I’m writing this blog post to clear up any confusion I may have given the community over my last blog post “Flex’s future :: A component developers take“.

It seems that some may judge a book by it’s cover and I never really liked that space in life. So here is the content of the book whose cover was read in that post.

I have worked with the Flash Platform in many incarnations. I have seen the Flex SDK from the beginning when it was the Flash component framework around Flash 6, to the AS2 version of the V2 component framework Macromedia released as an update to an otherwise sloppy AS1 prototyped component framework. The next evolution came with Flex. Flex used the component framework existing in Flash and built upon it, I saw that transition as well.

The moral of this story is there are many chapters to my book and the Flash Platform. My post came from a deep emotional issue of how Adobe so thoughtfully announced the reconfiguration of their company leaving developers like myself hanging from their bootstrap.

I have been told that the Flex SDK does have the “crap” I was talking about due to the conversion from AS2 and AS3, thus the UIComponent’s monolithic size. Plainly put, object creation was expensive in AS2, not so in AS3 but Adobe could not just switch everything to composition in a heart beat. I think any competent developer knows that even a refactoring might not take care of the bloat-design that is existent in the UIComponent.

So what to do?

Flex now called Apache Flex is being open-sourced and the community can change the direction of what it actually is, what it can be and how it can get there.

I’m honored to be selected as an initial commiter to the Flex SDK and will try hard to reinvent Flex in the language a lot of us hold dear to are heart, ActionScript.

My blog post did not at all mean I am throwing mud at Adobe or the Flex SDK, if you read my post again, I said these problems were there all along and nothing was done about them. This problem lead to the SDK not reaching it’s full agile potential in my opinion.

In closing

I love ActionScript and I love flex, when you commit a percentage of your life to something, you have a right to talk about, rant about it and laugh about it. To all those that read this, AIR is not dead on mobile and the Flex SDK can become an accessible cross platform development alternative.

For Flex-ActionScript, HTML5 and JavaScript, who knows what the innovative community can dream up, we will just have to wait and see.

Mike

After months of development and research, Teoti Graphix, LLC has released the MobileUI Toolkit 1. Our first toolkit in a series of time saving AIR mobile Flex component toolkits.

The MobileUI Toolkit 1 focuses on;

• A PopUp that is an inversion of control type manager decorating SkinnablePopUpCtontainer subclasses such as the Dialog and TextDialog.
• An Alert API that uses static methods but is not at all tied to static methods for open and close, the PopUp class can even be extended.
• An enhanced MobileButton that adds a longClick event and longClickDelay style.
• A vertical and horizontal Picker component that is not based off of the List. This is important for memory and performance needs.
• A simple ProgressBar component that allows for primary, secondary and indeterminate progress levels plus left and right layout directions.
• A very powerful and skinnable/styleable RatingBar component that subclasses the ProgressBar.
• A WebView component that wraps the StageWebView and adds UIComponent layout logic.
• A SkinnableStageWebview that can be used to create composite WebView components with controls.
• A WebViewBrowser that has actually implemented the SkinnableStageWebview with skinparts to make a simple OS browser.

This is a very highlevel description of what this toolkit offers. Teoti Graphix, LLC has been creating Flex components for a while now and knows how to create extensible component frameworks. You not only receive these finished polished components but have a place to jump off and create even more complicated components based off of the core framework.

The toolkit was designed in a way to promote extension by abstracting core classes in the PopUp framework and other various classes into a common library project in our development. This means as new toolkits are released they all will include the core components. For more information on this you can check out the Reference Book on our site and see what is contained in the UICommon kit.

Images

I thought about posting them here, I had in a previous post but I’m sure if you are interested you can take a second and just check out the product page that has all this information condensed and outlined.

Product Page: Mobile UI Toolkit 1

Support

Our support is one on one answers and even helpful information. Just look at the wealth of information and dedication on this blog and you will get an idea of the commitment we put into our products. There is a technical forum that is available for all customer users.

Our reference book has a very good image and screenshot layout for fast and concise understanding.

• Reference Book

Documentation

Our documentation is second to none. A lot of the documentation and asdocs are written well before the actual component is finished. Good documentation is clear communication and shows the true intent of the component and it’s capabilities. We do not want to sell products to people that don’t need what the product offers. Instead of spending time and money on fancy advertising and flashy adds, we invest time where it counts, documentation, examples and asdoc code comments.

Our ASDoc documentation;

See – MobileUI Toolkit 1 ASDocs

The ASDoc documentation is created by our own hand written Java ActionScript Paser and Documentor JASDoc, using the one and only as3-commons-jasblocks framework! Yes that is right, that documentation in the above link is ALL created with our opensource as3-commons-jasblocks parsing framework with a custom Java application written for the documentor. Now here is a developer that really loves his ActionScript!

You may notice some interesting additions like implemented by, Host component links and more.

You will also notice that all the example packages that hold the product examples contain the source code and image! So you can quickly look at the image, scroll down to the source and see how it was implemented in MXML.

Conclusion

What you get by purchasing components by Teoti Graphix, LLC is supporting an experienced ActionScript Flex programmer and helping to push the community forward through this support. The components we offer are supported and feature requests are available, so when you purchase you have the option of asking for new things. The odds are, if your request is possible, it will probably get implemented, no red tape here.

Currently we are working with Android and have a proto application for viewing these components in an apk. If you are interested in this for viewing purposes please contact me (Contact Mike).

Also if there are a couple iOS users out there that like this component toolkit say with an iPad and iPhone, we are willing to give away a couple free licenses for testing the components in the iOS mobile devices. We mainly program Android and do not even have iOS developer licenses.

Thanks,

Mike

Well things in the last month have been pretty fun, from the depths of the abyss back to a release of the Flex SDK that Adobe wants you to believe in. Hello Flex SDK and Flash Builder 4.6.

I’m not going to go into my opinion of what has gone on with the Flash is Dead popcorn that has been floating around the internet because it really doesn’t matter to me. What do I mean; Well having been with the Flash Player since it’s itty bitty version 5 (2002), I can’t abandon ship yet. There are those that stay and can repair the damage done by the drunk captain (In this case Adobe).

I really don’t think AIR for mobile is going away in the near future and that is what I have put my time into. I’m no stranger to Java and Android, which I love. I have re-consolidated my eggs based on the damage done by Adobe but I am still here ready to help those that see the true power in AIR for mobile cross platform applications.

Teoti Graphix, LLC is here to offer a new mobile component toolkit. I’m ironing out the creases and finishing up the documentation but, next week I will release our first mobile toolkit MobileUIToolkit1.

The Components

• PopUp – A self contained class that acts much like Android’s Toast with duration layout placement and more.
• Dialog – The base for all dialogs used with the PopUp.
• AlertDialog – A modal or non modal dialog that uses events and implements a button provider for it’s control buttons.
• TextDialog – A dialog that uses a custom text content renderer (this is the default PopUp dialog).
• ProgressBar – A progress bar that implements primary, secondary and indeterminate values with optional direction switching. As well as many styles to adjust the look through CSS.
• MobileButton – A simple implementation of a spark Button that includes a longClick event and longClickDelay style.
• Picker – A simple increment – decrement picker with dataProvider and data cycling.
• RatingBar – The cliche mobile component that everybody needs. The component is based off of the ProgressBar which gives it even more power and usability. The RatingBar is touch-drag enabled.
• WebView – A simple UIComponent implementation of the StageWebView. Note this is an "extra" and may not work in some mobile application designs due to the native nature of the StageWebView.

The component kit offers time saving unit tested code with over 8 years of Flash Player component development. All of our components are tested and documented at the professional level a mobile application developer can feel confident in using.

Check out the documentation of the PopUp class;

PopUp class Reference

All of our component kits come with support response time within 24 hours excluding weekends and holidays. You can google our company and see we have been on the front lines helping the Flex/AIR community since Flex version 2.

All of our mobile component skins are optimized in ActionScript and some have secondary MXML skins for those that want them. Skins are also DPI aware and will adjust according to the Application’s DPI.

The above being said, I had the pleasure of participating in the 4.6 pre-release program and have put together a large Hello World style blog article series for all of the Flex 4.6 mobile components. Stay tuned, I will start posting these next week.

Why buy from Teoti Graphix, LLC: We have been doing this longer than anybody creating custom flash/flex components and we are not going anywhere, just look us up. Unit tests? Who needs them, you do and have the ability to purchase them as well with all the source code.

Again; If you want to see pretty images and professional documentation visit;

PopUp class Reference

Some images of our new toolkit; (Every component can be skinned and styled)

AlertDialog

Picker

Text PopUp

Icon Text PopUp

ProgressBar

ProgressBar

RatingBar

More to come;

Mike

In the last year I have gone through a lot of change, not to mention a house remodel hell. Why do I bring up a personal experience when I am usually writing code here or releasing 3d models? The answer is simple, when things around you get completely destroyed and you have to rebuild your life from ground zero, you get a completely new perspective on life as a whole (a bit of helplessness is present as well).

Projects

Last year I thought my programming/component Flash/Flex days were over. Well now that I have rebuilt my house and conversely my life again, I have come back to the major projects I was into with even more focus and determination. Mainly;

• Flex Components (Spark framework) – Commercial at accessible prices
  • Coming soon
• Flex Component OpenSource (Spark framework) – An abstraction of common components and interfaces, made especially for future use in sx-ui.
  • Button,
    ComponentBorder, DataControl, DockBar, StatusBar, TitleBar, TitleContainer, vertical and horizontal button bar layout.
  • GIT Repository – https://github.com/teotigraphix/spark-common
• ASBlocks – A parser framework for actionscript3/mxml source code (.as, .mxml and asdoc AST) and code generation framework. (Major paradigm shifter here, If you don’t believe me, go look at the code )
  thank you metaas for the inspiration.
  • Framework API; ASFactory.as, IASBlockVisitor.as, IASParser.as, IASProject.as, IASVisitor.as, IASWalker.as, IASWriter.as
  • Sample blocks API; IClassType.as, IArrayAccessExpression.as, IReturnStatement.as, IWhileStatement.as, IExpression.as, etc…
    • There are about 84 interfaces in the blocks API currently, major code creation functionality
• GIT Repository – https://github.com/teotigraphix/asblocks
• SX-Plugins – A SpringActionScript run-time plug-in extension framework implemented in the very decoupled SpringActionscript framework.
  • GIT Repository – https://github.com/teotigraphix/sx-plugins
• SX-UI – An extension of the sx-plugins that adds extension points for windows, dialogs, splash screens, menus, toolbars, statusbars and much more to come.
  • GIT Repository – https://github.com/teotigraphix/sx-ui
• SX-Plugins-Turnkey – An example application demonstrating sx-plugins and sx-ui.
  • GIT Repository – https://github.com/teotigraphix/sx-plugins-turnkey
• ASD – ActionScriptDocumentor – A Java documentor for as3/mxml.
  • down the road for release
• SpringNotes – A desktop sticky note application using the SpringActionscript framework, showcasing about every nook and crany of the framework and it’s extensions.
  • GIT Repository – https://github.com/teotigraphix/spring-notes
• SX-Notes – A port of the spring-notes application showing the implementation of sx-plugins and sx-ui using the SpringActionscript framework.
  • GIT Repository – https://github.com/teotigraphix/sx-notes

Note: sx stands for SpringExtension

The above are projects that already work and have been around for at least 2 years on my computer. Those projects are integral pieces of up and coming applications that will be used to build code creation/explorer tools in Adobe AIR. Unity3D is a main target of mine since it seems that the Molehill release of the Flash Player is positioning this awesome 3D IDE right on top of it.

The tools that will be built with the above frameworks will add new meaning to graphical manipulation of code. Imagine a drag and drop ASDoc editor for your source files. Imagine being able to create AS3 Unity3D components with a OS platform agnostic tooling environment. This is the direction Teoti Graphix, LLC is heading.

SpringActionscript

I have been in the Flash realm since 2003 and the one framework I have come to love and respect is the SpringActionscript meta framework. Out of all the frameworks that have come and gone on my computer, this framework impresses me the most. Implementation of this in your application can be simple and non intrusive. As we speak the team is abstracting most of the API into separate as3commons projects. What does this mean? Pick and choose your tools, minor dependencies between each.

In the world of Flash-Flex application frameworks, SpringActionscript leads the way in the initiative to let the developer choose their design patterns and while giving the power to do more with less. All the main tool applications we build will use parts of the this framework.

Unity3D

Unity3D is a very powerful and free IDE for developing infinite 3D applications and games. When the ability to compile your projects to SWF becomes reality in the Unity3D IDE, we should see a lot of merging of ActionScript and Unity3D strong points. Our company will have 3D models, Unity3D prefabs and Actionscript components to complement this merge. We will also have developed tools that make creation of these components and cross pollination easier.

Conclusion

Stayed tuned to our site and blog, this is just the beginning of something very exciting.

Mike

“A simple wooden fantasy medieval gallows pole with wood and rope materials.”

The Product Page with more images;

http://teotigraphix.com/3dmodels/fantasy/gallows1

Mike

“Four stone fantasy bridges with different size arcs and all utilize one material for great optimization in game engines like unity3d.”

The Product Page with more images;

http://teotigraphix.com/3dmodels/fantasy/stonebridgekit1

This model can be used with Unity 3D.

Mike

“A weathered stone cottage 3d model with detailed multi-pane windows, stone walkway, slate roofing, double chimney and rear wood shed.”

The Product Page with more images;

http://teotigraphix.com/3dmodels/fantasy/fantasycottage6

This model can be used with Unity 3D.

Mike

“The Fantasy Gate House 1 is a tudor – stucco gate house 3d model with interior passageway.”

The Product Page with more images;

http://teotigraphix.com/3dmodels/fantasy/fantasygatehouse1

This model can be used with Unity 3D.

Mike

“The Fantasy Farm 1 collection contains an aged fantasy tudor farm house, guest house, shed and hay barn.”

The Product Page with more images;

http://teotigraphix.com/3dmodels/fantasy/fantasyfarm1

This model can be used with Unity 3D.

Mike

“The FantasyCottage 2 is a brick and stone weathered medieval cottage with a slate roof.”

The Product Page with more images;

http://teotigraphix.com/3dmodels/fantasy/fantasycottage2

This model can be used with Unity 3D.

Mike