rabbitpot

Silence …

rabbitpot — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:28:24 +0000

Although there are quite some discussions on the term “very busy”, this is what I am at the moment: very busy.

I took on a new job as junior developer at Axis FM, the best company in the world of course ; ) and I am learning heaps every day.
It’s great, but also requires my full attention, even after work hours.

So for now this blog will be quiet, and the plan is to relaunch when time allows it again.

So long …

Interview with AIR product manager …

rabbitpot — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:12:57 +0000

… Rob Christensen.
Go check it out at Artima Developer.

Enjoy!

Getting started with Subversion (SVN) in Flex

rabbitpot — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:06:18 +0000

Two articles to get you started on Subversion in Flex, why and how, both from “flashmagazine”:

- Why use a versioning system?
- Setting up Subversion with Adobe Flex 3

Even when you’re coding home alone, a version control has many benefits!
Check it out if you want to work on a more professional level after a while …

LangRef offline? Get FLUID!

rabbitpot — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:47:00 +0000

There was an AIR application for the AS3 langref by BigSpaceship, but I thought it was a bit clunky.

Then I discovered Fluid!

You want fast and offline access to the language reference (for example)?
Then follow this steps:

1. Download Fluid
2. Download the AS3 offline LR and unpack it
4. Start Fluid, and type in the adress of the index.html of the local langref opened in your browser
5. Et voila – a fast offline app, with a perfect search function (not that crappy results you get on the online version)

This works for all kinds of webapps/references btw, I love it!

Error Handling in ActionScript 3: Don’t Make Grenades (or how to not crash Safari)

rabbitpot — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:05:53 +0000

Jesse Warden wrote this excellent article on Error handling in AS3, specifically the increasing issue in Safari Browers, so make sure you check it out.

Solution #6: Error creating AIR file:303

rabbitpot — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:01:35 +0000

Exported my first little AIR test-app, and on exporting the release build Flex threw that error at me.

The solution is simple:
In the application descriptor file in the icon section remove all icon-resolutions that don’t refer to a file, so are not used.

Best Code Editor Font

rabbitpot — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:37:55 +0000

I crucified myself for a long time writing code in FB3 in the standard font Monaco, simply because I couldn’t find anything better.
After some research I found the best font (so far) to code:
Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.
You can download it under the GNU license here.

Proud …

rabbitpot — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:28:38 +0000

… to announce that I am now an Adobe Certified Expert in Flash CS3!

Solution #4: ItemRenderer (property) path in Flex 3

rabbitpot — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:49:45 +0000

In my latest mini project I created a Tilelist, which gets fed by images loaded via xml. Using MXML, an Item Renderer is required.
I got so used to the easiness of targeting image sources via a “normal” path ( … examplefolder/exampleimagefolder/myimage … ), that I did the same with the path to my custom component (componentsfolder/myCustomComponent) using the ItemRenderer property of my TileList.

All I got two days in a row was a freakin’ type error.

Solution: it’s a package path folks, couldn’t be easier I know, but in the storm of work, this island can be overseen …
So, “myComponentsFolder.myCustomComponent” fixed it all – dot vs slash!

Just do it

rabbitpot — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:28:03 +0000

One thing I learned in the process of designing websites is, you have to actually make things before you can judge them.
This is not a new fact at all, but I really want to emphasize on this.

It is important to make wireframes with pen and paper, but then – just do it!
Flash is perfect for spiking (both, functionality and design), and you have to take advantage of this.
Mockups are created fast and effective, without having to add the full structure behind the scenes, and this is an awesome feature.
Scribble something on paper and translate it into code asap.
The work you put into that stands in no relation to being dissapointed by getting nowhere when you just design in your head.
It just helps to get a good impression of how things actually look like in the browser, where you will eventually present your work.
Only then you can make a final judgment on which route to go.