In the article, he breaks down the techniques that Fluid used to build RbkCustom. If you have a chance and you’re into following best practices, I’d recommend checking it out. My personal favorite was his page on following the rules of code; it’s most definitely worth a read and possibly a bookmark.
There was a somewhat similar article posted to Kirupa not too long ago, that shows the structure of a Flash site, which dynamically creates buttons from XML, CSS, and PNG files.
I’ve posted the first Free Flash Training module over at Connect Learning. The topic is Creating a Manual Motion Tween. I would really, really appreciate any feedback.
Now, you might be thinking, “Why did you mention ‘Manual’?” The reason is because for my next training module I want to show how to create the exact same motion tween using nothing but ActionScript. I’ll let you know when that’s posted.
ActionScript .5 for Flash Lite 1.1
It’s hard to roll back to the ASpoint5 frame of mind, so this download comes in real handy: grab it from Scott Janousek.
ActionScript 2
I usually work with the code hinting the AS Editor within Flash. Alternatively, SE|PY is quite brilliant to work with, if you’re into 3rd party editors. But the low-tech method of having a tangible AS2 Cheatsheet on hand is always useful. Snag it from ActionScriptCheatSheet.com.
ActionScript 3 (for Flash player 9)
ActionScriptCheatSheet.com also has several great sheets for those of you getting into AS3. There is so much to this new version of ActionScript, that even the cheatsheets are broken down by package.
So, the IE thing where the user has to “click to activate” any Flash (or other active media) file in a page is quite obnoxious. Thankfully, Adobe has already addressed the issue in the form of updates to Dreamweaver and Flash. Be sure to grab the updates for each product and start publishing your content accordingly.
In trying to come up with thoughts for a tutorial, I started playing around with the
 Drag Slide Fade 2.0 Class Library and this is what I ended up with.
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I don’t know if it’s suitable material for a tutorial, but the DSF Library sure is fun to play with. If you want to check it out for yourself, you’re going to need to pop on over to Brendan Dawes download area and all of the relevant AS files in one nice zip file.
Here’s another sample of doing the same idea of scripted animation, only this one uses Flash’s built in Tween Class.
I know it’s the total geek in me, but Silicon Valley was all that I hoped it would be.
When I got into San Jose, I picked up my rental and managed to get absurdly lost on the way to the hotel from the airport. It couldn’t have been more than mile that I had to travel from one location to the other. But, somehow, I still managed the get so twisted around that I almost ended up in San Francisco. Because I had to pick up one these killer new SmartPhones from Nokia for the Flash Lite Training class this week, I pulled over in some parking lot and busted out my Flash enabled device to punch in my current location into Google Maps Mobile. I figure out where I am when I look up and see the big eBay logo staring me in the face. Again, the geek in me creeps out and I start giggling over the whole “I’m-lost-and-in-eBay’s-parking-lot” thing. At any rate, I figure out where I need to go, and get to the hotel, in what I’m sure, is record time.
The Flash Lite training couldn’t have been better. It was hotested by Adobe’s Mobile & Devices and delivered by the courseware author James Talbot, who has an excellent article on getting started with Flash Lite over at DevNet.
A few others who attended:
Stephanie and Bryan, the two person team that make up Yiibu, creators of “Casual Content” for Mobile devices. Be sure to check out someoftheirdownloads.
After going through the material and seeing what Flash is going to be capable of doing on mobile devices, I can’t stop thinking about the different applications/video games that are possible for handhelds. I tellin ya it’s gonna be the next application development gold rush.
Another thing that was pretty cool was that the Adobe offices were crazy hip. My favorite part was in the main lobby where they had a massive Swatches Panel that acted as a pseudo-stainglass window. Pretty cool.
In addition to killer training and uber hip office space, the release of Flash Player 9 was announced this week and a preview version of the Flash 9 IDE. Now, I haven’t gotten my hands as dirty with AS3 as much as I had wanted to last October, but I’m really looking forward to digging in and playing with the all new toys.
That’s about it. Celebrate all indie style this weekend.
Last week, in our Dreamweaver class we took a brief look at a Javascript image fade sample. Then, today in Flash Rich Content Creation, someone asked about the same concept for Flash.
As a result, I’ve slapped together a little zip files that has working samples of both versions. Feel free to download it, play with it, and ask questions. Hope this helps!
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