I twitted…
Excuse me. =D
Now you can follow me every time I toot. I mean twit. Or is it tweet?
Let the nerdery begin.
Captivate 4 + AIR = cool help system
So I got a copy of the new Adobe Captivate 4. Since video tutorials are my thing, I figured I should be aware of the tools of the trade. I’ve been using Camtasia on my PC, and iShowU on my Mac. Both of these are “Real-time” video capture programs, where they create video of everything you see and do. Captivate is a bit different. In addition to real-time video capture, it uses a system that takes screenshots and records the mouse clicks, keyboard input, and other interactions, and then produces an swf that relies on the Flash Player for distribution. (One new feature of C4 is the ability to export straight to .avi without using a swf to video converter).
The advantage of this mixture of screenshots, and real-time video, is a more interactive experience, as well as smaller file size. Since you are utilizing the Flash Player with Captivate, you can add all sorts of interactions. Camtasia has a number of similar functionality, though Captivate has the quiz and interaction part down to a science.
One gripe I’ve had with Adobe’s products has been their help systems. Since I own nearly the entire Adobe catalog, I’ve got help systems that range from your traditional CHM, to web based, and now with Captivate, they are using an AIR app. Each type of help has it’s advantages, and disadvantages. Currently with Flash CS4, I hate the fact that it loads in my browser, and doesn’t give me the ability to navigate like we did in Flash 8/CS3. I like the fact that we can use community contributed content in searching the help system, but there are times when I just want to go straight to the api, and find the class I need. Don’t make me wade through hundreds of blog posts in addition to the api documentation.
Anyway, I like the fact that Adobe is actually using it’s own technology to improve the help system. Go AIR! =D
iBrent
What is Flex?
I belong to a number of programming mailing lists, and occasionally I see people ask about Flex, and I figured I’d give my two cents worth of what I understand Flex to be. Recently on the Direct-L mailing list, a list for Adobe Director developers, this topic came up. Here’s the reply I gave to this question:
Hi,As a Flex developer, I thought I’d interject here and add to the discussion. I realize some people may have already covered these points, but I figured I’d explain it how I understand it.
There are a number of terms to understand when talking about Flex:
Actionscript 3
Flex SDK
Flex Builder 3
MXML
AIR
Actionscript 3 –> The latest programming language for interacting with the Flash Player. Flash CS3/CS4 create swfs that play in the Flash Player. The current Player can run swfs created in AS3 and is backwards compatible with Actionscript 2, and 1. As we know, Director can interact with AS 1, 2, and a limited set of AS 3 swfs.
Flex SDK –> http://opensource.adobe.com. The SDK includes command-line compilers to create swfs (currently running in Flash Player 9 or 10) and AIR files (that run on the desktop). This is free and opensource, and you can use any text editor to write your code. Flex includes a number of components – pre-built controls/layouts/interfaces to allow for fast prototyping of Rich Internet Applications or RIA’s. Flex is a framework. A set of classes that extend the current implementation of Actionscript 3. This additional set of classes is not currently supported in Director.
Flex Builder 3 –> http://www.adobe.com/flex. An Eclipse based IDE from Adobe that gives you a GUI for creating Flex applications that run on the web (swf) or desktop (AIR). This is a commercial product. It uses the Flex SDK to compile the code, and includes a powerful script editor, debugger, and additional memory profiling tools. Comes in two flavors, Standard and Pro.
MXML –> Markup language for use in creating Flex apps. It is a way to quickly layout visual elements using code. MXML is compiled down to Actionscript 3, which is compiled into the swf.
AIR –> http://www.adobe.com/air. Adobe Integrated Runtime. Think of it as a Flash Player for the desktop. It’s a separate download that is installed on the users machine, that can install and run .air files. Once the AIR runtime is installed, you can then install .air files to the users machines. These install just like any other desktop app, including a desktop shortcut, Dock/Taskbar icon, and the ability to uninstall using the OS’s uninstall mechanism. It runs on Linux, Windows, and Mac. In addition to the Flash Player functionality, you get additional API’s that allow you to interact with the users machine. This includes a built-in SQL database and an HTML renderer (WebKit). Flash CS3/CS4 and Flex both have the ability to generate .air files that play in the AIR runtime. In addition to Flash and Flex, you can create AIR apps with just HTML/Javascript. There is a plugin for Dreamweaver to create AIR apps, or you can use any text editor, along with the AIR SDK. So to clarify – YOU DON”T NEED TO USE FLEX OR FLASH to create AIR apps. You can do it with just HTML/Javascript/AJAX if you want. =D
Why Flex, why not just Flash? Flex is for developers. You don’t have a timeline to create animations with. You typically see it used in enterprise level apps. Since it uses Actionscript 3, you can easily integrate Flash produced animations, etc. They are two different tools that provide different approaches to creating content for the Flash Player, and AIR. I use both when creating my applications. I use Flash to create the skins/animations and Flex to create the interactions.
There is so much more to it than what I’ve explained, but hopefully you have a better sense of how they relate to each other. I do have a website where I cover a lot of Flash/Flex stuff –> http://www.tutorialsbyibrent.com
Regards,
iBrent
YouTube = marketing
With permission from Cartoonsmart.com, I’ve uploaded a short excerpt of the first hour in the Intro to Flex Builder tutorial series. Be sure to download the entire first hour here, to get a better view. Click here to see the YouTube excerpt.
YouTube is great for marketing, but doesn’t give the best compression when viewing text on the screen. Of course, I’m not so sure there’s a big market for nerdy programming tutorials either. 
iBrent
Coming soon to TBI
Here’s a short list of what’s in the works:
- Arcadem Pro part 1 and 2 –> Learn how to install and customize one of the best arcade scripts on the web.
- Actionscript 3.0 Part 2 –> Continuing the from part 1, I’ll explain the advantages of learning AS3, and review basics of programming.
- Mochiads integration –> See how to leverage Mochiads to generate income as a game developer. AS2 and AS3 code examples.
- Intro to Unity 3D –> Here I’ll introduce the best 3D game development suite in the world.
– iBrent
UMap and Flash CS4 part 2
I’ve been fiddling with the Jing embed player, and now I’ve got the second part of this tutorial posted here. In this tutorial I show you how to add markers to the map, as well as change the map provider.
Enjoy!
iBrent
UMap and Flex part 2
In this tutorial I show you how to add markers to the map and how to change map providers.
Check it out here.
The final part of this series will show you how to embed the map into a blog or website, as well as some additional customizations you can make to the map.
iBrent
Updated Blog theme
So I found the same generic blue theme for my website, converted to a wordpress theme. Now I just need to add the buttons, and a few adverts, and it should look more uniform.
Today has been a great day. I’m a published author, and now I’ve got my blog theme updated (mostly). Sweet!
=D
iBrent
I’m a published author!!
A while back I was in contact with the guys who run CartoonSmart, an awesome website with tons of great tutorials on Flash animation, Dreamweaver, PHP, and other great web technologies. I was asked to put together an Intro to Flex Builder 3 tutorial (over 5 hours of content). Well, it’s now going live this week, and you can get the first hour for free here.
I’m so excited! Don’t worry, the content on my website will still be free. 
iBrent
New site is live!
Check out my new and improved Tutorials by iBrent site. I’ve been meaning to update it for a long time, and since it’s a new year, I figured I’d start it out right.
Now I just need to update my blog to reflect the new theme… hopefully I’ll get to it sooner, rather than later.
iBrent