The Blank Canvas

It just sits there and stares at you; you have Adobe Photoshop open in one window and FLEX Builder in the other. You can kind of see the vision inside your head, but just can't quite convert the "wouldn't it be cools" into PIXELS immediately.

This is something I've faced on and off as with FLEX you basically have un-restricted access to how you want your User Interface (UI) displayed on screen and in a way that can be chrome focused or simply content focused.

My mates have called FLEX the "Unified View" it's the missing link to the puzzle of joining disparate systems together under one Unified View of your choosing. It furthermore, allows folks in large companies to have quite an agile "console" to view their intended context without placing too many restrictions on them.

As of late, getting back into the design mode, I've noted that there is a lot of "Glass" or "Apple-Candy" style UI floating around the shop. I look at the upcoming Windows Vista and get a sense of "hey when did Microsoft grow up design wise?" while at the same time, still to this day enjoy the experience of using OSX.

I like to take slices from both to be honest, a bit of OSX goodness mixed with Vista and see what I can come up with in FLEX. I've taken MS OFFICE 12 menu "ribbon" and ported the same design concept into FLEX and this now has opened up a lot in terms of much needed canvas. Armed with this menu, I can hide while still be proactive in displaying a lot of menu navigational items that are still "easy" to use. It will take of course time with regards to seeing how feasible and usable this approach is, but like a lot of the menu's we see today, there was always a user resistance at first.

I typically tend to start at the chrome level when designing UI, as the rest kind of fits into place as I go. I have a lot of books open with regards to Usability and Information architecture at the ready should I come up with a design that I flag as being potentially hazardous to the end user(s).

For me, the biggest joy I can walk away with in regards to FLEX is knowing that I can build a UI to suite a person's context while still sharing similar or the same amount of information.
A project recently comes to mind, where there are about 5 Line of Businesses that need to access the same data but on different levels and in different context. Some also require additional data from 3rd Party resources but overall there needs to be an application of the same branding in place.

The first knee jerk approach was to look it from a HTML perspective. I won't have that, because I'm the resident FLEX Evangelist so I've opted for FLEX 2. Armed with FLEX one is able to then present these specialized needs to the lines of business but at the same time - here's the kicker - share the same code blocks while also allowing the same data to be shared (Flex Enterprise Services).

It's a pretty product young FLEX, and can't wait to see more applications and more importantly sexy UI on top of FLEX.

FLEX perceptions.

I sat down the other day and had lunch with a fellow Flash Developer I know about our work etc (catch-up) and we got onto the subject of FLEX and what the overall perceptions are.

Personally, from what I've read/been told I'm excited about its potential, and from what I have also read its also had a lot of negativity pinned on it, especially in regards to the effective use of it.

I for the life of me do not know why, the screenshots shown so far for FLEX are simple "hello" world forms. To me this is probably a bad mistake, as people can easily get the assumption that all FLEX is capable of, is to create Flash based forms (woopydoo). If you look deeper into the information, you will note that FLEX offers more than that, it allows you to develop and design an application much like you would with HTML, only this time its cross-platform friendly and you're not limited in browser technology.

I personally come from a CFMX/DHTML background in regards to web development, and over the last 2 years I've migrated my skills easily enough into Flash MX. Flex has answered something that I myself have been looking for and hinting towards for ages (read Macrofun.pvpers.com archives) as quite frankly, making RIA can be formulated easily enough.

I'm a big fan of XUL and how it can instruct a series of controls / components to display themselves on screen, and finally FLEX will allow this to happen with flash technology!

The best part of this is, you're not limited to the V2 component framework, as FLEX will allow you to use you're existing or custom build components, which opens up endless possibilities of branching out into the realm of RRIA (Really Rich Internet Applications) which aren't just forms and validation.

If you create a series of "Components" or Mini-Sub Applications, you could easily deploy visual effects, useful tools etc to an already plain application. One thought I had was take a simple form, render it using FLEX, mix-in some typical validation but now take it one step further, and implement Flash Communication server into the equation. Create a min recorder app, which records audio/video and describe each control inside your form (eg "Name: - please enter your name, the one you where given when you where born").

Then record this video, and then make a component that can dynamically point to the video source.

Once that's been achieved then attach a "help" icon to your form control (via FLEX) and congratulations, with minimal amount of effort, you now have a fully interactive form with rich help control points, without having to do a lot of effort (Sure the flash dev has to create the component once, and the Flashcom recorder - which is very easy thing to do - on all should take less then 4-5 hours of work imho. Once done though, it could be recycled time and time again).

This is just a simple example of a solution that FLEX can provided to the server-side architects/programmers without relying to heavily on the flash developer, as it then takes the focus off him (Furthermore, you could then outsource / delegate the recording of audio etc to others).

To me FLEX isn't just a re-creation of HTML, its more than that, its allowing both parties (Server-side monkeys and Flash Monkeys) to sort of work as a team, but also focus on specific modules rather than constant communication on how a screen by screen should be developed. As long as the flash developer creates the controls/components in an abstract fashion, and the Server-Side developer plays his/her role the end result could be an effective RIA built with less time then we would expect today.

I know speaking from experience, that RIA developer's biggest problem for me, is time. Just not enough time to implement more features that should be in-place.

Error: Branch between 7684 and 41198 around line 0 exceeds 32K span

Error: Branch between 7684 and 41198 around line 0 exceeds 32K span.

Error :

I am using Flex Builder 1.5, today when i compile a mxml file , i received the following error:
[exec] Error: Branch between 7684 and 41198 around line 0 exceeds 32K span.
If possible, please refactor this component.

Solution

This is an error that is produced in Flex 1.5 in order to alert you that
your code needs refactoring in order to decrease the number of visually
rendered mxml tags in a single file. There is more information in the FAQ
here, including how exactly to refactor your code:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flexcoders/files/flexcodersFAQ.txt


This is an error that is produced in Flex 1.5 in order to alert you that
your code needs refactoring in order to decrease the number of visually
rendered mxml tags in a single file. There is more information in the FAQ
here, including how exactly to refactor your code:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flexcoders/files/flexcodersFAQ.txt 4

Why cricketer's put cream on their face while match ?

Why cricketer's put cream on their face while match ?

BELIA: TO PREVENT THEMSELVES FROM UV RAYS OF SUN AS THEY R CONSTANTLY
UNDER THE SUN FOR AT LEAST 5-6 HOURS...
SILVERMAN: It's Zinc Oxide, which protects against the sun!
CARLITA: just wanna scare d bowler...matter of factly.. dey dont want
their face to get spoiled
LATESHA: I think the real question should either be:
HORNBERGER: Why is someone watching cricket?
HRUBY: or,
BARTON: Why is someone playing cricket?
BRUNO: to prevent themselves frm sun or to not show their face clearly
to others on their bad days
BASQUEZ: They put on the cream on their faces bcoz the like to prevent
their faces from the UV rays but some cricketers put on the cream for
fashion or showoff
WETZLER: Face has got delecate skin.It tend to get burnt or spoiled
easily when prolong exposed to sun/heat so inorder to avoid these
direct sunrays which spoils the skin they use cream on their face
JOSEPHS: its a sunscreen
PIETSCH: because of allergy
TARIN: To protect from Ultra Violet rays of the sun.
HACKBARTH: Because if they put it on their backs or legs the clothing
would rub it off.
MEURER: to protect his face from sun...........
CERON: they do so in order to prevent their skins from direct
sunlight.Moreover who knows how many different forms of being
fashionable are there??
CHERRY: Andrew Symonds.
BENES: Crickters use cream during match to protect their skins from sun burn.
GEIB: So that they'll not get sun burn.

Did You Know ? horses have 2 lungs like us

VERNETTA: horses have 2 lungs like us
MAGNUSON: They are the same as us - two lungs.
SIN: horses,,,like us have two lungs,,,if they only have one,,,they might not be able to get all the oxygen they need,,,
MANSELL: they have two 'lungs' each side/lung with seperate lobes, the right side having more lobes due to more space in the thoratic cavity.....
VICKNAIR: Horses have two lungs and Colic is not a lung complaint.
DIBELLA: Horse's instestines are long and can become tangled easily.
HAMILTON: The digestive process involves the production of gas through fermentation, and gas can fill loops in the intestine which if then tangled causes a blockage.
EVENS: You are right, unlike humans the horse can?t vomit to rid itself of unsuitable material.
COSENTINO: As a grazing animal a horse is used to a gentle, regular feeding pattern throughout the year, getting fat when suitable pasture is abundant, getting thin when it isn?t.
HAGA: As a quick moving animal with lots of stamina a horse can travel long distances to find the necessary diet variety it needs to thrive - but because we (humans) confine them to one area, then they are unable to travel these distances for different grazing.
KINDRA: More than one lung?
LOWN: This is ridiculous!
PIERCE: Horses have 2 lungs, just like us. When they have Colic it is life threatening because they simply can't throw up, therefore they have no way of getting rid on the poison if it is poison caused.
GATLING: One lung? All mammals have two lungs. The only creatures that dont have two lungs or highly developed second lung are snakes.
MORGAN: two and i thought that iwas dumb please tell me r u a blonde?
ECKENRODE: lol. im just joking dont take it personaly im gust f@#*ing around.lol
KIMBELL: They have 2
UNDERHILL: Horses do have two lungs, they have all the same bones and organs that people do, except no collarbone. (or appendix?)
TULLEY: They can't vomit because the epiglottis won't allow it, so anything bad they ate has to go all the way through and go whatever damage it's going to.
LINGER: They also cannot breathe through the mouth, epiglottis shape again- they can whinny through the mouth but can't really breathe in through the open mouth.
SHAWANNA: Horses can choke, but it's in just the same way as for people. Something too big can get caught in the throat and damage the trachea.