Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 for Server Geeks [Paperback]

Nate Weiss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 6, 2003

Server geeks, take heart: If you¿re sick of wading through pages of animation and graphics instruction just to find the nugget of info that¿s relevant to you, you now have an alternative! This volume leaves the designing to the designers and instead focuses on the core concepts that you (as a programmer and developer) need to master to create rich user interfaces, online advertising, enterprise application front ends, and more with Flash MX Pro 2004. By providing advanced functionality for creating sophisticated interactive content, rich Internet applications, pro-quality video, and easy device deployment, Flash MX 2004 Pro offers an ideal development environment¿and one that¿s being widely adopted across the Web. Using hands-on projects¿including two real-world applications¿and exercises to reinforce learning, author

Nate Weiss

delivers important quick-start information for those new to Flash MX development and goes in depth for veterans. A companion Web site includes downloadable code, links to the working applications developed through the book¿s exercises, and video demos.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Server geeks, take heart: If you¿re sick of wading through pages of animation and graphics instruction just to find the nugget of info that¿s relevant to you, you now have an alternative! This volume leaves the designing to the designers and instead focuses on the core concepts that you (as a programmer and developer) need to master to create rich user interfaces, online advertising, enterprise application front ends, and more with Flash MX Pro 2004. By providing advanced functionality for creating sophisticated interactive content, rich Internet applications, pro-quality video, and easy device deployment, Flash MX 2004 Pro offers an ideal development environment¿and one that¿s being widely adopted across the Web. Using hands-on projects¿including two real-world applications¿and exercises to reinforce learning, author

Nate Weiss

delivers important quick-start information for those new to Flash MX development and goes in depth for veterans. A companion Web site includes downloadable code, links to the working applications developed through the book¿s exercises, and video demos.

About the Author

Nate Weiss is a long-time web application developer, working primarily with ColdFusion. He has helped many ColdFusion developers understand how to work with Flash. A Team Macromedia member, Nate provides peer-to-peer assistance, speaks at numerous conferences, and writes articles to help developers use the Macromedia tools effectively.

Product Details

• Paperback: 648 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Press (December 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735713820
• ISBN-13: 978-0735713826
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,968,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for ANY programmer, January 8, 2004

By 

K. Reiss (Manchester, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 for Server Geeks (Paperback)

As a programmer for 20+ years, I have known the value of flash/action script, but had been unable to actually make anything happen every time I tried to do something in Flash. Nate's book uses a very thoughtful approach to guiding the user through an intelligent process. He jumps right in, in the beginning, getting you buiilding something fast, so you can value the environment and see just how easy it can be when you know how. Then, he walks you through action script techniques, demonstating the power of integrating object-oriented programming via a compiled, web-accessed language. The examples on how to connect to data servers were superb and really focussed on doing what makes sense, rather than just going with the newest technology. He wraps up with good session-variable and form integration/validation techniques. The approach this book uses makes sense for the learner, while becoming an excellent reference when finished.

I bought this book after sitting through a macromedia demo showing how I could make a whole 'web site' in flash without any action scripting whatsoever. I was amazed and intrigued and immedaitely bought flash mx 2004 pro. Then I tried to use it and just couldn't make it do the magical thing the macromedia guy had done. I saw the power, but couldn't master the art.

I expected this book to be all about how to use mx 2004 pro's screens and web services connectors. As I first started reading, I was initially disapointed because I thouht the book was just a flash mx 2004 (not pro) renamed to catch the reader's eye. After getting into the book, I am THOROUGHLY glad that Nate used the approach he did! He explains that the new screens and components have value, but do not negate the value of many, many other tools within flash. Seeing the big picture will truly enable me to build quality apps while utilizing a variety of resources within flash.

In conclusion, I am VERY, VERY pleased with this book's honest, experienced approach to making flash a practical and effective tool in developing Rich Internet Apps.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I keep this book at arms length, December 10, 2004

By 

Pierson "ExperTactics.com" (toronto / canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 for Server Geeks (Paperback)

Well thought out book.
Great examples.
Gets you to were you need to be in relation to building RIA with ActionScripting.
Holds your hand along the way.

-Highly recommended.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pulling it all together!, January 28, 2004

By 

Larry Pierce (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 for Server Geeks (Paperback)

I'm thrilled to no end that I bought this book! As a ColdFusion developer, I have been wanting to add a Flash front end to my apps for months. But between timelines and tweens, I just couldn't justify the time to learn Flash. When Flash MX Professional 2004 was released, I took another look. I downloaded the trial copy and started playing around with it and was able to create something rather quickly. So I bought the product. At that time, the books were few and far between. Some online tutorials existed, but didn't seem to be in line with what I was trying to do.

I preorded this book based on the Author's previous writings with Ben Forta in regards to ColdFusion. The day it arrived I started reading it from page 1, which is something I rarely do...usually I just look in the contents or the index to find something specific that I am looking for. Before I was finished with the first chapter, I knew that it was written just for me! This book is for developers that want to create rich, data-driven internet applications without the fuss and muss of using the Flash timeline! It has a great mix of background explanations and hands-on projects to get you started right away. I've recommended this book over and over in the online forums that I subscribe to, and haven't had a dissatisfied person yet!