RIA Development with Adobe Flex and Flash

I have been noticing a ton of Adobe bashing in my blog reading lately! No Flash on the iPhone, no Flash on the iPad, ColdFusion is dead …. on and on. I suppose everyone has their opinions and passions but personally I just try to focus on the small things in life that make me happy …. like getting my work done FAST so I can go out an have some fun! Just one of the reasons why I am staying with ColdFusion:

10. FAST - yes ColdFusion is fast, it is fast to learn, fast to implement and fast to code. ColdFusion is not the first language that I have had to learn and I am sure that it will not be the last. One thing I can say for sure is that I learned ColdFusion FASTER than any other language.

9. ColdFusion is EASY to learn. Yep, I learned it FAST because it is very easy to learn. Especially, if you are from a web designer background. ColdFusion is a processing language looks very simliar to HTML. So, if you are from a static web design background, you will feel right at home with Adobe ColdFusion.

8. You only need a couple of books to learn ColdFusion. Yep, and you really don’t have to look very hard to find them. The ColdFusion 8 Web Application Books by Ben Forta, Ray Camden, et al should be plenty to get you started. Don’t have enough money to buy the WACK books? No worries! You can download the FREE Adobe Authorized ColdFusion Training books and source files from Adobe.com.

7. ColdFusion has two great commercial software tools that you can use for coding. I have been using Adobe Dreamweaver since version one and I will probably always use Dreamweaver. Although I am starting to feel more at home working in ColdFusion Builder, I still prefer to work in DW for CSS and design. ColdFusion Builder will probably be more attractive to you if you are from the JAVA world or if you also work in Adobe Flash Builder. Also, if you already have Eclipse, you can take advantage of the FREE CFEclipse plugin.

6. Oh yeah, the JAVA world. Basically ColdFusion is a set of JAVA modules that reside on your server, handling requests for data and returning it in whatever format you like. So, maybe you know JAVA or .NET and feel you have no need for ColdFusion. More power to ya! I have worked with JAVA programmers in the past and I my current place of employment has plenty of JAVA programmers. Fact is that I don’t want to be a JAVA programmer, nor do I want to be a .NET programmer. I just want to build a quality data driven web site in record time that does not give me code wrangling headaches. ColdFusion is perfect for just that goal.

5. ColdFusion is Adobe software. Oh crap! Now I am starting to sound like an Adobe fan boy. But, actually I am really not an Adobe fanboy. I am a Allaire/Macromedia fanboy that got dumped into the Adobe fanboy club by acquisition. The bottom is that I like the idea of using a web development language that was pioneered by a kick-ass web development tools company and is still backed by the leader in software tools for web development.

4. ‘Where’s the beef?’ ColdFusion works great with other Adobe tools. Really great with other Adobe tools. If you wanna see some of that beef in action, check out this Adobe.tv video: Building a ColdFusion-Powered Apps.

3. But doesn’t ColdFusion cost money? Uh … yep, most good things in life cost money. Don’t ever forget the number one rule of retail: ‘You get what you pay for and you pay for what you get.’ But, with shared hosting services out there you can host your ColdFusion web applications for a reasonable monthly fee. Most ColdFusion hosting providers specialize in just ColdFusion, so you will get great support and expertise if you have any issues. Here are a couple of my favorite CF hosting providers. Fusionlink in Atlanta, GA and CFDynamics in Texas.

2. So you need to host your own dedicated server with ColdFusion? If you are unable to afford the licensing costs of the Enterprise ColdFusion server, you might want to check out Railo - free open source alternative for ColdFusion application development.

1. FAST and EASY! Did I mention that ColdFusion is FAST and EASY. Very easy! With the learning resources above, a few cups of coffee, and a few hours in front of your computer, you will be up and running with your data-driven web site.

And that my friends is why I LOVE ColdFusion. It is fast and easy so that I can get the job done, and then head out for some fast and easy Friday night fun!

If you have not checked out the Flash Builder and ColdFusion Builder beta versions, you can now visit Adobe Labs for a preview of what you can do with this dynamic duo. http://labs.adobe.com

Adobe FlashBuilder 4 Beta

I have to admit that I have always been an Adobe Dreamweaver fanatic, and when I was not in Dreamweaver, I was typically hacking away at code in an older version of Allaire Homesite. That is until I discovered Adobe Flex version 2. The first version of Adobe Flex was wrapped inside the Dreamweaver interface which made it attractive but there were just too many obstacles in the way of learning how to deal with the server side code of Flex at that time for me. With Adobe Flex 2, I discovered the ease of working in code with the Eclipse based IDE and also the benefits of working with CFEclipse along side Dreamweaver for Development work.

Things have been moving along quite fast in the world of Flex, Flash, and ColdFusion and each version of the software seems to add ease of use and time saving features. FlashBuilder and ColdFusion Builder are no exception. Check out these quick steps for getting sarted in ColdFusion development with Flash Builder.

1. First, of course, you need to download and install Flash Builder and ColdFusion builder beta versions from http://labs.adobe.com.

2. Once you have the software installed, you will be surprised when you find out how easy it is to get started and connect your Flash Builder application to a ColdFusion Service with CFCs. (ColdFusion Components)

3. Now, lets get started with our first ColdFusion powered prject in Flash Builder. Choose File -> New -> Flex Project. At the project screen you can give you project a name and make sure you choose the correct application type. (Web or Adobe AIR) You will then need to choose the correct server technology.

Adobe FlashBuilder New Project Window

4. At this point, you will see the Configure ColdFusion Window. Be sure that you have the correct path and port number specific to your ColdFusion server. In this example I am using the ColdFusion 9 server running on port 8501. This is a standalone installation that is running along side my ColdFusion 8 testing server.

FlashBuilder Connection Path to ColdFusion Server Directory

5. Click next, name your application file and you are ready to create a ColdFusion Component with FlashBuilder.

6. You can now select the Data/Services view tab in Flash Buidler and select ‘Connect to Data Service’… This will open a window with three different options, ColdFusion - HTTP - and WSDL. For this example we are of course going to select ColdFusion.

Connect to ColdFusion for RIA

7. In the next window, if you don’t have a CFC ready to use, just select ‘click here to generate a sample’. This will open the ‘Generate Sample CFC Service Window’. Here you will most likely choose ‘Generate from RDS Data Source’. This will allow you to browse to your database connections and access the information. Select your chosen datasource, table, and click ‘ok’.

8. Now it is time to hit the ‘Finish’ button, kick back, and watch the show. Flash Builder goes to work creating a CFC and the valueObjects that you will need in your FlashBuilder project. You can now see the .as files in the Package Explorer and the Data/Services view will also be populated. If you have ColdFusion Builder installed, you will also notice that the CFC opens for your inspection and editing.

9. Now comes the fun part. Switch to the design perspective and drag a datagrid to the canvas. The generated sample service contains functions that illustrate typical service operations. You can use these functions as a starting point for creating your own service implementation. You can modify the function signatures, references to the database, and implementation according to your needs. Save your changes and return to Flash Builder design. In Flash Builder Data/Services View, refreshthe service. Then drag service operations onto user interface components in Design View. For example, I choose the getAllARTISTS() operation and simply dragged it onto a DataGrid in the design view.

FlashBuilder DataGrid with Data

10. So there you have it. A complete ColdFusion powered datagrid in FlashBuilder without writing one line of code.

Want a new ColdFusion 8 Tag Poster. Well, I don’t have any! But, you can click on over to Kristen Schofield’s blog and fill out a quick RIA survey. She seems to know how you can get your hands on one of these.

The official curriculum from Adobe Systems for Advanced ColdFusion 8 Development has now been released. If you want to get up to speed fast on advanced level techniques for building and deploying ColdFusion apps then this may be a good option for you. This course covers important topics such as scalability, prototyping components, and error handling. We have this class on open enrollment schedule now.

ColdFusion 8 Here is a great opportunity for you to contribute, and let Adobe Systems know what you think would make ColdFusion even better. Check out Damon Coopers blog and take the Adobe ColdFusion Surveys.

Adobe has set the official release date of ColdFusion 8 for July 30th. Now faster than ever, ColdFusion 8 means fewer lines of code and easier fine-tuning. The result is better applications in less time, as well as improved integration across the enterprise.

We predict that with this new version, many developers are going to need training to get up-to-speed on the new features. Highlights of the new release include an improved Server Monitor to fix bugs and bottlenecks before deployment, PDF document and form integration features, plus freedom to create personalized, multimedia-rich applications in Adobe Flex or Ajax.

Adobe Systems has now released a preview version of ColdFusion 8 to the Adobe Labs website. Here you can dowload the latest version of ColdFusion and there are some great online videos to get you into the new features fast. Some of the new features listed give you the power to easliy work with Flex to create personalized, multimedia-rich applications and Acrobat form integration. Sounds good to me ….