Asger Laursen

What happend - the motivation
As you might now Flex Builder just got a renaming to the much more coherent Flash Builder.
On of the arguments in favor of the renaming is of cause to lower the misunderstandings between what is Flash, what is Flex, and what is Flex builder.

The Problem
New people in the Flash Platform world is often confused about what is what, when talking about Flex and the Builder tool. This renaming will of cause help solve this in the future. But what about the past? What about all these articles, pages, tutorials etc online which still interchangeably uses Flex and Flex Builder without making a differ?

The Solution
Enter Flash Builder Browser. - your way to see the future, while reading yesterdays news!
Flash Builder Browser is an easy to use browser which alters the content you read, so you wont get confused!
Start getting into the Flash Platform loop with the Flash Builder Browser!

Examples and code
Her is how the world looked yesterday:

And here is how the world looks trough Flash Builder Browser:

Get your own copy of Flash Builder Browser and start seeing the world as it is!
Download AIR application here

Get Involved
Here is the source code, giving you the option to start creating, modifying and improving the Flash Builder Browser.

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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<s:WindowedApplication width="900" height="900" xmlns:fx="http://ns.adobe.com/mxml/2009" xmlns:s="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/spark" xmlns:mx="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/halo">
	<s:creationComplete>
		address.text = "http://www.adobe.com/products/flex/"
		browser.location = address.text;
	</s:creationComplete>
	<s:VGroup verticalCenter="0" horizontalCenter="0" height="90%" width="90%">
 
	<s:HGroup width="100%" height="30">
		<s:TextInput width="100%" id="address" />
		<s:Button label="Go" id="goBtn">
			<s:click>
			browser.location = address.text;
			</s:click>
		</s:Button>
	</s:HGroup>
	<mx:HTML width="100%" height="100%" id="browser">
		<mx:htmlRender>
				var flashBuilderPattern:RegExp = /(flex)(®)? +(builder|plugin|plug in)/ig
				if(browser.htmlLoader.window.document.body)
					browser.htmlLoader.window.document.body.innerHTML = String(browser.htmlLoader.window.document.body.innerHTML).replace(flashBuilderPattern,"Flash$2  $3");
		</mx:htmlRender>
	</mx:HTML>
	</s:VGroup>
</s:WindowedApplication>

Happy Coding

UPDATE:
Actually realized that I’d put the regexp code in the htmlRender event, which is not the best place, as it gets called over and over, and could make the browser malfunctioning.
So, even though this post is nothing more than a practical joke, I updated the source, and added some extra things to the usability! (note to self; find a hobby).

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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<s:WindowedApplication width="900" height="900" xmlns:fx="http://ns.adobe.com/mxml/2009" xmlns:s="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/spark" xmlns:mx="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/halo">
 
	<fx:Script>
		<![CDATA[
			import mx.managers.CursorManager;
 
			private function goToUrl():void
			{
				browser.location = "http://"+address.text;
			}
		]]>
	</fx:Script>
 
	<s:states>
		<mx:State name="idle" />
		<mx:State name="loading" />
	</s:states>
 
	<s:creationComplete>
		address.text = "www.adobe.com/products/flex/"
		goToUrl();
	</s:creationComplete>
 
	<s:VGroup verticalCenter="0" horizontalCenter="0" height="90%" width="90%">
		<s:SimpleText text="Page Loaded">
			<s:text.loading>Loading page...</s:text.loading>
		</s:SimpleText>
 
	<s:HGroup width="100%" height="30">
		<s:SimpleText text="http://" fontSize="16" fontWeight="bold" />
		<s:TextInput width="100%" id="address" text="{browser.location.replace('http://','')}" enter="goToUrl()" />
		<s:Button label="Go" id="goBtn">
			<s:click>
				goToUrl();
			</s:click>
		</s:Button>
	</s:HGroup>
 
	<mx:HTML width="100%" height="100%" id="browser">
		<mx:complete>
				if(browser.htmlLoader.window.document.body)
				{
					var flashBuilderPattern:RegExp = /(flex)(®)? +(builder|plugin|plug in)/ig
					trace("laver vi søgning???");
					browser.htmlLoader.window.document.body.innerHTML = String(browser.htmlLoader.window.document.body.innerHTML).replace(flashBuilderPattern,"Flash$2  $3");
				}
				currentState = "idle";
		</mx:complete>
 
		<mx:locationChange>
			currentState = "loading";
		</mx:locationChange>
 
	</mx:HTML>
	</s:VGroup>
</s:WindowedApplication>

And of cause the AIR application has been updated as well.

And this I hope is the end of this post *ever*

Download AIR application here

Uncategorized Flash Builder, Funny, Joke, Renaming

I guess the title is very much how I hope this blog will turn out. For some time now (years actually) I have wanted to get my personal blog going. Even though I have tried setting up wordpress or other blog-featuring CMS’, I have never managed to get passed that initial “Hello World” post. - so here goes.

Getting past that “hello world” post
I guess that my lack of bloggin is due to a great involvement in the Danish online RIA community FlashForum which I am co-managing. Besides taking a lot of my time, writing tutorials, articles and helping people out at the forum onthe community site satisfy my urge to write. But still I have decided to give the personal blog a tryout.

Why go for more?
In the year passed, the need for a textual sanctuary has emerged; a place for me to geek out, and let the mouth speak what fills the heart, has been needed. So I hope this blog will give me the “lungs of the city” that I have longed for.

I’m looking forward to an exciting time here, on my own playground

Uncategorized