Foundation XML for Flash

by Sas Jacobs

Book Overview

This book is likely to be very big because of the Microsoft connection - MS Office is ubiquitous throughout the world of IT, and many companies want to be able to easily port their data from Office files to web interfaces. Microsoft is also very keen to get in on the Rich Internet Applications craze that Flash is such a big part of. In this book, Sas Jacobs first takes the reader through just the information they need to know about XML itself,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590595432
• ISBN13: 9781590595435
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Apress
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.6" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great Book

I really do not understand what the negative reviews are all about for this book. Even if you do not want to use office to generate your xml, you can still read over those chapters use the xml file created and learn HOW TO USE xml in flash which is what this book is about. I would probably not use office but I learned alot about processing the xml files that were created by the office program. Anyways this book took me from 0 knowledge about xml in flash to becoming fairly copmpetent in this subject. I highly recommend this book.

Learning to use XML structured data in Flash projects

This clearly written and well-organized book provides an overview of XML and how to use XML structured data in a variety of Flash projects. Anyone who is interested in working with XML in Flash and would like to learn more about how to get started will benefit from the easy-to-follow examples and the range of topics that the author has chosen to cover. Beginning with an overview of XML the chapters quickly move on to show how Flash can use XML data. The content is addressed to both Flash designers and developers. While Flash developers may already be familiar with the uses and specifications for XML schemas, Xpath, and XSLT; many Flash designers will gain an appreciation for many of the complexities of XML, as well as insight into the Web Services model. Later chapters, for example, reveal how to use Microsoft Word, Excel and Access to create XML content. As one who can manage Flash ActionScripting, but who does not have a strong programming background, I found the background into the various XML types to be quite helpful. The book does an excellent job of explaining entities, relationships, schemas and how to navigate an XML object in order to show the how to use XML content with Flash. I was particularly interested in the many applications for e-learning and found the blend of author's screenshots, code examples and main text to provide a nice balance of learning styles. I learned a lot from this work and am sure that it would be useful to people who are already familiar with Flash and want to learn more about how to use XML with this program.

Really nice book

How to use the XML in the Flash? This is one of the doubts most recurrent in lists and forums of quarrels. Who already tried work in Flash with XML created in one of programs of the Office Package definitively already lost the patience, much calm is necessary to reach the accurate node of the correct skill. Sometimes we obtain alternatives, but almost always having to lose much time to carry through simple tasks. There the book "Foundation XML for Flash" of the Friends of ED publishing company enters, it presents simple solutions for who works with this type of archive, shows as to work with archives of the Word, Excel, Access besides instruct to work with Web services and much more. It is a perfect book for who wants have complete reference regarding about the Flash and XML theme.

Great resource for new FLASHers who want to learn basics of XML.

After playing around with Flash for the last three years, I finally began to get serious about scripting about four months ago. Like a lot of folks, I seem to lack that little something that separates a true scripting genius from a scripting hack. Although there's always hope, my mind simply does not work that way. Unlike many code books, this one made sense to me immediately. XML is starting to look like something I can actually begin to incorporate into my projects, thanks to Sas's easy-to-read style and clear explanations and samples. It may not be the first choice for XML and Actionscript gurus, but it should be a good investment for folks who want a good intro into the subject matter. Finally, Sas's ample coverage of generating XML with MS Office seems quite appropriate, since it is the dominant office suite (for good or ill).

A must have book

I always thought that XML would be very hard to use but after reading Foundation XML for Flash, it seems a lot clearer to me. I'm new to XML but quite experienced with Flash and I found the book very helpful as a starting point for learning XML. The book explained the basic concepts of XML very clearly and showed me why it is a great choice for Flash. I can already think of several projects where it'll help me out. I really liked the different choices for working with XML in Flash. I didn't realise that using the data components would be so easy or that I could work with Web Services in Flash. That's opened up a whole new world for me. I was surprised to find out that I can use information from Office in Flash. In the past, I've spent a lot of time converting a Word document to a text file so I could use it in Flash movies. I can see some real benefits in using XML instead. All in all, this is a great book, easy to read and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Flash and XML. A must have for any Flash developer's library!