easyAIR: how to develop easily with AIR

A couple of weeks ago I started some of new Flex and AIR projects.
When I start to work on it, I realize that when you work on AIR there are many times that you use same API.

For example save XML files, manage them (add, remove and finally change a child), create backup files and so on, they are normal operations to find in a desktop application.
So I decide to work on a little library for AIR that I’ll call easyAIR and I’ll release for FREE in next months (I suppose on October / November).
I’ve a lots of AIR and Flex projects to develop in next months so when I find a particular and interesting feature that I could use in many project I’ll create it and put in this AIR library.

If you have any idea, suggestion or request, please fell free to contact me and tell me what do you think about it.
Thank you in advance to everyone that email me.

Road to Scotch on the Rocks

Yes guys, 3 weeks and it starts! I booked my hotel room and my flight a month ago and now I’m making material for my session.

I’ll talk the last day (Friday at 10.30 AM) about “Manage Flash Lite Data with Flex and Air”, when I propose this session I think that it could be very interesting to view the power of Flash Platform, in fact I’ll show a real case history that I’m working on now and explain how to create a little CMS with Flex and AIR for Flash Lite contents.
Flash Platform is too amazing, you can develop from mobile to desktop and not different application but a unique application that collaborate together.
You can find great speakers there like Ben Forta, Peter Elst, Neil Webb, Charlie Arehart, Mark Drew, Andrew Shorten so there are all elements to make a great event!  

I’m sure to meet a lots of new strong developers and designers and I’ll spend a fantastic time in Edinburgh.
For more information about the event or to take part, please see Scotch on the Rocks web site. 

See you there guys!

 

Flex 4 (Gumbo) and states

Surfing on web I read Ted’s blog that talk about new feature of Flex 4 (codename Gumbo) about states!
So I take a look at opensource.adobe.com page that talks about this new feature… very cool!

Adobe creates a very simple way to add, remove, show and hide components in a Flex application with a new attributes: includeIn and excludeFrom.

In few code rows you can include or remove Flex components:

<!-- Given the states A,B,C -->
<m:states>
    <m:State name="A"/>
    <m:State name="B"/>
    <m:State name="C"/>
</m:states>

<!-- This button will appear in only states A and B -->
<Button label="Click Me" includeIn="A, B"/>

<!-- This button will appear in states A and B --> 
<Button label="Button C" excludeFrom="C"/>

If you have a couple of minutes, please read about Flex 4 states, it’s so interesting!

 

Very cool way to do this! I think that Flex 4 will become the BEST solution to make RIA and desktop application (with AIR obviusly) in IT market!

Flash lite + J2ME? Project Capuchin

Finally a wonderful news for all mobile developers! Sony Ericsson are developing some API that allow to create content with Flash Lite and J2ME and those technologies work toghether.

Yes! It’s not a dream, it’s Capuchin a true bridge for those technologies.
From eetimes.eu:

“The aim of the project is to provide developers with an intuitive tool to create applications with a cleaner user interface (UI) without sacrificing the strong, feature rich and widely deployed Java ME infrastructure, including secure, well-developed content distribution.” 

Probably we start a new era, in other site I read that those API will be available on Autumn probably… we stay tuned with Sony Ericsson dev labs.
Let’s go! 

Speaking at Singapore Flex User Group

I must thank you so much Shunjie that gives me opportunity to speak about Flex BitmapData during next Singapore UG meeting this wednesday.

I’ll also go to Singapore this year for work and with Shunjie and (I hope) Dale, we are organizing a great meeting there about Flex, AIR and Flash Lite, so thank you again to Singapore Flex UG.

For more information about meeting, take a look at UG meeting page. 

PS: Congratultaions to Dale that tomorrow will make “Talk to guru session” about Flash Lite.

 

UPDATE
If you want follow this session you only enter in meeting room at 2:25PM Italian time or 8.25PM Singapore time.
See you on Wednesday! 

Flex Builder compile Flash Lite projects, is it a dream?

Today was last day at 360Flex Europe, I spent great time there!

Talking with 2 Flex team guys, they said to us that if you’d like some new features in Flex 4, only make a feature request to Adobe jira system.
So I said: “One of the most cool feature that you could implement in next version of Flex Builder, it could be to compile Flash Lite projects and maybe Flex Builder could interact with Device Central.” They said me: “It’s first time that ask me this implementation“.

So I make a feature request for next version of Flex Builder, I think it could be so interesting working with Flex IDE and when I compile a Flash Lite project open directly into Device Central.
What do you think about it? If you’d like this feature too, vote please!

Make comments and we could create a great discussion about it.

second day at 360Flex Europe

That’s it! Second day is finished, but it was very interesting! I know better a lots of speakers and attendees, I love share experience and points of view with them.
I go to Piergiorgio session on Papervision and he was amazing! Very cool session man!
So I go to Giorgio session on Accessibility with Flex and he found a great solution to interact with screen readers, that was cool!
Finally, I can’t miss it, I see an introduction on Cairngorm by Neil Webb (you rock man!) very cool session and so funny preso, I love it!
Sorry Zohar if I can’t come in your session but I hear that you made a very cool stuff!
Also, if you’d like to take a look at some cool video about the conference, please view Zohar mix!

Tomorrow is the final day, I spent great time here, I hope to keep in touch with a lots of attendees and speakers that I met here.

In this weekend I’ll also put in my Flickr account some photos.

first day at 360Flex Europe..my impressions…

It’s just finished this long day, I slept 2 hours to finish my preso and samples, I hope that people enjoy my Flex BitmapData session!
I’ll put preso and samples in the next few days in this blog, so take a look everyday guys!

There weren’t a lots of people at 360Flex, but I met a lots of strong developers for all over the world, there were great share moments and all speakers help toghether to make a better session ( I love so much this atmosphere).
I’m so glad that a lots of italian developers and companies are lost this cool appointment to know better Flex and AIR technologies!

In fact you could talk with Adobe people (Evangelist, marketing people and so on) and with cool speakers that help you to understand better the power of flash platform! I hope tomorrow I can see more people here!
This evening all speakers go out with Adobe people to have dinner and to know us better and talk about Adobe softwares and strategies, that’s cool!

I’ll put also new event photos in my Flickr account, so please take a look sometimes!

UPDATE

You can download my preso and my samples NOW!
Enjoy

Tomorrow, 360Flex Europe starts!

OK, it’s coming… tomorrow start 360Flex Europe!

I’m so excite to take part on this big event, now I’m waiting my friends Piergiorgio and Marco (others 360Flex speakers) and at 2PM we drive to Milan to meet other speakers and Tom and John!!!
Tomorrow I’ll have my seminar on Flex BitmapData, I hope that it will be ok.
In next few days I’ll describe event atmosphere in this blog, so stay tuned guys! 

Photoshop Express… ROCKS!

I wake up 30 mins ago and the first thing that I do every morning is looking MXNA and download my emails.

Reading MXNA posts, I see Photoshop Express from Ryan Stewart blog… Adobe release it this night, oh my god, I must try it!

So I go to the official link I register myself and I start to work with Photoshop Express.
This version of Photoshop is made with Flex and it’s amazing! I love so much how is clear and simple use this RIA.
Adobe done a great work also with instruments and with manage of images, you can create personal album, send the photo to a friend via mail, put own photos on Picasa or Facebook (I love that!).

Please take a look at this RIA, it’s so interesting and I’m sure that Adobe adds new functionalities and they’ll grow up this project so much!