Last night I blogged about the release of Flex 2 Beta 3 and linked to a demo I built that interfaces with CFLib. I refreshed the demo today and added the viewSource property. You can find the demo here:
http://www.cflib.org/cflibflex/output/CFLib.html
To see the source, all you have to do is right click and select View Source. I had trouble with Flex Builder 2's default support for viewing source, so I simply use the "link to a URL" option. So what you see is not the best way to get the source. I'll try to get that working soon.
I also added a tiny bit of style to the application, but obviously I'm no designer. Also - be very clear on one thing when you look at the source - I am very much a Flex2 newbie. I'm sure my code is far from best practice. The CFC I wrote was also a quick job and I would have done it a bit differently if I were building it "for real."
Archived Comments
Ray, most of us aren't designers,that's why StyleExplorer exists ;)
http://flexapps.macromedia....
Make your changes and when you're done just copy the CSS panel text into a CSS file and import it in your application and you're done.
Thanks for the link. For me - it is two problems. One, knowing the styles (the explorer helps), and two, knowing what looks good. Since I can barely dress myself, problem 2 will probably never be solved. ;)
Why is it asking me to install flash 8.0 (i'm in firefox)?
I have 8.5 installed (confirmed with right click)
I just installed Flash Player 9 from Adobe Labs, and yet I still get the blank screen and it says "Flash Player Installation" in the title bar. What's going on here?
Andy, it should be Flash 9 I believe.
Brett: Sorry, I really don't know. I know a lot of people are having issues with it. There were some comments in yesterdays post about installing, maybe check that?
Same here. The examples work online in the samples. Looks like it is requesting version 9 of the player in your HTML, but same request for version 8 shows up here also. Did anyone find an answer?
I had the same thing (site asking to instal Flash 8 after I had installed 9) happen to me. I decided to let it install and after it closed Firefox and reopened it, I was taken to Adobe, where the Flash Player installed and reported itself as 9.0.
My guess is, the install dialog is just a typo. Gotta love betas! :-)
Anyone try to use the short cut sequence "Ctrl-T" for new tab page in firefox while looking at the example?
Is "Ctrl-T" a reserved option for Flex?
:( cant view, flash player stupidity.
grrrr.
Teddy, I've seen this before with non-Flex Flash sites as well. I just chalked it up to the Flash plugin.
Hey Ray. It's definitely a detection issue in the HTML wrapper that's generated. I have FP9 installed and am using it successfully with B3, so I know I have correct version installed.
Ray,
I have seen a LOT going back and forth about Flex2, and I haven't really done much with it (read: I haven't touched it). Is it really worth the time & effort?
When CF7 came out, I fell IN LOVE with Flash forms, and strongly advocated that we use them in as many places on our site as possible. Now that the 'newness' and 'coolness' has worn off a bit for me, I am not sure I made the right choice: they take FOREVER to load, and that irritates the HECK out of our users (all of which, thank God, are internal).
I love the RIA functionality that comes along w/ Flex2 and CF Flash forms, but the load time is a total buzzkill (at least for us).
Do you think Flex2 is worth us taking the time to learn/implement, or are we going to run into the same load-time issues that we're running into w/ CF Flash forms?
Thanks,
nb
Dave, not sure what to say, I mean, some folks are -definitely- seeing it. All I did was do the default build operations.
I couldn't get it to load, either.
Very odd. It's like half of you can and half can't. Neil, did you remove the old plugin first as some have suggested?
Maybe I'll try a build w/ no version checking. See what happens.
I am still siding with AJAX for general purpose applications. Our local power company, and Whirlpool (to my knowledge) don't allow plugins. (Guess that rules out flash/Flex doesn't it.) Using prototype you can do some pretty amazing things.
On the other hand there are times that the concept of Flex is great. Slow startup on Flash Forms is the primary complaint. My second no on Flash Forms is the limited feature set. The more my customers like it the more they will request for it to do. That is when you run into trouble. You either have to get them to fund Flex, a rewrite in AJAX... or make them happier by saying the way you built it means that it will cost to much to add the feature they want/need!
I am learning some Flex but admit that reservations are part of my evaluation also.
Guys, I did a new build with no flash version checking. I also tweaked the style a bit.
Some of our applications take 45 or more seconds to load, and that is an ETERNITY. It is - by FAR - the single most common complaint.
The functionality is great, the look & feel is great, everything - BUT the load time - is great. But it is almost as though that ONE bad thing is SO bad that is overcomes all of the GOOD things.
Hopefully, Flex will be able to overcome this. But in all honesty, I don't see how; Flex will still be a Flash-based technology, and Flash is heavy (at least as far as the Internet is concerned).
however, all of this not withstanding, I am sure I will be keeping a CLOSE eye on what happens w/ Flex2, and I will continue to count on Mr. Camden to keep me abreast of all that's relevant in the Flex community.
now i just get a blank blue screen :( fark.
and im on flash player 8 with ff 1.5
Don't forget that Flash Forms are based on Flex 1.5 and not Flex 2. Flex 2 startup apps are lot faster than previous version of Flex.
With the RDS plugin & CFC generator and the future Application Generation wizard (Damon Cooper's blog), it would be very easy to deploy Flex 2 applications for CF.
Tony, you definitely need FP 9. If it says 8, it's wrong.
tony you'll need Flash Player 9 Beta 3 to see it.
It's a Flex 2 application so Flash 8 won't work.
well arent i just sooooo yesterday :)
goin to download right now...
YO!
ray.
that sh*t is DOPE son.
w00t!
and i was surprised at the load time of the interface, being quite nice... and no warm up clock while it was loading, it just loaded... now, i did see a warm up clock, while it was loading after a click... but, i can live with that dog... nice. nice. nice.
Works here. LOL ... guess they better check that before release.
Glad you like it Tony. Remember this was done super fast and with little to no thought. A properly built app would maybe be even quicker (it would definitely look nicer ;).
sweet ray. i see it now. i had to uninstall flash player 8 first.
looks good. loads fast. works. very nice for 30 minutes dev time.
this may be complete and utter laziness on my part, but ray, to make that tool "a bit" more useful, could you add the full <cfscript> stuff around it in the viewer so that we can simply snag and drop?
i know its laziness on my part, but i love that about the current cflib site, and it would make it WAY more useful on the new site.
also, why not show a sample input/output in another panel?
Your wish is my command. I added cfscript for tag based UDFs now. I added the example code.
almost there!
go find some google ad code to put in there, eliminate that
white space below the text description at the top (a little nudge of the two bottom panels in an upwardly fashion, would suffice) and holmes, thats one handy freakin' tool!
good stuff my man, good stuff! and mind you, developers that listen and make their products grow, will ALWAYS be the best ones...
and you know what, i cannot WAIT to see the rabid version of it, i just cannot!