Saturday, March 31, 2007

RemoteObject Mapping... again

Ok... I'm posting this as a checklist of possible reasons why an Actionscript object will not properly map to a ColdFusion CFC (or Java object for that matter). I just went through about thirty minutes of debugging trying to track down why I was getting an array of generic Actionscript objects instead of my custom objects. I seem to run into this fairly often. : )

1. Did not include [RemoteClass(alias="YourObjectPath")] in the Actionscript class.
2. Did not import the Actionscript class into the application.
2. Did not include an instance of the Actionscript class into the application.
3. Did not have the same number and name of properties on both the Actionscript object and the server side object.
4. Have import statements after the RemoteClass alias metadata. (This is what happened to me tonight... oops!)

If you can think of something I've missed let me know so I can update the list.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

My First "Alpha" Release

I have been programming with the Apollo Alpha for about a week now and I have to say that it has been a blast! I've programmed desktop apps in the past using .NET, but I am a web developer at heart. So it always took a mental shift to switch from web app to desktop mode. In desktop development you don't have to worry about sessions, page refreshes, and where to store your data in a stateless environment. That's why I have always enjoyed working in Flash/Flex. Your data is always available with having to jump through hoops. If any of you have tried to build a relatively complex user control in asp.net you will know what I am talking about. That is what I love about Apollo, the ability to move between web application and desktop application development with almost no change in thought process. So anyway, in the past week I have built several Apollo apps. Today I would like to share with you an Apollo Flash video player. This is my "Hello World" so to speak. To make it interesting I created some custom chrome and added a feature that saves the play head location along with the file when you close the app. That way when you open the player again it starts where you left off. This app was inspired by the downloadable videos from video.onflex.org. If you haven't been there yet you owe it to yourself.



Screen Shot


Screen Shot 2 - when you move the app it becomes semi-tranparent


Keep in mind this is an alpha application on an alpha runtime (doesn't get much scarier than that). So if/when you find any bugs let me know and I'll try to fix them in the beta. :)

Also, anyone who tries it on a mac let me know how it goes.

Download Apollo Video Player

Get the Apollo Run Time

Monday, March 19, 2007

Apollo Alpha Video on Lynda.com

The alpha of Apollo has been released on Adobe Labs! With in five minutes of installation I had my own basic web browser up and running. This is going to be lots of fun.

To help you get started with your exploration of the alpha go check out lynda.com. They have Mike Chamber's "Apollo Alpha Preview" video available for viewing. Good stuff.

Happy coding!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Apollo for Flex Developers Pocket Guide

The Apollo for Flex Developers Pocket Guide is available on O'Reilly Safari Books Online! Can't stay and chat, I have a pocket guide to read woohoo!!!!