So, I just wanted to clear something up… Javascript is not Java.

Javascript is a weakly typed client side scripting language, based on the ECMAScript standard (ECMA-262), since 1997. Actionscript (used in Flash) and JScript (Microsoft’s Windows scripting engine) also have ECMAScript ties.

Java is a strongly typed, server side programming language developed at Sun way back in 1995.

Make sure you know the difference before you write your next cover letter - seriously

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECMAScript
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(programming_language)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jscript

Summary of today

• Conference opened by Geoff Bowers (Director at Daemon).
• Keynote by Mike Chambers - Adobe, Product Manager for Developer Relations (Flash Platform) - on the future of Adobe Flash, Flex and AIR.
• Flex Builder 4 (Project Gumbo) will be renamed to Flash Builder 4, to reduce user confusion
• New components based called Spark (current FX3 called Halo)
• Native data services in Flash Builder for CFM and PHP.
• Native Flex loader component - now customisable.
• Adobe Catalyst released into BETA real soon (3 weeks?)
• Catalyst written in Flex, based on Eclipse.
• Adobe created Catalyst, after working with many designer/development teams, to improve the Designer to Developer workflow.
• Announced FXG vector file format for integration between Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, Flash Builder and Catalyst - (SEXY AS HELL!)
• The FXP extension is the new project format
• Adobe giving away Chumbys - donated/sponsored by Internode
• Microsoft pushing IE8 (I have the shirt to prove it!)
• Microsoft giving away Windows Mobile devices tomorrow

The Adobe AIR runtime supports Microsoft Windows, Apple OSX, and Linux operating systems. AIR allows you to bundle your web browser based RIAs into a Desktop Application. Because you can develop in HTML, AJAX, Flash or Flex, it is a flexible environment with a potentially large developer base.

This article describes how to Bounce the Dock Icon for your AIR application, using Actionscript.

There are two notification types that you can select from:

NotificationType.INFORMATIONAL (bounces once)
NotificationType.CRITICAL (bounces continually)

The following Actionscript code will bounce the dock icon once, if supported by the Operating System.

if( NativeApplication.supportsDockIcon )
{
var d:Object = NativeApplication.nativeApplication.icon;
d.bounce( NotificationType.INFORMATIONAL );
}

Smashing Magazine have revisited their 10 Advanced PHP Tips To Improve Your Programming guide, originally posted last November.

You can find their new guide at http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/03/24/10-useful-php-tips-revisited/

Introduction

People have often asked me how I go about managing my outstanding tasks and time effectively. Well there are the traditional computer programs like Microsoft Project or OmniPlan, which are excellent, but often overkill for most people. Managing a project? Then yes - these applications are excellent tools to have in your belt. But for the most part, people just want to manage their day to day tasks.

The Big Task Book

Appropriately managing your day to day tasks, especially when you’re a member of multiple projects or manage multiple people and their tasks, is absolutely important. Have you ever tried remembering more than 7 things? It’s bloody tough.

So what do I suggest? I’d recommend that you get yourself an A4 sized book, and a pen. Think of your memory as your computer’s hard drive, and your A4 book as a USB stick. It’s a place to put your task list, outside of your memory, so that you only have to remember one to three tasks at a time. The key here is to concentrate on no more than three tasks at a time.

Task Book Methodology

Simple right? It’s just an A4 book that you write things in… WRONG! If you’re not strategic about your book, it won’t be long until your book reads like your brain used to!

Here are my five simple rules to live by with a task book.

1. Tasks are always written on the left hand page
2. Notes are always written on the right hand page
3. Reference your task book as often as you can, and concentrate/actively remember on no more than 3 tasks at a time
4. Cross out your tasks as you achieve them
5. When you reach the bottom of a page, consolidate your outstanding tasks onto the next left hand page.

They are all very important points to remember, but I want to talk a little more about (5). You need to rewrite your (outstanding) task list when you reach a new left hand page. This gives you the opportunity to manage and reprioritise your tasks, regularly. Writing the tasks again also reaffirms that they are still outstanding tasks.

Like this article? Hate this article? Please feel free to leave a comment, or share it with a friend.

A bit of history

Both Javascript and Actionscript are based on ECMAscript (The European Computer Manufacturers Association). Adobe Flash / Flash Lite uses Actionscript to interact with Flash objects, make remote calls etc. Chumby widgets are written in Flash Lite. If you can compile your widget to Flash 8.0, it should work fine on the Chumby.

You also do not need a real Chumby to start developing Chumby widgets. By creating a virtual chumby at chumby.com and uploading your widget as private mode, you can interact with your widget on your screen. The other advantage of the virtual chumby, is that you can host it on your website or facebook page.

Of course, there is nothing is quite like a real chumby, especially when showcasing your widget to your friends and family. So - you can pick one up in Australia through Internode, at http://chumby.on.net.

So get reading, and write those widget.

Recommended reading

Learning Flash:-
http://www.w3schools.com/Flash/default.asp

Actionscript 2.0 Overview:-
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/actionscript_guide_02.html

Flash Lite 3.0 - Video Article:-
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/devices/articles/fl3_video.html
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/devices/articles/fl2fl3_video.html

Learning E4X (XML standard for ECMAscript):-
http://www.w3schools.com/e4x/default.asp

Developing Chumby Widgets:-
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/devices/articles/chumby_development.html

Chumby Hardware

http://wiki.chumby.com/mediawiki/index.php/Hacking_hardware_for_chumby

• 350MHz Freescale iMX21 MC94MX21DVKN3 ARM9 controller
• Samsung 64MB SDRAM on 32-bit data path
• Hynix HY27US 64MB NAND Flash ROM
• Three USB 2.0 full speed ports, one internal, two external
• Xterasys 3135G 802.11g USB Wifi adapter (ralink chipset)
• DataImage 320hx240v 16bpp TFT display with touchscreen
• Texas Instruments TSC2100 Programmable Touchscreen Controller with Stereo DAC
• 2W stereo speakers, with headphone jack
• Built-in microphone
• “Bend” switch
• Kionix KXP74-1050 3-axis accelerometer
• STMicroelectronics STR711FR0/1 ARM7 “crypto” processor
• Soft-switch on power, controlled by crypto processor

Chumby Widget - Supported Features

http://wiki.chumby.com/mediawiki/index.php/Developing_widgets_for_chumby

• Flash video (FLV) encoded with ON2 and Sorenson Spark codecs
• Video, NetStream and NetConnection classes
• Internal PNG Transparent (PNG-24)
• Internal GIF Transparent
• External MP3 files
• External PNG, GIF, non-progressive JPEGs

Do you have any Flash experience? Well you could very well be the winner of an Internode run competition, with over $2000 in prizes including chumbys, Internode services and a copy of Adobe Flash CS4!

All you have to do is create a widget for the chumby -with- an Australian feel to it.

For more information, check out their website.

http://chumby.on.net/competition

So you’ve decided to use Subversion (svn) as your version control system. Sure you could install subclipse in Adobe Flex Builder (as well as all of the dependencies), but if you’re anything like me you’ll choose to work with the command line interface.

How did I integrate them?

1. I opened Terminal.app and imported my project into the svn repository.

2. I then checked it out of svn. (I prefer to do that in the /Users/ciona/Documents/svn/ directory)

3. Open Adobe Flex Builder.

4. Import a new Flex Project.

5. Select the new Project Folder.

6. You’ll notice the .svn folders throughout your project. Using the filters menu option, we can hide them.

So that’s how I achieved integration between Adobe Flex Builder, and command line subversion, on my mac.

For more information about svn commands, read the red-bean svnbook (Related Links).

Related Links

• http://subversion.tigris.org/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subversion_(software)
• http://svnbook.red-bean.com/
• http://subclipse.tigris.org/

I recently developed a Flex charting application, which required plotting an average figure for the past 24-hours.

Amongst the variety of complex requirements was to (1) display it as a line chart and (2) visually indicate yesterday [grey line] and today [red line].

So how do you achieve this, without affecting the aesthetics of the application, or the efficiencies of the animation effects? Easy - create two LineSeries and use a dataFunction.