Thursday, May 29, 2008

May Meeting Recap #2: Custom button class in Flash presented by Shane Hoffa

Here are the source files from the Custom button class in Flash by Shane Hoffa presentation. It includes a version in both ActionScript 2 and ActionScript 3.

Additionally, here are the links Shane talked about to Lee Brimelow’s video tutorials on this, which are based in ActionScript 2.

Creating Animated Buttons
http://gotoandlearn.com/player.php?id=28

Introduction to OOP
http://gotoandlearn.com/player.php?id=48

Using Custom Classes
http://gotoandlearn.com/player.php?id=30

May Meeting Recap: Custom button class in Flash presented by Shane Hoffa

Thanks to everyone in attendance at the May meeting and especially to Shane Hoffa for his in-depth presentation on creating a custom button class in Flash and demonstrated ActionScript3 versus 2. Shane's working files (zip) will be posted so please check back for them.

Here are some of the topics, tools and websites we discussed during the course of the meeting:

Eclipse:
www.eclipse.org
"
Eclipse is an open source community whose projects are focused on building an open development platform comprised of extensible frameworks, tools and runtimes for building, deploying and managing software across the lifecycle. A large and vibrant ecosystem of major technology vendors, innovative start-ups, universities, research institutions and individuals extend, complement and support the Eclipse platform."

Adobe Flex SDK:
labs.adobe.com/technologies/flex/sdk/flex3sdk.html
"Flex is a highly productive, open source framework for building and maintaining expressive web applications that deploy consistently on all major browsers, desktops and operating systems. This site is focused on the development of the Flex SDK. If you are looking for more information on how to use Flex, you may wish to visit the Flex Developer Center."

FlashDevelop:
osflash.org/flashdevelop
"
FlashDevelop is a popular open source ActionScript 2/3 and web development environment. FlashDevelop seemlessly integrates with Adobe Flash IDE, Adobe Flex SDK, MTASC, haXe and swfmill."

Senocular.com
ActionScript Library: www.senocular.com/flash/actionscript.php
Loads of great information at this site including the tutorial "
Getting Started with ActionScript 3.0 in Adobe Flash CS3".

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Upcoming Meeting Dates:

Thursday, June 19th 6-8pm. - An intro to Web Applications with ColdFusion
Wednesday, July 30th 6-8pm. - Casual Meeting at Panera Bread, 4263 Union Deposit Road
Harrisburg, PA 17111
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Please feel free to post a comment if there are any topics that you'd like to see covered, or if you are interested in presenting a topic.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Article: Pizza Hut Serves Up Online Orders, Adobe Air Style

Interesting article from Mashable: http://mashable.com/2008/05/25/pizza-hut-serves-up-online-orders-adobe-air-style/

Excerpt:
Gone are the days where you did something so pedestrian as pick up a phone to order a pizza. Now you can employ Pizza Hut’s new application to do the talking for you!

Monday, May 26, 2008

JobOp: Flash Developer for PayPal shopping cart project

Fellow CPAUG member, Tina Anness, has a project and she's looking to contract a Flash developer for it. She's looking to set up a website to sell artwork using PayPal and therefore a shopping cart that works with PayPal and a way to present the artwork for browsing. If you're interested, please contact Tina Anness at djx2873(AT)yahoo(DOT)com.

Friday, May 23, 2008

May Meeting - Topics: Flash Custom Button Class and Photoshop Color Management

Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Time: 6-8PM

East Shore Area Library - Computer Lab, 1st floor (basement)
4501 Ethel Street
Harrisburg, PA 17109
No food or drink is allowed in the computer room.
GoogleMap
Information about the meeting location

CPAUG RSS Feed

About the Meeting:

Creating a custom button class in Flash presented by Shane Hoffa
Learn how to efficiently create a menu containing animated buttons using a custom ActionScript class.

Shane Hoffa is a Flash Developer who works in the web department at JPL Productions. He also teaches a Flash class at HACC's Harrisburg campus. Shane has a strong background in video and motion, and enjoys incorporating it as a design element into his Flash development. He enjoy researching new technologies and how he can use them in his work flow.

Color Management in Photoshop presented by Terry Finegan
Learn how to make sure the great color you see, the rest of the world will be able to see the same way. Calibrating your monitor and software to a standard that produces repeatable and predictable color fidelity. Using system software and/or hardware to match your monitor to output, whether print or web.

Terry Finegan has a background in photography, newspaper pre-press and graphics.


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Upcoming Meeting Dates:

Thursday, June 19th 6-8pm. - Topic TBD - Let me know if you'd like to present!
Wednesday, July 30th 6-8pm. - Casual Meeting at Panera Bread, 4263 Union Deposit Road
Harrisburg, PA 17111
----------------------------------

Please feel free to post a comment if there are any topics that you'd like to see covered, or if you are interested in presenting a topic.

May Meeting - Topics: Flash Custom Button Class

http://cenpennaug.blogspot.com/2008/05/
may-meeting-topics-flash-custom-button_23.html

Total Training - discount coupon codes

Need some extra Adobe training? Total Training, Inc. is a pioneer in innovative online and DVD-based training for leading creative design, digital video, and office productivity software programs. Be sure to use these discount coupon codes below!

save20pss - Saves 20% on Total Training orders (courtesy of photoshopsupport.com)

save15partners - Save 15% on Total Training Online subscriptions.

Get recognized for your Flash / Flex expertise

...and help shape new Flash online skills tests! ReviewNet has developed three new Flash/Flex tests that are available for review: Flash CS3 with ActionScript 3.0 developer, Flash Development with Flash 8 and ActionScript 2.0 and Adobe Flex 3.0 M2 developer. When you take ReviewNet's new Flash tests you will receive your skill ratings and get listed in the online advisory panel. There are also chances to win cash rewards.

Once you apply at www.reviewnet.net/apply.aspx you will be given passwords and the ability to select which tests you would like to take.

Visit http://www.reviewnet.net/advisor.htm or download the flyer (PDF) to learn more.

Friday, May 16, 2008

How to Draw a Logarithmic Spiral by PiXELWiT

If you want to take your Flash skills to the next level, be sure to check out this great tutorial How to Draw a Logarithmic Spiral from your fellow user group member. In fact, just go to his website www.pixelwit.com now and check out the rest of his blog for some all around top notch Flash learning and information.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Central PA Open Source Conference - Call for Participation

CPOSC, the Central PA Open Source Conference, is a one-day, multi-track, low-cost conference about all things open source: software, programming, operating systems, community and more. It will take place on Sunday, October 19th at the ITT Tech campus in Harrisburg, PA.
You can read more about the conference at http://cposc.org

CPOSC is looking for interesting speakers and talks. Instructions on how to submit abstracts can be found here:
http://www.cposc.org/speakers/call-for-participation

The submission deadline is July 11, 2008. Accepted speakers will be notified no later than July 25, 2008.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

New UG Benefit: - 36% off any Manning title!

CPAUG welcomes our latest "Friend of CPAUG" - Manning Publications Co. They are offering us a special User Group Program discount for 36% off any Manning title.

About Manning (from their website): We publish computer books for professionals--programmers, system administrators, designers, architects, managers and others.

Manning's focus is on computing titles at professional levels. We care about the quality of our books. We work with our authors to coax out of them the best writing they can produce. We consult with technical experts on book proposals and manuscripts, and we may use as many as two dozen reviewers in various stages of preparing a manuscript. The abilities of each author are nurtured to encourage him or her to write a first-rate book.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Looking for a good AIR book?

Many technologies promise to put features of desktop applications on the Web; Adobe AIR, instead, brings the flexibility, convenience, and ease of Web development to the desktop. The AIR is a cross-platform runtime environment that allows Web developers to use their existing skills to start building applications for the desktop.

Adobe AIR in Action introduces AIR to developers familiar with Flash and Flex, showing them how to build solid AIR-driven desktop applications. Using examples, the expert authors walk web developers through the new topics they will need to develop AIR applications for the desktop.

Readers will learn the essential features of the AIR API with examples and code samples that they can use to get up and running in AIR quickly. The book shows how to create and customize native windows, as well as how to read and write files and folders on the local file system.

With Adobe AIR in Action, you'll find:

* An easy-to-follow tutorial approach

* Coverage of desktop and hybrid desktop/web application styles

* Clear instructions for Flex and Flash developers

* Every chapter walks readers through several code examples

Adobe AIR in Action also shows you how to set up and connect to a local database, detect network connectivity and connect to Web services, bridge ActionScript and JavaScript, and deploy and update their applications. Each chapter walks the user through several code examples that address the basics of how to work with the new APIs.

Web developers who read this book will be able to take instant advantage of the increased resources available to desktop applications. Sometimes-connected, web-enabled applications are gaining in popularity, and web developers of all stripes will want to add these skills to their toolbox.

This book assumes basic familiarity with Flex or Flash and ActionScript.

WHAT'S INSIDE:

* Create and customize native windows

* Read from and write to the file system

* Connect to local databases

* Detect network connectivity

* Work with video and audio

* Bridge JavaScript and ActionScript

* Deploy and update applications

About the Authors

Joey Lott has deep professional experience using Adobe technologies like Flex, Flash, and ActionScript. Joey is the author (or co-author) of ActionScript Cookbook, Programming Flash Communication Server, and the Flash 8 Cookbook and several other related books. With coauthor Sam Ahn, he is a partner and founder of The Morphic Group.

Kathryn Rotondo is a software developer at Schematic. She received a graduate certificate in software engineering from the Harvard Extension School and a certificate in Flash from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Sam Ahn has architected and built RIAs over the past seven years for clients including Pfizer, Wyeth, MINIUSA, and Puma. Along with co-author Joey Lott, he is a partner and founder of The Morphic Group, an interactive development company focusing on Flash/Flex application development.

Ashley Atkins is a senior software developer at Six Red Marbles, and has over six years of experience developing in ActionScript. His range of work extends from creating simple educational interactions to architecting and developing applications in Flex and AIR.

Dauphin County’s COMMUNITY RECYCLING DAY

Date: Saturday, May 17, 2008
Time: 9:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M.

HACC Harrisburg Campus
Limited to Dauphin County PA residents only.

More information at:
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2008/
04/dauphin_county_recycling_day_m.html


Adobe Open Screen Project

There's been some exiting news from Adobe! Take a look at this great blog post about Open Screen Project from Craig.

More about the Open Screen Project at www.adobe.com/openscreenproject