Flex 4: Developing Rich Client Applications

Cost:

$895.00 (Online Class - Lodestone Live)
$1,095.00 (Lodestone Training Center)

Time: 10 AM - 4:30 PM EST
Length: 3 day class
Type: Instructor-led

Course Description:

This three day class covers the foundation concepts of Flex 4. You will learn how to properly set up your Flex framework applications in Flash Builder and get a better understanding of application states in Flex 4.

Learning Objectives:

This is a three day, hands-on introduction to developing Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) for the Adobe Flash Platform using the Adobe Flex 4 framework. Emphasized topics include:

• Custom components and layout control
• Handling and extending events
• Validating and formatting data
• Navigation, animation, and visual state control
• Text and style control
• Spark component skinning

Target Audience:

Developers and Designers wishing to build Rich Internet Applications (RIA's) in Flex and need to establish foundation knowledge in Flex 4. No prior programming experience is needed for this course, but it is recommended that you have a general understanding of XML and object oriented programming.

Course Outline:

Unit 1: Introducing Adobe Flex 4

• Introducing the Adobe Flash Platform
• Introducing the technologies
• Building Flex applications
• Experiencing web and desktop applications
• Learning more about Flex
• Understanding Flex development technologies
• Understanding the Flex framework, SDK and tool
• Understanding Adobe Flash Builder 4
• Understanding Flex application deployment
• Exploring the Flash Builder interface
• Grouping projects with workspaces
• Understanding the workbench
• Understanding editors
• Understanding views
• Understanding perspectives
• Adding and configuring components in Design mode
• Creating a Flex project
• Using the New Flex Project wizard

Unit 2: Understanding Flex 4 Fundamentals

• Understanding Adobe Flex namespaces
• Understanding how namespaces translate into Flex libraries
• Understanding Flex components
• Assigning component properties
• Laying out and styling with Flash Builder
• Setting component properties
• Setting styles using a CSS style sheet
• Compiling and running an application
• Compiling the application
• Running the application
• Creating custom components
• Controlling component layout in containers
• Defining and using a custom component
• Introducing skinning
• Defining a skin class
• Applying a skin class
• Accessing and using structured data within a custom component
• Declaring non-visual objects in MXML
• Defining inline event handlers
• Generating event handler functions
• Introducing data binding
• Implementing data binding
• Declaring and using bindable properties
• Passing data to an embedded control through a custom component property
• Updating visual controls using dynamic data
• Capturing the current item in a list control
• Using data binding to dynamically update visual controls

Unit 3: Introducing Object Oriented Programming

• Introducing OOP terminology
• Understanding classes
• Understanding MXML classes
• Exploring the Flex framework classes
• Creating class instances
• Extending the Flex framework classes
• Creating a class property
• Creating the property
• Controlling access
• Creating and using a public property
• Writing a class definition in ActionScript
• Understanding the constructor
• Creating class properties
• Assigning property values through the constructor
• Making properties or classes bindable
• Creating instances of an ActionScript class
• Creating class methods

Unit 4: Understanding Components and Layouts

• Introducing visual components
• Introducing Spark vs MX components
• Understanding components
• Introducing Spark layout classes
• Defining the layout property
• Custom layout classes
• Introducing the Spark container classes
• Understanding how the containers work
• Understanding the Spark containers
• Reviewing the Application container
• Sample application layout
• Introducing the BorderContainer
• Using constraints to control component layout
• Understanding constraint-based layout basics
• Rules to control component layout
• Constraint-based vs. traditional container layout
• Visually assigning anchors
• Adding scrollbars to containers
• Implementing the Scroller class

Unit 5:Validating and Formatting Data

• Using the Form container
• Introducing the Form components
• Using formatters
• Validating form data
• Creating a Validator with MXML
• Creating a Validator with ActionScript
• Handling Required Values
• Triggering validation with events
• When validation fails
• Using the NumberValidator Class
• Triggering validation with ActionScript
• Suppressing automatic validation
• Using the validate() method
• Triggering multiple validators

Unit 6:Controlling Navigation

• Understanding MX navigator containers
• Controlling container display
• Introducing the MX navigator containers
• Using the ViewStack container
• Displaying and resizing the ViewStack child containers
• Deferring instantiation of ViewStack child containers
• Using a Spark container inside MX navigator containers
• Creating custom navigation for the ViewStack container
• Using the TabNavigator container
• Using the Accordion container

Unit 7:Controlling Application State

• Understanding view states
• Introducing view states
• Creating view states in Design mode
• Creating view states with code
• Controlling view states
• Introducing the currentState

Unit 8:Animating Components and States

• Applying effects to components
• Creating composite effects
• Applying transitions to application state changes
• Creating transitions
• Adding and removing components during animations

Unit 9:Controlling Visual Display with Styling

• Creating global application styles
• Generating the styles using the Appearance view in Design mode
• Flash Builder automatically creates CSS file
• Global vs Application selector
• Defining styles and skins for components
• Introducing Advanced CSS selectors

Unit 10: Skinning Spark Components

• Introducing skinning
• Understanding Spark skins
• Setting styles inline in the MXML tags
• Introducing the skinnable Spark container classes
• Creating a skin for Spark components
• Incorporating visual elements drawn in other programs
• Introducing FXG
• Changing the default display of skin parts

Unit 11: Implementing Advanced Skinning Techniques

• Implementing different visual states for a skin
• Accessing custom component properties from a skin
• Defining the custom property in the custom component
• Creating the skin and component contract
• Referencing the properties in the skin
• Adding scrollbars to skins
• Using the Scroller with nonskinnable containers
• Using the Scroller with skinnable containers

To Register:

Toll Free - 866.665.9441 or click on a date to register online.

9/27-9/29/2010
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST

Instructor:
Josh Cavalier

Lodestone Training Center:
Charlotte or Online

10/20-10/22/2010
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST

Instructor:
Josh Cavalier

Lodestone Training Center:
Charlotte or Online

11/1-11/3/2010
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST

Instructor:
Josh Cavalier

Lodestone Training Center:
New York or Online

12/13-12/15/2010
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST

Instructor:
Josh Cavalier

Lodestone Training Center:
Charlotte or Online

Please note, assigned instructor may change. Lodestone confirms instructor schedules two weeks prior to class date.

*Classes are online via Lodestone Live and at a Lodestone training center.
The only time that a class will cancel is either if there is a power failure or other major disruption in service.