New Web applications require engaging user-friendly interfaces-and the cooler, the better. With Flex 3, Web developers at any skill level can create high-quality, effective, and interactive Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) quickly and easily. Flex removes the complexity barrier from RIA development by offering sophisticated tools and a straightforward programming language so you can focus on what you want to do instead of how to do it. And now that the major components of Flex are free and open source, the cost barrier is gone, as well! Flex 3 in Action is an easy-to-follow, hands-on Flex tutorial. Chock full of examples, this book goes beyond feature coverage and helps you put Flex to work in real day-to-day tasks. You'll quickly master the Flex API and learn to apply the techniques that make your Flex applications stand out from the crowd. Interesting themes, styles, and skins? It's in there.Working with databases? You got it. Interactive forms and validation? You bet. Charting techniques to help you visualize data? Bam! The expert authors of Flex 3 in Action have one goal - to help you get down to business with Flex 3. Fast. Many Flex books are overwhelming to new users-focusing on the complexities of the language and the super-specialized subjects in the Flex eco-system; Flex 3 in Action filters out the noise and dives into on the core topics you need every day. Using numerous easy-to-understand examples, Flex 3 In Action gives you a strong foundation that you can build on as the compexity of your projects increases. Purchase of the print book also comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book. You'll also get the Flex 3 in Action ebook and the Flex 4 in Action ebook upon its release both for free! Simply follow instructions on the insert to redeem your two free ebooks.

Flex 4 in Action is an easy-to-follow, hands-on Flex 4 tutorial. Revised and updated from the previous edition on Flex 3, this book is chock-full of examples, goes beyond feature coverage, and helps readers put Flex to work in real day-to-day tasks. This book helps Flex developers make their Flex applications stand out from the crowd. How comprehensive is Flex 4 in Action? Interesting themes, styles, and skins? It's in there. Working with databases? You got it. Interactive forms and validation? You bet. Charting techniques to help you visualize data? Bam! Many Flex books are overwhelming to new users-focusing on the complexities of the language and super-specialized subjects in the Flex ecosystem. Flex 4 in Action filters out the noise and dives into the core topics users need every day. Using numerous easy-to-understand examples, Flex 4 in Action provides a strong foundation that readers can build on as the complexity of their projects increases. Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.

Flex 4 is an open-source tool that allows developers to easily add life to web applications with dynamic user features, colorful transitions, and eye-catching animations. Flex also provides powerful data handling for industrial-strength applications. We think it should be just as much fun to learn Flex as it is to use it. And we know that fun learning gets better results. Hello! Flex 4 demonstrates how to get started without getting bogged down in technical detail or academic edge cases. In this book, User Friendly cartoon characters offer commentary and snide side comments, as the book moves quickly from Hello World into practical techniques. Each one is illustrated with a hands-on example. Along the way, readers will build a unique Flex application that mashes Yahoo Maps with Twitter to keep track of friends. Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.

With this collection of proven recipes, you have the ideal problem-solving guide for developing interactive Rich Internet Applications on the Adobe Flash Platform. You'll find answers to hundreds of common problems you may encounter when using Adobe Flex, Flex 4 Framework, or Flash Builder, Adobe's GUI-based development tool. Flex 4 Cookbook has hands-on recipes for everything from Flex basics to solutions for working with visual components and data access, as well as tips on application development, unit testing, and Adobe AIR. Each recipe provides an explanation of how and why it works, and includes sample code that you can use immediately. You'll get results fast, whether you're a committed Flex developer or still evaluating the technology. It's a great way to jumpstart your next web application. Topics include: Using Spark Component Text Layout Framework Groups and Layout Spark List and ItemRenderer Images, bitmaps, videos, and sounds CSS, styling, and skinning States and Effects Working with Collections Using DataBinding Validation, formatting, and regular expressions Using Charts Services and Data Access Using RSLs and Modules Working with Adobe AIR 2.0

Unlike many Flex books that presume readers want to develop applications from scratch, Flex on Java is for developers in the real world-where Flex is one more technology being added to existing systems developed in Java, and where integration is the key indicator of success. Written for Java developers beginning to use Flex, Flex on Java shows how to use Flex alongside existing Java applications, and how to integrate Flex using familiar server-side technologies such as Spring, EJBs, JMS, and more. The authors, both Agile development experts, focus on Agile and test-driven development to enable readers to redesign applications that deliver more value and with zero defects. Throughout the book, readers will apply these techniques to refactoring a single application into a rich internet application using Flex and the BlazeDS framework. Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.

A complete and thorough reference for developers on the new Flex 4 platform Create desktop applications that behave identically on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux with Adobe's new Flash Builder 4 platform and this in-depth guide. The book's tutorials and explanations walk you step-by-step through Flash Builder's new, faster tools; the new framework for generating code; how to connect to popular application servers; upgrading from Flex 3; and much more. Shows you how to create rich applications for the Web and desktop with the very latest version of Flex, with detailed coverage for both new and veteran Flex application developers Walks you through Flex basics; upgrading from Flex 3; how to create desktop applications with AIR; and integrating Flex applications with the most popular application servers, including ColdFusion, ASP.NET, and PHP Includes extensive code samples of common tasks that you can use to jump-start your development projects Flex your development muscles with the Flex 4 and this comprehensive guide.

How soon can you learn Adobe Flex 3? With this book's unique hands-on approach, you will be able to tinker with examples right away, and create your own Rich Internet Applications with Flex within the first few chapters. As you progress, you learn how to build a layout, add interactivity, work with data, and deploy your applications to either the Web or the desktop. Learning Flex 3 offers step-by-step instructions that are clear and concise, along with tips and tricks that author Alaric Cole has gathered after years of using Flex and teaching it to fellow developers at Yahoo! You'll understand how Flex works, how to use the MXML markup language and work with ActionScript, how to deploy RIAs to the desktop using Adobe AIR, and much more. Whether you're a beginner, or an experienced web developer coming to Flex from another platform, Learning Flex 3 is the ideal way to learn how to: Set up your environment with FlexBuilder and Eclipse Create a new Flex project Use the different design views in Flex Write code with MXML Lay out your Flex application Embed images and graphics Build a user interface Add interactivity with ActionScript Handle user input Move, display, and collect data Add custom components with MXML Add sound effects, filters, and transitions Style your applications with CSS, skins, and themes Deploy applications to the Web, or to the desktop using Adobe AIR Also included are brief explanations of objects, classes, components, properties, methods, types, and other Flex attributes. You will find that Learning Flex 3 is not only the most complete tutorial for Flex, it's also the quickest way to get going with the latest version of this powerful framework.