Jesse Randall Warden

Depending on the scope of your project, you may have the opportunity for code reuse. The reasons you might want to do so are two-fold. First, you reduce duplication of efforts. If you have already created a hyperlink enabled CellRenderer for your DataGrid once, why do it again? Second, you create, or build upon, an ever growing utility code base. While it may not be in the "utils" package per se, you'll soon end up with re-usable events, common GUI controls and widgets, and yes even utility classes. Whether by merely being in a different folder means the client doesn't own it is up to you or your sales team. Duplication Killed on Sight On the current project I'm on, we re-use a LOT. My eagle-eye boss the architect head-shots any duplication he sees. Thus, we the developers have been trained to quickly identify something we create for re-use if possible and either p... (more)

Integrating a Flash Interface into Flex 2

My goals here are to integrate www.adobe.com/products/flash/ Flash with www.adobe.com/products/flex/ Flex, i.e. not just treat it as a design asset tool, but as a contributor to the functionality of the client; using Flash for enhancing the design, and helping reduce transition code which tends to be verbose in Flex. Below you'll find a sample application that has integration of a complicated Flash design done using many different techniques. I describe the reasons why you would want to work this way, compare with other techniques, and walk through the code and files in my examp... (more)

Agile Chronicles #1: What is Agile Based On?

Preface Five weeks ago, I started a project with  Enablus, a firm that works with mainly startups to build products. I loathe service work, and love product work, so am really glad to be working with them. Even better, they are only 30 minutes from my house. I don’t really need to go more than 2 to 3 times a week, but I like how close they are when I do. One thing that struck me in the initial project discussions was that Enablus was really big on process and lingo. Darrell Ross, the project manager and partner I’m working with, although hard to read initially, still showed sign... (more)

JavaScript and Flash Panels

Macromedia products are ever more extensible in the 2004 releases. They make it easier for developers to create custom tools and extension scripts and then package those scripts and interfaces to distribute to their fellow designers and developers. Distribution comes in a few ways; in this article I discuss the use of JavaScript and Flash panels for use in Fireworks and Flash, and briefly cover the use of MXPs, the file format used in the Macromedia Extension Manager tool to allow developers to install extensions. Although Dreamweaver is arguably more powerful in making use of suc... (more)

Why Central Matters

Central is important to developers for a number of reasons. First, Central provides an application framework with which you can sell the applications you make. You just have to add a few purchasing details to an XML file and edit a Web form. Additionally, the user is presented with information about how to purchase. Considering Macromedia's current deals with companies such as Intel and AOL, you can be sure that your applications will get exposure. The evolving Flash Player will do better on the desktop than within the browser. There are fewer restrictions and a lot more room to a... (more)