jun :: realeyes

Click above to register and help me get the party suite!

The 360|Flex guys have a copy of Flash Builder Pro, and CS4 up for grabs, and of course a ticket to 360|Flex. They’ll select the best video before the conference and show the videos before the keynote.  Here’s the details on the contest: http://www.360flex.com/blog/2009/10/360flex-be-a-movie-star-win-a-pass/?utm_source=360%7CFlex+San+Jose+Speakers&utm_campaign=9e6b1c9270-360_Flex_San_Jose_Speaker_Email_312_16_2009&utm_medium=email

David and I have been teaching Flex at a local college.  Recently David mentioned to a student that he should use a lighter-weight class for a mask than Canvas.  The student asked why.  This brings up a good point.

When you’re using various Flex framework classes, you need to stop and think.  Do I really need the class I’m using or can I get away with something smaller.  One good example is when you’re creating custom MXML components.  Many times a rookie developer will create an MXML component with a Container as the root component when all they really need to do is to make a UI Control the root component.

In the case of the question, when using a mask, a very lightweight class the Sprite could have been used if the student had not needed the mask to participate in the display list.  Otherwise, they could have used a custom class based on UIComponent, vs using the larger Canvas class.

Just to re-enforce David’s point, I created a little POC where I created three custom classes, one based on Canvas, one based on UIComponent, and one based on Sprite.  I did not create any custom code in these classes, they were simply used so that they’d be easier to call out in the Flex Builder Profiler.  Then I profiled the application and here’s a screenshot of the results.

As you can see, there can be significant memory impact when you use classes that are more robust than you need.

That being said, pay attention to the classes you use in your code, and always stop to think, do I really need to use this class, or can I get away with something that is lighter-weight?

Here’s two very good reasons to attend 360|Flex in San Jose:

Reason 1:

David Hassoun and I will be co-presenting all that is cool in the world of Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Stratus, and RTMFP.  It’s going to be a great presentation on some of the cutting edge Adobe technology.  So register for 360 and come to our presentation:

Adobe Stratus and Flash Player 10 P2P: Enterprise Multi-user Applications Without the Need for Large Server Infrastructure

Reason 2:

I’m excited to announce that I’m FINALLY going to do my Silverlight for Flex developers talk.  The scope of my original idea has changed and now it’s now evolved into a product compare/contrast, developer workflow, media delivery, and back end system talk.  The cool thing is I’m bundling it up with my friend, and band mate Eric Fickes who will focus on the server side of things.  So register for 360 and come to see the RIATron:

Session 1: Adobe is from Mars, Microsoft is from Uranus: A View from the Client
Session 2: Adobe is from Mars, Microsoft is from Uranus: A View from the Server

I’ve been searching for exact information on the new Flash Player 10.1 classes for a couple hours now.  I’ve tried the new Unified Flash Platform livedocs, the Flash Player 10.1 release notes, and even Devnet.  No love…

Thanks to Shigeru I found the information I need.  He’s got some output from the Library Manager tool he runs that shows exactly what’s new in Flash Player 10.1.

Here’s the link to the API differences: http://shigeru-nakagaki.com/index.cfm/2009/11/17/20091117-API-differences-between-FP-100-and-FP101

By the way, if you don’t read his blog, you should.  He’s always posting really useful information.

Props to Flex developers in Japan!  Thanks Shigeru!

Adobe recently release Flash Player 10.1 on labs.  It has many outstanding new features and I’m excited to start playing around with it.  However, since I’m on Mac OS X, there’s one very big issue.  There’s no debug version of the 10.1 player to download.

The lack of a debug player for Windows users is not too big of a deal since the installer comes in the IE plugin flavor and the Netscape plugin flavor. For us developers this means we can use one browser for 10.1 and the others for debugging our work targeted at older player releases.

For us Mac users we get one plugin installer.  This means to play with 10.1 we have to get by without a debug player.  For those of us that write Flash Player applications as our job, this is simply not an option.

So…rather than living without a debug player or living without playing with Flash Player 10.1 I figured out a way to have my debug and 10.1 too.  Thanks a ton to Sephiroth for building a really useful Firefox plugin, the Flash Switcher!

Using the Flash Switcher, I can install 10.1 globally on my system. Then if I want to debug a pre-10.1 application I’m working on I can use Firefox to switch to the version 10 debug player using Flash Switcher.  The other beneficial side effect is when you switch it in Firefox any browser should also get switched, for instance, Safari.

Here’s the steps I took to make this a reality:

1. First you are going to want to uninstall Flash Player from your system. Once you’ve downloaded the uninstaller make sure to close all your browsers.  Here’s the link to the uninstaller: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/141/tn_14157.html

2. Next, you will want to install the Flash Player 10 Debug Player.  Once again, after you download the installer you will need to close all browsers.  Here’s the link to the installer: http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html#fp10

3. The next step is to open Firefox and go to Sephiroth’s page to install Flash Switcher.  Here’s the link to that: http://www.sephiroth.it/firefox/flash_switcher/#install

4. Once you’ve installed the Flash Switcher, you will want to save Flash Player 10 Debug Player in the Flash Switcher as a cached version of the Flash Player.  I suggest watching the 45 second tutorial on how to do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iINoAaKB64

5. Next, you are going to want to uninstall the Flash Player 10 Debug Player. Don’t worry, if you cached it in step #4 you’ll still have it. So, uninstall Flash Player from your system. Once you’ve downloaded the uninstaller make sure to close all your browsers.  Here’s the link to the uninstaller: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/141/tn_14157.html

6. Now it’s time to install the Flash Player 10.1 Player.  Once again, after you download the installer you will need to close all browsers.  Here’s the link to the installer: http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/flashplayer10.html

7. Now save Flash Player 10.1 as a cached version of Flash Player in Flash Switcher.   If you didn’t in step 4, suggest watching the 45 second tutorial on how to do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iINoAaKB64

8. At this point if you try to use Flash Switcher to switch between the two versions of the Flash Player, Firefox will throw errors such as Access Denied and File Already Exists. (At least I did)  To get around this, you must uninstall Flash Player 10.1 and rely on the cached versions of Flash Player 10.1 and Flash Player 10 Debug in your Flash Switcher.  So, uninstall Flash Player from your system. Once you’ve downloaded the uninstaller make sure to close all your browsers.  Here’s the link to the uninstaller: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/141/tn_14157.html

You should now be able to switch back and forth between 10.1 and the version 10 debug player.  One thing I noticed, is you’re going to want to close your other browsers such as Safari before switching otherwise the Flash Switcher won’t be able to switch the player version. It may by why I got the issues before step 8, but hey, this was supposed to be a 5 minute blog post, I’m busy with billable work, and too lazy to retest and revise.

Finally, if you want to test the switching with an app in Flash Builder 4, you can run this simple Flex 4 app after each switch.  It spits out the player version and whether it’s a debugger or not.  This download is a zip file containing an FXP export of the Flex 4 Project: http://www.iheartair.com/samples/CodeZips/TestingFP10FlashSwitcher.fxp.zip

Breaking News (Denver, CO)

Rocky Mountain Adobe User Group is holding a Mini MAX session tonight at Casselman’s in Denver.  The 360|Flex guys were nice enough to give us two free passes to raffle off at the event, thanks dudes!

Head down tonight to catch up on things you may have missed at Adobe MAX 2009, see my Flash Catalyst demonstration, and most importantly to qualify to win a free pass to 360|Flex San Jose 2010. (This is regularly $599)

Oh, and did I mention we’re also giving away a copy of Adobe Creative Suite 4?

Register to Attend: http://rmaug.com/

Venue Info: http://www.casselmans.com/

See you at 6:30 tonight!

I was approached a couple months ago to do a feature on Flash Builder 4 debugging and profiling.  The key was to illustrate the new features and enhancements and to offer nice concise walkthroughs.  So, without further ado, check it out!

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flex/articles/flashbuilder4_debugging_profiling.html?devcon=f7

Here’s a screen cast I did recently on the basics of Flash Catalyst.  It illustrates a work flow from Photoshop to Flash Catalyst and then on to Flash Builder 4.  Enjoy.

Tutorial: Intro to Flash Catalyst from Jun Heider on Vimeo.

If you’re in Denver tonight, come hang at Ignite Denver 5. It’s gonna be a blast, with entertaining presentations, beer, and live music. Make sure to RSVP!

It’s Ignite Denver 5 time. If you’re in Denver on Wednesday make sure to RSVP!

Still debating?  Check out the lineup:

1. Jeremy Tanner – What is Ignite – welcome
2. Jun Heider – The evolution of Internet FAIL: In a non-linear fashion
3. Luke Tilsey – How to Pick Up Dudes (Part 2): The ‘Secret Revealed
4. Tim D (2509) – Avoiding and Surviving Bear Attacks
5. Musical Guest – The Compilers, back again, with more great music!
6. Lauren Cook – Get Baked: Why Boycotting Cupcakes Will Turn The Recession Around
7. Ben Wilkoff – Authentic Learning: Imagine school (and work) with a real purpose and a real audience
8. An Bui – How to Pick Up Chicks: Tips from a Totally Hetero Woman
9. Sarah Wells – Ethical Shoplifting
10. ? – Mystery Deck of Doom

Debating still?!

Here’s a quick preview of some of The Compilers goodness, intermission band for Ignite Denver 5 performing the iPhone song.

The Compilers – iPhone song @360iDev 9/29/2009 from Jun Heider on Vimeo.