Integrating Adobe Flex 2 with PHP to Provide a Rich Client Experience

FREE GEEK -> Community Technology Center -> 1731 SE 10th Avenue -> Portland, OR 97214 -> 503-232-9350

Pizza and Pop sponsored by: Portland's Tech Requiter

With PHP, all your Web site content programming occurs on the server, where the content is dynamically generated and sent to the user's Web browser for viewing. Adobe Flex 2 compiles to Flash code providing you with programming capability within any Web browser, a.k.a., a Rich Client with optional client/server messaging. What’s interesting is that the Flash messaging protocol to/from PHP on the server occurs by some interesting and unique ways you’ve never experienced before. Furthermore there are several messaging protocols to choose from--each with its benefits and tradeoffs. Pete will explain what messaging protocol to deploy, and how to go about getting it going.

Then there is the other side of the equation, which is how do you go about writing the client side code which gets compiled into flash and run by your web browser? Well, the answer is you have two development language choices, declarative statements written in “mxml” and a procedural language named ActionScript 3.0 (not to be confused with ActionScript 2.0). ActionScript 3.0 is JavaScript syntax supporting a very rich API underneath that allows you to write the rich client Web pages.

By now you might be wondering do I use “mxml” or ActionScript 3.0 programming languages for development. The answer is both integrated together in the same application. Yes, a little bit different way of doing development, but Pete guarantees clear up the mystery and show you the benefits of what is actually a very simple approach for creating compelling solutions.

Finally we’ll cover the Flex 2 most capable set of development and debugging tools, where to obtain them, and how to get started with Flex 2 development mastery. Pete will also cover the Adobe’s licensing details to for Flex 2 deployment. Hint, Adobe Flex 2 licensing is surprisingly inexpensive. more info >

About the Speaker

Pete Mackie is a 46-year veteran of the software and electronics industry, with a broad range of technical development, operations, finance and management experience, in organizations ranging from start-ups to divisions of Tektronix Corporation. A key player in the formation of the software industry in Oregon, Pete founded and served as past President of the Software Association of Oregon, and is recognized locally as an authority on Internet technologies, electronic publishing, and dynamic Web site content publishing among numerous other software arenas. Seaquest Software, Inc., which he founded in 1982, to develop software for personal computers, with a client base including names like Apple Computer, Microsoft, WordStar, Aldus and BioScan.

Presently Pete is an active volunteer with the Eclipse Foundation as a committer for the ECF (Eclipse Communication Framework) project. He also teaches PHP and MySQL and other courses at PCC, develops PHP based Web sites for clients, and mastering the marriage of Adobe Flex 2 on the client messaging with PHP scripts on the Web server.

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