Adobe Flex 4 Training from the Source, Volume 1

by Labriola, Michael; Tapper, Jeff; Boles, Matthew

• ISBN13: 9780321660503
• ISBN10: 0321660501
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-05-06
• Publisher: Adobe Press

Summary

The #1 Flex book on the market, completely updated to cover the new features of Adobe Flex 4 Uses project-based tutorials and real-world examples to teach beginner Flex developers how to create Rich Internet Applications. Written by a team of authors with practical experience as consultants, mentors and developers of courseware. Includes complete coverage of New Flex 4 features such as the Spark Component Model, advanced skinning, component creation. Adobe Flex 4: Training from the Source, Volume 1 is the best-selling and most trusted resource for learning about Adobe Flex. Written by a team of authors with practical experience as consultants, mentors and developers of courseware, this book/CD uses project-based tutorials, and is designed to teach beginning Flex developers the details of building and architecting realworld rich internet applications using Flash Builder incorporating MXML and ActionScript 3.0. The book includes a CD that contains all the files used in the lessons, plus completed projects for comparison. This latest edition includes complete coverage of New Flex 4 features such as the Spark Component model, Advanced Skinning, Component Creation, and much more. Adobe Flex 4: Training from the Source, Volume 2, will follow later in the year and be geared towards more intermediate and advanced users.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. x
Introduction	p. xii
Understanding Rich Internet Applications	p. 3
The Evolution of Computer Applications	p. 4
The Break from Page-Based Architecture	p. 6
The Advantages of Rich Internet Applications	p. 7
RIA Technologies	p. 8
Getting Started	p. 17
Getting Started with Flex Application Development	p. 18
Creating a Project and an MXML Application	p. 18
Understanding the Flash Builder Workbench	p. 24
Running Your Application	p. 27
Exploring the Flash Builder Debugger	p. 32
Getting Ready for the Next Lessons	p. 40
Laying Out the Interface	p. 45
Learning About Layouts	p. 46
Laying Out the E-Commerce Application	p. 50
Working with Constraint-Based Layouts	p. 58
Working with View States	p. 63
Refactoring	p. 70
Using Simple Controls	p. 77
Introducing Simple Controls	p. 78
Displaying Images	p. 79
Building a Detail View	p. 83
Using Data Binding to Link a Data Structure to a Simple Control	p. 86
Using a Form Layout Container to Lay Out Simple Controls	p. 88
Handling Events	p. 93
Understanding Event Handling	p. 94
Handling System Events	p. 104
Using Remote XML Data	p. 111
Using Embedded XML	p. 112
Using XML Loaded at Runtime	p. 117
Retrieving XML Data via HTTPService	p. 121
Searching XML with E4X	p. 124
Using Dynamic XML Data	p. 131
Using the XMLListCollection in a Flex Control	p. 135
Creating Classes	p. 139
Building a Custom ActionScript Class	p. 140
Building a Value Object	p. 140
Building a Method to Create an Object	p. 147
Building Shopping Cart Classes	p. 150
Manipulating Shopping Cart Data	p. 156
Using Data Binding and Collections	p. 167
Examining Data Binding	p. 168
Being the Compiler	p. 174
Understanding Bindable Implications	p. 179
Using ArrayCollections	p. 179
Refactoring ShoppingCartltem	p. 200
Breaking the Application into Components	p. 203
Introducing MXML Components	p. 204
Splitting Off the ShoppingView Component	p. 210
Breaking Out a ProductItem Component	p. 217
Creating Components to Manage Loading the Data	p. 226
Using DataGroups and Lists	p. 237
Using Lists	p. 238
Using DataGroups	p. 241
Visualization with Lists	p. 251
Displaying Grocery Products Based on Category Selection	p. 253
Creating and Dispatching Events	p. 257
Understanding the Benefits of Loose Coupling	p. 258
Dispatching Events	p. 259
Declaring Events for a Component	p. 263
Identifying the Need for Custom Event Classes	p. 265
Building and Using the UserAcknowledgeEvent	p. 266
Understanding Event Flow and Event Bubbling	p. 270
Creating and Using the ProductEvent Class	p. 276
Using DataGrids and Item Renderers	p. 287
Spark and MX	p. 288
Introducing DataGrids and Item Renderers	p. 288
Displaying the ShoppingCart with a DataGrid	p. 289
Using the AdvancedDataGrid	p. 302
Using Drag and drop	p. 327
Introducing the Drag and Drop Manager	p. 328
Dragging and Dropping Between Two DataGrids	p. 329
Dragging and Dropping Between a DataGrid and a List	p. 333
Using a Non-Drag-Enabled Component in a Drag-and-Drop Operation	p. 337
Dragging a Grocery Item to the Shopping Cart	p. 343
Implementing Navigation	p. 351
Introducing Navigation	p. 352
Creating the Checkout Process as a ViewStack	p. 354
Integrating CheckoutView into the Application	p. 359
Using Formatters and Validators	p. 365
Introducing Formatters and Validators	p. 366
Using Formatter Classes	p. 368
Examining Two-Way Bindings	p. 371
Using Validator Classes	p. 372
Customizing a Flex Application with Styles	p. 379
Applying a Design with Styles and Skins	p. 380
Cleaning Up the Appearance	p. 380
Applying Styles	p. 381
Changing CSS at Runtime	p. 400
Customizing a Flex Application with Skins	p. 405
Understanding the Role of Skins in a Spark Component	p. 406
The Relationship between Skins and States	p. 410
Creating a Skin for the Application	p. 419
Creating Custom ActionScript Components	p. 425
Introducing Components with ActionScript 3.0	p. 426
Building Components Can Be Complex	p. 426
Understanding Flex Components	p. 427
Why Make Components?	p. 428
Defining a Component	p. 430
Creating the Visuals	p. 437
Adding Functionality to the Component	p. 444
Creating a Renderer for the Skin	p. 455
Setup Instructions	p. 459
Minimum System Requirements	p. 458
Software Installation	p. 459
Importing Projects	p. 461
Index	p. 466
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