Developing Flex based CMS and LMS

For Free consultation on regarding Flex Development, Flex Programmers, and Flex Developers,  log on to http://www.dckap.com/

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What specifically is Adobe announcing in relation to Flex SDK?

As of November 2011, Adobe is in the process of preparing two proposals for incubating Flex SDK and BlazeDS at the Apache Software Foundation.

In addition to contributing the core Flex SDK (including automation and advanced data visualization components), Adobe also plans to donate the following:

• Complete, but yet-to-be-released, Spark components, including ViewStack, Accordion, DateField, DateChooser and an enhanced DataGrid.
• BlazeDS, the server-based Java remoting and web messaging technology that enables developers to easily connect to back-end distributed data and push data in real-time to Flex applications.
• Falcon, the next-generation MXML and ActionScript compiler that is currently under development (this will be contributed when complete in 2012)
• Falcon JS, an experimental cross-compiler from MXML and ActionScript to HTML and JavaScript.
• Flex testing tools, as used previously by Adobe, so as to ensure successful continued development of Flex with high quality

Adobe will also have a team of Flex SDK engineers contributing to those new Apache projects as their full-time responsibility. Adobe has in-development work already started, including additional Spark-based components.
Read more..

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Adobe InDesign Family CS5.5 7.5.2 update

The Adobe InDesign Family CS5.5 7.5.2 update provides key fixes in the areas of epub/ebook, PDF export, Cyrillic characters, text, font handling and others. This fix is recommended for all users.
Highlights of fixes included in this update are:

• Error “Error code : 5” experienced by some Mac users when trying to open multiple files
• InDesign application quits unexpectedly when exporting to epub if document contains composite fonts
• Data Loss can occur when multiple users edit the same assignment file

InDesign - Multiple languages: Windows (17.77 MB) | Macintosh (18.90 MB)

InCopy - Multiple languages: Windows (17.68 MB) | Macintosh (18.71 MB)

InDesign Server - Multiple languages: Windows (28.58 MB) | Macintosh (14.51 MB)

For Free consultation on regarding Flex Development, Flex Expert, Flex Developers, Flex Programming log on to http://www.dckap.com/
Source: http://adobe.com

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opensource.adobe.com have posted Flex 4.6 specs

Flex 4.6 is the next major step in cross-platform mobile application development. With a scheduled release date later this year, the new version of Flex SDK will offer several new components and functionality specifically designed to help developers create applications for the latest mobile and tablet devices.
Flex SDK 4.6 was governed by three main goals:

• New components
• Better performance
• Updated platform support

For more information, refer to the What’s new in Flex 4.6 SDK and Flash Builder 4.6 by Jacob Surber.
Though the Flex 4.6 SDK will be released only in the coming months, the team has posted the Specs for the new components out on opensource.adobe.com. You can access these specs at the Flex 4.6 SDK page.

For Free consultation on regarding Flex Development, Flex Experts, Flex Programmers, Flex Designers log on to http://www.dckap.com/
Source :  http://www.adobe.com/

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FLEX Applications: New Projects Get Straight 10% off Regular Price

Fremont, CA Oct. 12, 2011 - Fremont based global technology services company DCKAP announced today an attractive limited period special promo which brings a never before straight Ten per cent off regular price on all new Flex Application Development Projects.

Adobe® Flex is a highly productive, open source framework for building and maintaining expressive web applications that deploy consistently on all major browsers, desktops and operating systems. Web applications built on the Flex platform enliven user experience, facilitate interaction and streamline business processes.

DCKAP delivers Rich Internet Applications (RIA) solutions using Flex, Flash and Adobe-Flash Media Server technologies. DCKAP’s Flex experts and Flex developers have created applications for major businesses in diverse verticals, especially small and medium enterprises.

As part of its enhanced customer delight initiative, the company is now offering a special promotional offer of 10 per cent discount on all major Flex Application development projects for a limited period with immediate effect. Customers get all the standard services of the project, along with excellent support, which is a distinctive USP of the company. All one needs to do is call (US: 1-510-796-2525 UK: 01442 506 383) – just making sure to keep all the details ready at hand when calling.

DCKAP believes in designing an application from idea to market, and strives at implementing the best practices to ensure user experience meets ever-increasing expectations, through customer insight, design and development expertise in creating custom applications that improve digital interactions and enhance the customer’s emotional engagement with a company and its brand.

The Flex Developer Group from DCKAP has successfully delivered some of the most demanding enterprise application needs and expectations. Using the Flex platform, DCKAP has created a Social Media Dashboard for CBS to graphically display the shows and daily top level activities. The Dashboard also provides data comparisons for the shows selected.

For Free consultation on Flex Development, Flex Experts, Flex Developers visit http://www.dckap.com

Contact:
DCKAP
2201 Walnut Ave, Suite 240
Fremont, CA 94538
Call US: 1 510.796.2525
Email: infoca@dckap.com

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Flex SDK 4.5.2 in Flash Builder 4.6 Pre-Release with ICU

For Globalization of Flex Applications!

The pre-release version of Adobe Flash Builder4.6 has a new Flex SDK version 4.5.2 with integrated AIR3 and enables invoking important globalization features.

Flex is a highly productive, open source framework for building and maintaining expressive web applications that deploy consistently on all major browsers, desktops and operating systems. Adobe Flash and AIR are platforms to develop rich internet applications. Flash is used for browser based applications, AIR for native platform applications. Both have support for globalization features like locale aware formatting/parsing, collation, case transforms, localization and multi-lingual text rendering. However, text normalization, transliteration, Unicode character properties, encoding conversions, charset detections, Unicode string utilities etc., are not included.

Why We Need Globalization
Applications are accessed by users from different geographical areas. Globalization lets you create applications for all your customers in all the languages that you support. Your application can process data containing numeric values, dates, currencies, and times. You can format each of these types of data differently for different countries and regions. You can also develop applications in languages other than English.

Globalization is composed of Internationalization, or developing language-neutral application functionality that can recognize, process, and respond to data regardless of its representation. That is, whatever the application can do in one language, it can also do in another; and Localization, or taking shared, language-neutral functionality and applying to it a locale-specific interface.

Globalizing Flex Applications
Globalized Flex Applications avoid errors and confusion for your customers. This is evident in date formats. For example, a date in the form 1/2/2004 is interpreted as January 2, 2003 in the United States, but as February 1, 2004 in European countries. Currency formats are also important. Think of how your customers would feel if they found out the correct price for an item is 15,000 American dollars, not 15,000 Mexican pesos, which is equivalent to about 1600 American dollars.

Your website can also accept some form of text input such as customer feedback. You might want to support that feedback in multiple languages using a variety of character sets.

Using Flex SDK for Globalization
AIR and Flash can invoke, through ActionScript, the services of external dynamic libraries providing rich globalization support.

AIR applications can use globalization services provided by ICU. The AIR ICU extension is easy to build using the publicly available Adobe Flex SDK or using Flash Builder 4.6.

ICU
Open source ICU (International Components for Unicode) is a set of C/C++ and Java libraries providing Unicode and Globalization support for software applications. ICU is widely portable and gives applications the same results on all platforms and between C/C++ and Java software.

Here are a few highlights of the services provided by ICU

• Code Page Conversion: Convert text data to or from Unicode and nearly any other character set or encoding. ICU's conversion tables are based on charset data collected by IBM over the course of many decades, and is the most complete available anywhere.
• Collation: Compare strings according to the conventions and standards of a particular language, region or country. ICU's collation is based on the Unicode Collation Algorithm plus locale-specific comparison rules from the Common Locale Data Repository, a comprehensive source for this type of data.
• Formatting: Format numbers, dates, times and currency amounts according the conventions of a chosen locale. This includes translating month and day names into the selected language, choosing appropriate abbreviations, ordering fields correctly, etc. This data also comes from the Common Locale Data Repository.
• Time Calculations: Multiple types of calendars are provided beyond the traditional Gregorian calendar. A thorough set of time zone calculation APIs are provided.
• Unicode Support: ICU closely tracks the Unicode standard, providing easy access to all of the many Unicode character properties, Unicode Normalization, Case Folding and other fundamental operations as specified by the Unicode Standard.
• Regular Expression: ICU's regular expressions fully support Unicode while providing very competitive performance.
• Bidi: support for handling text containing a mixture of left to right (English) and right to left (Arabic or Hebrew) data.
• Text Boundaries: Locate the positions of words, sentences, paragraphs within a range of text, or identify locations that would be suitable for line wrapping when displaying the text.

As discussed early on in this article, the above features of ICU are in addition to the features provided by Flex / Flash Builder, such as locale aware formatting/ parsing, collation, case-transforms, localization and multi-lingual text rendering.

For Free consultation on Flex Development, Flex Experts, Hire your Flex Programmers, Flex Developers visit http://www.dckap.com/

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Adobe MAX 2011 -- Hot Update

Here is the first off the venue hot update on Adobe MAX 2011

Rebecca Staley reports on Adobe's blog:
Well, day one of Adobe MAX 2011 has come; I write this from the break area of the show floor, where I’m sharing a table with several people whom I have never met. This, I think, is one of many things that makes MAX such an amazing experience: everyone comes to this massive convention center in downtown LA, knowing perhaps no one and perhaps a few others from his or her own company. 

Now, only halfway through the first of three long days, people are mingling. They share tech-y jokes and participate in the same “bring your own device” labs, they sit with other strangers at lunch and wander in tandem across the massive showroom floor.

ADOBE FLEX DEVELOPMENT

Game Programming . Mobile applications development . Flex Consulting . Adobe AIR & Flex programming 

Server-side programming: PHP, Java  .NET . Client-side programming . Remote Data Interchange, AMF . Flash Design

Development of standard Web 2.0 modules, video & audio streaming, messaging components, photo galleries, co-browsing, chat, in-context interactivity . Integration of Flex with third party components . Flex support

Developers and designers rub elbows while attending demos or watching this morning’s keynote speech – and the energy has been palpable.

We’re all here to learn from each other and be inspired, and the first few hours have been no disappointment.


source: Greetings from Adobe MAX 2011

Stay tuned, for more, folks!

For Free consultation on Flex Development, Flex Experts, Hire your Flex Programmers, Flex Developers visit DCKAP

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Flash Video on iPad & iPhone!

Adobe announces media publishers can now stream Flash-based video to iPhones and iPads

September 10, 2011

ZDNet UK reports that Adobe has finally released Flash Media Server 4.5, supporting Apple iOS. Broadcasters can now stream Flash-based video content in HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), an Apple-derived format.

Photo credit: James Martin/CNET News

Apple's iPhone and other mobile devices are well known for not supporting Flash, so in April Adobe said it had come up with a workaround.

Flash Media Server usually packages video streams using MPEG4 fragments, in the F4F file format. However, the new version adds support for a different protocol, HLS, which Apple created for QuickTime and iOS.

Read the full version here.

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