This book starts out ok but after the first example, it goes downhill fast. Even while working on the first example, they constantly tell you to read the api's and never go into it beyond a superficial level.
Even the writing is pretty boring which makes this very hard to read...
Author(s): Chris Korhonen, David Hassoun
Series: Friends of Ed Abobe Learning Library
Edition: 1
Publisher: friends of ED
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 365
Creating Mashups with Adobe Flex and AIR......Page 1
CONTENTS AT A GLANCE......Page 7
CONTENTS......Page 9
ABOUT THE AUTHORS......Page 15
ABOUT THE TECHNICAL REVIEWER......Page 17
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 19
INTRODUCTION......Page 21
Layout conventions......Page 22
Contacting the Authors......Page 23
A brief history of the Web......Page 25
A web of data......Page 28
Examples of mashups......Page 29
Buzzword......Page 30
Chicago Crime......Page 31
Flash Earth......Page 32
Flappr......Page 34
Adactio Elsewhere......Page 35
Feeds......Page 37
APIs......Page 40
Increased traffic......Page 42
Internal mashups......Page 43
Summary......Page 44
TECHNOLOGIES TO MASH WITH!......Page 47
Working with JavaScript......Page 48
Mashing Google Maps using JavaScript......Page 50
Working with Flash......Page 54
Under the hood......Page 55
Working with data......Page 57
Working with Flex......Page 58
Working with the Adobe Flash Platform......Page 59
Flash Media Server......Page 60
Adobe Creative Suite......Page 61
Choosing a technology......Page 62
Summary......Page 64
AN INTRODUCTION TO FLEX......Page 67
Building a Flex application......Page 68
Creating a new Flex project......Page 69
Defining your application......Page 71
Integrating your data......Page 73
Posting data to an API......Page 77
Next steps......Page 83
Summary......Page 84
FLEX COMPONENTS......Page 87
Building the user interface......Page 88
Validators, formatters, and other nonvisual components......Page 92
Component customization and skinning......Page 93
Styling components with CSS......Page 94
Applying graphical skins......Page 96
Follow the framework......Page 100
Use the component life cycle......Page 101
Use metadata......Page 105
Create custom events......Page 106
Add styling support......Page 107
A complete component......Page 108
Summary......Page 114
Architectural considerations when developing Flex applications......Page 117
Using the Model View Controller pattern......Page 118
Your application......Page 119
Application architecture......Page 120
The application shell......Page 121
Accessing web services......Page 125
Building the views......Page 142
Summary......Page 154
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT IN FLEX APPLICATIONS......Page 157
The dangers of premature optimization......Page 158
Best practices......Page 159
Performance monitoring......Page 164
Summary......Page 166
Debugging an application......Page 169
The trace() function......Page 170
Builder: Flex Debugging perspective......Page 172
Managing the debug session......Page 174
The Logging API......Page 175
RED|bug......Page 178
Summary......Page 181
Finding inspiration......Page 183
Abstracting data services......Page 184
Using the interface......Page 190
Optimizing asset loading......Page 194
Caching......Page 195
Summary......Page 197
MASHING UP FUNCTIONALITY......Page 199
Using Amazon S3 as a data store......Page 200
Getting started with S3......Page 201
Hosting content with S3......Page 202
Reading and writing data......Page 204
The user interface......Page 205
Amazon Simple DB for data storage......Page 226
Summary......Page 227
Introducing SWX......Page 229
Getting started......Page 231
SWX library......Page 238
Application development with SWX PHP......Page 240
Why choose SWX?......Page 243
Summary......Page 244
TAKING IT TO THE DESKTOP......Page 247
Why develop for the desktop?......Page 251
Native applications......Page 253
Widget platforms......Page 254
Web technologies......Page 256
Summary......Page 265
DEVELOPING FOR THE DESKTOP WITH AIR......Page 267
Starting a new project......Page 268
Defining and customizing your application......Page 273
Installing an AIR application: the user’s view......Page 277
Creating an AIR file......Page 280
Distributing AIR......Page 284
Summary......Page 285
ADDING MORE DESKTOP ELEMENTS TO THE WEB......Page 287
Working with files and directories......Page 289
Manipulating files......Page 292
Dragging and dropping......Page 294
An example drag-and-drop application......Page 295
Clipboard access......Page 298
The user interface......Page 299
Behind the scenes......Page 304
Summary......Page 312
BUILDING A DESKTOP EXPERIENCE......Page 315
Creating an application’s user interface......Page 316
Widgets: the smallest applications......Page 319
Managing windows......Page 320
Creating windows......Page 321
Managing windows......Page 325
Window events......Page 326
Utilizing transparency......Page 327
Skinning......Page 329
Summary......Page 335
Rendering HTML richly......Page 337
Using the HTML component......Page 339
Rendering PDF content......Page 342
System tray icons......Page 343
Menus......Page 345
Launching, detecting, and updating AIR applications......Page 349
File associations......Page 350
Updating applications......Page 352
Summary......Page 354
INDEX......Page 357
