Macromedia Flash MX 2004 for Rich Internet Applications

by Phillip Kerman

Aims to teach how to build the Flash MX 2004 front end to work with complex data. This book shows how to structure applications to eliminate page refreshes while reducing download time, build... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0735713669
• ISBN13: 9780735713666
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: New Riders Publishing
• Length: 460 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Perfect for the Right Reader

I thought this book was great. Although, it may not be exactly what every person is looking for.I am a novice developer looking to broaden my horizons into the wonderful world of Flash development, specifically, RIAs. I have experience programming in other languages and have read a few books on flash development. For me, this book was almost perfect. It seems too often that reviewers and readers expect the author to cater to everyone's needs exactly. Either a book does not cover a particular area that you want or the book does cover the area, but without enough depth. I won't burden you with the obvious reasons underlying the fact that every book can't cover every topic in exhaustive detail. That being said, before you buy this book, understand that it is, for the most part an overview of the related Macromedia Technologies useful in RIA development. Notwithstanding its broad scope, it manages to get into alot of the "nitty gritty" that most developers are looking for (including code samples) when developing such applications. It gives you enough information and specific examples of how to get things done and at the same time allows you to see the "forest through the trees" - which was something I personally needed to put all of these technologies in perspective.I would not recommend this book for flash "experts" with a solid grasp on the related technologies and I would not recommend it for complete flash newbies (there is no coverage of basic flash concepts, e.g., tweening, drawing...). All in all, if you have some experience with flash and actionscript and are looking to take that knowledge to the next level. This book is a great first step - not necessarily your last.

Excellent resource

I am pretty efficient and fluent in Actionscript. This book highlighted some new utilities (mainly those in Flash MX 2004) for data use which are very pertinent. It also is an excellent resource for Flash Comm beginners. The 2 chapters on Flash Comm will provide excellent insight into the structure of an app as well as non-development tips and tricks.It's a must-buy if you are looking for an excellent resource covering new Flash MX 2004 goodies.

I never got lost once yet I learned a lot

I am a developer, but I am not a computer scientist, nor do I have the time or energy to go back and study computer science, and with the recent advancements in Flash, sometimes I wish I had studied computer science in college.If you fall into this category but want to move forward in becoming an RIA developer, I think Phillip's book is outstanding.I found it much more accessible than any of the other books on similar subjects, and I know it's a good book when I can honestly say despite learning a lot, I never felt lost once.Over the last 6 years I've managed to grow a respectable company whose primary product is a web-based delivery system I built using various open source technologies. Well clearly such legacy delivery systems are on their way out and RIAs are on the way in and this book is great to ease you into this new way of thinking.I have been using Flash since Flash 3 (usually a couple months a year to help redesign our company website) and if you don't already know, the changes from Flash MX to Flash MX 2004 can be overwhelming and intimidating so you had better arm yourself with some easily understandable materials that keep the geek speak to a minimum.Also, there are two very well done chapters (8 and 9) on Flash Communication Server which I had no clue about prior to reading this book.

Yes, this is THE book for programmers

I can't say that I paid for this book. I actually won a copy at Macromedia Max 2003 - however I would not hesitate to buy it. If you are a programmer familiar with Flash MX 6.0 then this is the book to get you up to speed on programming Flash MX 2004. You need to know ActionScript already to take full advantage of this book. It seems some of the reviewers are expecting to have this book walk you through actionscript, the Flash IDE, etc. This is not the books purpose in my opinion. It is how to take advantage of the new tools available in Flash to created Rich Internet Applications.Being a person whom makes my living building RIAs I have been very impressed with the book. The section on DataSets, DataHolders, etc. was very good and informative. Learning that I can persist a DataSet to a Shared Object made my day! FlashCom coverage is well done, as is the Remoting section. There are a bunch of tips throughout the book that really make it Kerman's best book yet.If your expecting a Flash or ActionScript tutorial look elsewhere, perhaps the Teach Yourself Flash MX 2004 in 24 hours books would help. If your an experienced ActionScript coder and ready for the next wave (RIAs) then don't wait, grab this book.

Phillip Kerman has written another MUST READ flash book!

As a web development professional who's purchased well over a hundred Web Devlopment books over the years, I most often find myself skimming and referencing these giant manuals, however in Phillip Kerman I've discovered a READABLE technical author. After purchasing Phillip Kerman's previous outstanding book "ActionScripting in Flash MX" I saw that he was the first to publish an MX 2004 title. Naturally, his previous book was recommendation enough, so I purchased "Macromedia Flash MX 2004 for Rich Internet Applications". Having now read it cover to cover - and now as I go through it again - I'm amazed at his writing style. Not only is it extremely understandable, thoughtful, and insightful, (even the complicated parts), it makes sense of the CONCEPTS behind what he's talking about - not just the examples. In MX 2004 for RIA's, Kerman walks the user through everything from arrays to the new components, to exchanging data with outside sources, to communication server, etc. Basically covering all the good bits that Flash MX 2004 is capable of. This is not a reference book - It is a book that gives you a BROAD UNDERSTANDING as well as the confidence you need to take on the advanced stuff on your own. If you're the type of person that borrows code from other sources because you've never quite UNDERSTOOD something. Read this and people WILL BE BORROWING YOUR CODE. I'm please to say that Kerman is consistently ahead of the pack in both his writing and explanatory style. I enthusiastically recommend this book to all professionals looking to dive into Flash MX 2004 and gain a thorough understanding of it's new and improved features and components.