For years, Java has been used to develop Web applications that allow users to access server-side data through user interfaces presented in a Web browser. Generally, the user interfaces for these applications have been presented to the user as HTML by using technologies such as Java Server Pages (JSP) to insert server-side data into the user interface to create dynamic, data-driven applications.
Flex offers another possibility for Web application user interfaces — the highly visual, fluid, and rich experience provided by Adobe Flash Player and Flash movies. Flex puts the richness and power of Flash into the hands of application developers by providing a software development kit and user interface components that allow developers to create Flash applications by using familiar software development tools and methodologies.
When you integrate Java and Flex in a Web application, you get the best of both worlds. You get the power and stability that Java provides on the server side and the rich, dynamic user interfaces that Flex and Adobe Flash Player make possible. In this book, you learn to marry the two to create applications with the data your customers need and the visually compelling user experience they want.
There are many applications on the Web — some you probably use without even knowing it. When you want these online applications to offer a richer experience to the end user, you need to use the right tools.
Flex is one of these tools, but that only accounts for half the requirements. For an application to be truly useful, it needs a dynamic back end to process the user's information and add the overall usefulness for the end user.
Java can help you write the back end that provides data to your Flex applications and makes them more dynamic and useful. Java has a number of frameworks, development tools, and libraries that can make developing powerful, data-driven Web applications faster and less complicated than other platforms.
In this book, you learn how to connect Flex — by using the stand-alone IDE and Eclipse plug-in — to a Java back end. Once the basics of installing and configuring Java and Flex are completed, you learn how to build real-world applications, such as a chat client, a storefront, and a back-end administration tool for the same store.
This book is for beginning to advanced developers interested in developing rich Internet applications that go beyond the standard HTML-based development model. While this book assumes that you have at least some programming knowledge, previous experience with Java and Flex isn't assumed. The basic concepts of the Java and Flex languages are explained in detail in part one of the book, so those with programming experience should be able to come up to speed quickly.
This book includes several icons that should help you with your understanding of the topics:
Note
From time to time, you may find that you want to review some Java and Flex concepts explained in another chapter. These icons point you to that information.
Note
These icons note interesting tidbits. For example, a Note might alert you to upcoming releases of development tools that you need to be aware of.
Tip
These icons indicate a power-user secret that might help you develop successful projects, such as handy shortcuts to use within the development tools.
This book is divided into three parts. In the first part of the book, you learn to install and/or configure Java, Flex, and various development tools for each. You also learn some basic concepts involved in Java and Flex programming, including more about the syntax and constructs of each language. Once you've finished part one, you have the basic foundation you need to start diving into development.
The second part builds upon this foundation and introduces you to specific Java and Flex development topics. You learn how to work with relational databases, develop Java Web applications, and send data from a Flex application. You also learn about unit testing in both Java and Flex, allowing you to ensure that your code is functioning as you expect. After completing this part, you understand how to develop applications by using Java and Flex and then how to test those applications.
In the final part, you apply what you've learned in the first two parts to the development of specific, real-world applications. You develop a functioning chat application, a Web store, and a mashup application that uses data from multiple services on the Web and then combines that data in a new way. You end the book by learning about a number of other libraries available for both Java and Flex to aid in the development of reliable, scalable enterprise applications.
The book also includes an appendix that details the installation and configuration of the Flex Builder integrated development environment (IDE) and Flex software development kit (SDK). There's also a glossary that defines some terms related to Java and Flex development that you may not be familiar with.
Once you've finished reading this book, you should have the necessary knowledge to build your own rich Internet applications that users will find useful and that you'll enjoy developing.
So, what are you waiting for? Chapter 1 is only a few short pages away!