Posted on by

Beanstalk

Beanstalk Beanstalk is an application to manage user group members and their participation…

Right now, I’m working on an AIR application that user group managers can use to connect to their user group websites.  Provided the site is running on Joomla, they can authenticate through the AIR app against the Joomla site.  The vision is that at a user group meeting, the people who come in can sign in on the application (through a laptop at the entrance) using their website credentials.  They’ll be given an option to register if they haven’t yet.  Logging in allows the user group managers to keep track of who attended as well as give an interface to prize drawings.  For user groups that keep track of participation, there can be weighted drawings so that members who participate more will have more of a chance of winning.

It’s currently in it’s baby stages.  I am in need of experience creating Joomla extensions so if you have developed Joomla 1.5 extensions before and feel pretty comfortable using PHP, I could really use your expertise.  This especially applies if you’ve ever used AMFPHP with a Flash/Flex application.

Informal roadmap: 

  1. Get AIR application to connect and authenticate using a Joomla website.
  2. Create interface for AIR application
  3. Create Joomla plugin that creates the necessary database tables
  4. Create Joomla administrator section to manage the entries
  5. Get AIR application to manage participation points
  6. Develop animated prize drawing portion of AIR app
The goal of the project is to provide an tool for user group managers to make their group meetings more successful.  There is a lot of potential here, and I’m only focusing on the beginning to start out with.  Further into the future, I can see adding meeting planning tools, such as a way to keep track of potential speakers and events, as well as full site administration.  Perhaps even adding support for other CMS sites.

 

Posted on by

MLS csv2kml beta 1

MLS csv2kml takes the Membership.csv file that can be created from MLS (ask your Clerk for this file) and by simply dropping the file onto the running application, it will gather the information needed and construct a kml file that can be used with Google Earth to visualize all the members of your Ward or Branch. The file it creates is named Membership.kml and is always placed on your desktop when it’s finished.

Continue reading MLS csv2kml beta 1

Posted on by

htmlText Editor

I created the htmlText Editor to solve a workflow issue I was running into while working on a project a while back.  I had a Flex app that was getting it’s text strings from an XML file.  Many of the strings were going to be formatted and used in an htmlText control.

The problem: Flex uses a subset of html 1.0.  Only very basic tags are allowed so I can’t just open up Dreamweaver and go to town creating my htmlText visually.

The solution: Create a text editor in Flex so that all the formatting is compliant.

The htmlText editor is simply a RichTextEditor control bound to a TextArea to display it’s htmlText property.  Using Regular Expressions, I gave the user the ability to filter out some of the many unnecessary tags that automatically get created but aren’t essential.

Enjoy!

htmlText Editor

Posted on by

Tutoring

I now offer tutoring to those who want to learn more about Flex and ActionScript.  I know that learning a new technology can seem intimidating for some so I teach with a style that will give you what you need to know to be a professional developer without all the fluff.  There are two ways you can learn:

One on one tutoring

($40/hr) Just you and me.  If you learn best by structured learning (with “lessons, and homework”) I can do that OR we can find a real world project to take on and work through the problems together.  If you learn best by some other means, just say so.  I can adapt to anyone’s learning style.

Group lessons

($30/hr per person) Two to five of you and your friends or co-workers get together and learn as a small group.  The same options apply when it comes to ways you can learn.  By getting a group together the rate is reduced for each person. I’ve found that small groups allow each person to get the most out of the time there.  If the group gets too big, some individuals end up sitting around while others are getting extra help.  I want each person to get as much as they can out of it.

Posted on by

Looking good

The Flex Guy site has completed it’s make-over and now is completely running on Joomla!  With a slick new look and feel, I’ll be using it to show off work I’ve done and provide a more straight forward interface to those who want to download and use the finished products.

I’m always open to suggestions so if you see something that really annoys you, let me know.  If there’s something you really want to see or know, please share!

Posted on by

About Marty

I have been using Flex since Adobe merged with Macromedia.  Because I work at Adobe, I’ve been blessed with a lot of opportunities to learn ActionScript and Flex from the best.  Hardly a day goes by that Flex Builder isn’t opened.  I love building applications that solve problems or make peoples lives a little easier.  I also love teaching others how to use Flex.  Now and then I tutor others in ActionScript and Flex.

I am also the manager of the Seattle Flex User Group (SeaFlex), which meets the second Thursday of each month.  If you are in the Seattle area and want to network with other developers or learn more about Flex, check out the SeaFlex website for details about the next meeting.

Posted on by

We fear change

There are many things in life that need to change every once in a while. Jobs, where we live, vacuum cleaner bags, our socks… Whether it’s due to fear or laziness or a lack of resources to make the change, we can sometimes be resistant to change. The Flex Guy website has been using WordPress for the front end blog for quite a while now, but will soon be moving to Joomla!. This will allow for a more full-featured website with the ability to grow to something a little more professional.

I’ve been working with Joomla! lately to deploy beautiful websites that don’t require a lot of initial work to get them up and running. There are a large number of templates out there for Joomla! that are very well designed. My favorites come from RocketTheme.com, and you’ll probably see that the new site will be built with one from them. They have great support and build their themes so that they are easily customizable.

I am also helping to create the Seattle Flex User Group (SeaFlex) website using Joomla! I’m gaining a lot of experience with it lately since I have been creating websites for clients as Sound Design Team. So, I have fun staying busy, building websites, developing Flex applications and keeping Adobe fat and happy.

For now, don’t be surprised if The Flex Guy takes a little break from blogging (or continues to take a little break 😉 )

Posted on by

SWFs are now searchable!

Adobe announced today that they have teamed up with Google and Yahoo! to provide the means to search flash content on the web. This was one of the biggest drawbacks to sites with large amounts of flash content, so it is a welcomed announcement to everyone. The method of searching does not require anything different to be done by developers and allows old swf content to be searched as well.

“Google has been working hard to improve how we can read and discover SWF files,” said Bill Coughran, senior vice president of engineering at Google. “Through our recent collaboration with Adobe, we now help Web site owners that choose to design sites with Adobe Flash software by indexing this content better. Improving how we crawl dynamic content will ultimately enhance the search experience for our users.”

Read the press release here.

Posted on by

The Open Screen Project is announced

The Open Screen Project was announced by Adobe today.  This is a pivotal point in Adobe’s history.  You can read about the details here: http://www.adobe.com/openscreenproject/

Here’s what this will mean for Flash®:

  • Removing restrictions on use of the SWF and FLV/F4V specifications
  • Publishing the device porting layer APIs for Adobe Flash Player
  • Publishing the Adobe Flash® Cast™ protocol and the AMF protocol for robust data services
  • Removing licensing fees – making next major releases of Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR for devices free

Note that this is not making Flash open-source.  It is making it possible to put the Flash player on mobile devices without a fee (even though the fee was small to begin with) and significantly reduces the potential development cost to make it work on a device.  We’ll be able to create Flash content for mobile devices and eventually we’ll see Flex and AIR apps on them.  This is the stuff dreams are made of.  Ok, maybe not all dreams, but I still love it.

The strategy behind it is brilliant as well.  It will ensure there aren’t multiple variations of “flash players” out there that don’t work the same.  We don’t want to have the headaches we had when dealing with CSS inconsistencies. This also will get Flash out there as the platform for rich content.  Sorry Microsoft, but you haven’t been very “open” so what’s your move?