Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 for Server Geeks

This book delivers exactly what the title implies: it teaches developers the 4 different ways in which they can tie a flash application with external data. The information found in this book is definitely not found in any generic Flash or Macromedia Studio MX book. After reading the book I never regretted buying it and I keep it for reference. If you do not think that Macromedia's "Rich Internet Applications" are any different than regular web applications, this book might change your mind.

As the book stated, this is a book for application developers (e.g. people that write web applications using Java, C#, ColdFusion). If you are one of those people, and like me, need to learn how to use Flash as a rich client front-end and retrieves data from a server, this is hands-down the best book!! I have never used Flash in my life and this is the first book I went through. After going through it, I was able to use Flash adequately and have a VERY GOOD understanding how to bring data back from the server. The author explains everything from the point of a developer (not a designer) and this helps tremendously. Note that this book is narrowly focused, but gets the job done very well!! After you read this book, you will probably want to learn more about ActionScript 2.0, you should then move on to Essential ActionScript 2.0 by Colin Moock.

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!

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.