The document discusses the relationship between Flex, Adobe AIR, and PHP for building rich internet applications (RIAs). It describes how Flex and AIR can be used to create applications with a PHP backend by calling PHP functions through AMF remoting. Examples are provided of communicating between Flex/AIR clients and PHP servers using REST services, web services, and remoting. Tools for developing Flex and PHP projects together in Eclipse are also discussed.

1. Flex, Adobe AIR,
and PHP:
the beginning of a
Replace with
beautiful friendship a graphic
White Master
5.5” Tall & 4.3” Wide
Mihai Corlan
Platform Evangelist, Adobe
PHP GeekMeet 2009, Cluj
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Copyright 2009 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. 1

2. About me
• Platform Evangelist, member of the Adobe’s European team
• Used to be a Flex Builder engineer (Java Desktop SWT, Eclipse
Platform)
• Used to be a web developer (PHP, ColdFusion, DHTML, JS, MySQL,
Sybase…)
• ~9 years experience with web related technologies
• I write articles, I do presentations, and I code
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3. Today’s Agenda
• What is RIA and why RIA is a good thing
• What is Flex
• What is Adobe AIR
• Why AIR applications?
• Flex/AIR and PHP
• Q&A
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4. What matters?
Experience Matters!
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5. What matters?
USER
Experience Matters!
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6. A shoe story…
More than 2.000 years experience in
producing shoes.
We can produce them really cheap.
20 Euro a pair, maybe?
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7. A shoe story…
More than 2.000 years experience in
producing shoes.
We can produce them really cheap.
20 Euro a pair, maybe?
Wrong! Because of better user experience,
people women are willing to pay 100+ euro!
Better design, limited edition = better user
experience = greater value
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8. What is RIA?
Global
2004
RICH INTERNET
WEB APPLICATIONS APPLICATIONS
REACH
1998
1992
Local
MAINFRAME CLIENT/SERVER
Text UI RICH Integrated media GUI
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9. Demos time!
Let’s see what it can be done with the Flash Platform!
Flash Player
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10. What is Flex?
 Flex is just another way to create a Flash application
Flash Player
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11. What is Flex?
Flex SDK  Flex SDK
MXML ActionScript
 2 languages
Flex Class Library
 MXML
Debuggers
 ActionScript 3
 Compilers
 Rich Component Library
 Debuggers
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12. What is Flex?
Flex SDK  Flex SDK
MXML ActionScript
 2 languages
Flex Class Library
 MXML
Debuggers
 ActionScript 3
Flex Builder IDE
 Compilers
 Rich Component Library
 Debuggers
 Flex Builder IDE
 Eclipse Plug-in or turn-key install
 Accelerates Design and
Development
 Design view and code view
Flash Player
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13. What is Flex?
Flex SDK  Flex SDK
MXML ActionScript
 2 languages
Flex Class Library
 MXML
Debuggers
 ActionScript 3
Flex Builder IDE
 Compilers
Compile  Rich Component Library
 Debuggers
 Flex Builder IDE
 Eclipse Plug-in or turn-key install
 Accelerates Design and
Browser Development
 Design view and code view
Flash Player
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14. What is AIR?
Adobe® AIR™ lets developers use their
existing web development skills in HTML,
AJAX, Flash and Flex to build and deploy rich
Internet applications to the desktop
on Windows, Mac or Linux.
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15. Adobe AIR Application Stack
HTML Flash
Cross-OS
HTML Flex Application
JavaScript Flash ActionScript HTML Integrated
XML XML Rendering
CSS Audio
Integrated DOMs
PDF Video PDF
& Scripting
File System Network Application Drag and Local
Access Detection
Notifications
Update Drop Database
... Adobe AIR APIs
Mac, Windows, Linux & Device OS
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16. RIAs can be limited by the browser
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17. #1 – No offline access
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18. #2 – Constrained within the browser chrome
Browser chrome &
application chrome
con ict
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19. #3 – Common desktop interactions not possible
Drag & drop
not possible
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20. #4 – Local system access limited
File interaction
restricted by browser
sandbox
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21. #5 – Updates only delivered when browser is open
Alerts only visible
when browser open
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22. Why RIAs on the desktop
Persistent connection Branded experiences
Desktop functionality Data access Efficient development
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23. AIR capabilities
• Native window types (normal, utility, lightweight)
• Support for multiple monitors
• Native Menu support (App, window, dock, system tray, context)
• Full access to the local le system (read/create/delete)
• Encrypted Local Storage
• Local SQLite databases, including encrypted
• Drag and Drop
• Clipboard (read/write)
• Network activity monitor
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24. Communication between Flex and PHP server
“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!”
Flex & AIR on the client, PHP on the server.
REST Services
Web browser
FLEX Apps
Web Services Server
PHP
Desktop
AIR Apps Remoting
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25. Are there any Flex/AIR apps with PHP out there?
AIR & Flex apps with PHP backend:
http://corlan.org/ exair-and-php-apps/
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26. What tools to use?
For Flex and PHP and Eclipse based solution:
• Flex Builder + PDT
• Flex Builder + Zend Studio
Advantages:
• You can create combined Flex and PHP or AIR and PHP projects
• That helps you with deploying, and debugging
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27. Debugging
Debugging Flex applications:
1. Use a log function on the server, and save the var_dump of the PHP
variables in a at le
2. Use Charles proxy sniffer, you can inspect the traffic between client
and server
3. Use Flex Builder and Zend Studio debuggers
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28. How does remoting work?
Flex/AIR Client AMF3 PHP Server
MyClass {
getData() { … }
saveData($myVO) {…}
}
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29. How does remoting work?
Flex/AIR Client AMF3 PHP Server
RemoteObject Client calls MyClass {
MyClass->getData()
getData(); getData() { … }
saveData(myVO); saveData($myVO) {…}
}
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30. How does remoting work?
Flex/AIR Client AMF3 PHP Server
RemoteObject Client calls MyClass {
MyClass->getData()
getData(); getData() { … }
saveData(myVO); saveData($myVO) {…}
}
MyVO { MyVO {
public var id:int; Automatic conversion public $id;
public var name:String; between PHP and public $name;
ActionScript class
} }
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31. How does remoting work?
Flex/AIR Client AMF3 PHP Server
RemoteObject Client calls MyClass {
MyClass->getData()
getData(); getData() { … }
saveData(myVO); Server sends an array saveData($myVO) {…}
of MyVO objects
Client calls }
RemoteObject.saveData(myVO)
MyClass->saveData($myVO)
MyVO { MyVO {
public var id:int; Automatic conversion public $id;
public var name:String; between PHP and public $name;
ActionScript class
} }
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32. REST vs. AMF?
http://www.jamesward.com/census/
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33. PHP and AMF
There are four libraries for doing remoting with PHP classes:
1. Zend AMF – part of the Zend Framework
2. AMFPHP
3. WebORB for PHP (remoting and data messaging – publisher/
subscriber)
4. SabreAMF
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34. Thank you!
Download Flex Builder: http://www.adobe.com/go/flex_trial
AIR: http://www.adobe.com/go/air
AIR Adobe Developer Center: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/
Download Tour de Flex: http://flex.org/tour
Learn Flex in one week: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flex/videotraining/
Mihai Corlan
Blog: http://corlan.org
E-mail: mihai.corlan@adobe.com
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