Development Soup

Since it seems I get much traffic from the accordion navigation, I decided to come up with a new example updated for flex 3.0.

I left the flexlib out in this version, so the mxml should compile by itself. Also, to make this example even more dynamic, I use some php along with a flash variable to ready the url of the httpService at page load. This makes it possible to load different XML documents, and therefore create different navs based on…well whatever you want. For this example I use rand(1,2) to pick randomly between 2 different properties files.

Here is the example

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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<mx:Application xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml" xmlns="*"
layout="vertical" viewSourceURL="srcview/index.html" backgroundColor="#ffffff"
creationComplete="init();">
<mx:Script>
<![CDATA[
 
import mx.collections.ArrayCollection;
import mx.utils.ArrayUtil;
import mx.rpc.events.ResultEvent;
//[Bindable]
//public var navData:ArrayCollection;
 
[Bindable]public var str:String;
 
[Bindable] public var httpServiceURL:String;
[Bindable] public var appHeight:Number;
[Bindable] public var appWidth:Number;
 
[Bindable]public var xmlData:Object = new Object();
[Bindable]public var headingData:Object = new Object();
[Bindable]public var linkData:Object = new Object();
 
private function init():void{
httpServiceURL=Application.application.parameters.httpServiceURL;
appHeight=Application.application.parameters.appHeight
appWidth=Application.application.parameters.appHeight
srv.send();
}
 
private function getHeadings(evt:ResultEvent):void{
xmlData = evt.result;
headingData = xmlData.a_nav;
}
 
private function getLinkObject(a:Number):Object{
linkData = headingData.heading[a];
return linkData;
}
 
]]>
</mx:Script>
 
<mx:Style>
Application {
backgroundGradientColors: #FFFFFF, #FFFFFF;
backgroundGradientAlphas: 1, 1;
vertical-align: top;
horizontal-align: center;
padding-top: 0px;
padding-left: 5px;
padding-right: 0px;
}
 
Accordion {
textRollOverColor: #FFFFFF;
textSelectedColor: #FFFFFF;
color: #FFFFFF;
headerHeight: 35;
vertical-gap: 5;
background-alpha:0;
open-duration:500;
border-style:none;
 
}
 
.gradientHeaderSquare {
font-family: Verdana;
borderColors: #AAB1CD, #AAB1CD;
overBorderColors: #FFFFFF, #FFFFFF;
selectedBorderColors: #FFFFFF, #FFFFFF;
borderThickness: 2;
color: #FFFFFF;
borderAlpha: 1;
fillColors: #7f8182, #7f8182;
fillAlphas: 1, 1;
fillColorRatios: 0, 255;
overFillColors: #FFFFFF, #FFFFFF;
overFillAlphas: 1, 1;
overFillColorRatios: 0, 169;
selectedFillColors:#000000, #000000;
selectedFillAlphas: 1,1;
fontSize: 13;
padding-left: 10px;
padding-top: 0px;
}
 
.gradientHeaderRound {
cornerRadius: 20;
font-family: Verdana;
borderColors: #AAB1CD, #AAB1CD;
overBorderColors: #FFFFFF, #FFFFFF;
selectedBorderColors: #FFFFFF, #FFFFFF;
borderThickness: 2;
color: #FFFFFF;
borderAlpha: 1;
fillColors: #7f8182, #7f8182;
fillAlphas: 1, 1;
fillColorRatios: 0, 255;
overFillColors: #FFFFFF, #FFFFFF;
overFillAlphas: 1, 1;
overFillColorRatios: 0, 169;
selectedFillColors:#000000, #000000;
selectedFillAlphas: 1,1;
fontSize: 13;
padding-left: 10px;
padding-top: 0px;
}
 
LinkButton {
fontSize: 10px;
rollOverColor: #fafafa;
selectionColor: #fafafa;
color: #0B357F;
textRollOverColor: #25bbfc;
textSelectedColor: #0B357F;
padding-left: 15px;
padding-top: 5px;
}
 
.headerBox {
font-weight: bold;
color: #FFFFFF;
}
 
</mx:Style>
 
<mx:HTTPService id="srv" url="{httpServiceURL}" resultFormat="object" result="getHeadings(event);"/>
 
<mx:Accordion id="accordion" width="{appHeight}" height="{appWidth}" headerStyleName="gradientHeaderRound">
 
<mx:Repeater id="rep" dataProvider="{headingData.heading}">
<mx:VBox label="{rep.currentItem.title}" styleName="headerBox" backgroundColor="#fafafa" width="{rep.currentItem.width}" height="{rep.currentItem.height}">
<mx:Repeater id="rep2" dataProvider="{getLinkObject(rep.currentIndex).link}">
<mx:LinkButton buttonDown="navigateToURL(new URLRequest(event.currentTarget.getRepeaterItem()), '_top')" label="{rep2.currentItem.linkname}" />
</mx:Repeater
</mx:VBox>
 
</mx:Repeater>
 
</mx:Accordion>
 
 
</mx:Application>

as you can see for this example I have decided to use Object instead of ArrayCollection. I just found it easier to get the data than using e4x.

Download the complete example to see how the index file that embeds this swf generates the service that will be used to create the navigation.

Here is the result

Here is the full source

Updated: 6-12-08 : I had a needless function that was causing a bug. Works as it should now

One very key feature of the new cforms II wordpress plugin (8.4.2) is its expanded use of custom variables for its form fields. I have found that it is rather easy to add more variables to be used. Simply add them to lib_aux.php in the cforms II directory. Using register-plus, it is possible to save even more information about the user by adding more fields upon registration as a new user. This information is stored in the usermeta table. Using standard Wordpress variables, making the extra information captured with register-plus available to cforms II as custom variables is a snap!

if ( $wp_db_version >= 3440 ) //&& function_exists( ‘wp_get_current_user’ )
$CurrUser = wp_get_current_user();
$CurrUserId = $CurrUser->ID;
$CurrUserMeta = get_userdata($CurrUserId);

$m = str_replace( ‘{Form Name}’, get_option(’cforms’.$no.’_fname’), $m );
$m = str_replace( ‘{Page}’, $page, $m );
$m = str_replace( ‘{Date}’, $date, $m );
$m = str_replace( ‘{Author}’, $find->display_name, $m );
$m = str_replace( ‘{Time}’, $time, $m );
$m = str_replace( ‘{IP}’, cf_getip(), $m );
$m = str_replace( ‘{BLOGNAME}’, get_option(’blogname’), $m );

$m = str_replace( ‘{CurUserID}’, $CurrUser->ID, $m );
$m = str_replace( ‘{CurUserName}’, $CurrUser->display_name, $m );
$m = str_replace( ‘{CurUserEmail}’,$CurrUser->user_email, $m );

//Some more custom variable for use in the form
$m = str_replace( ‘{CurUserFirstName}’, $CurrUserMeta->first_name, $m );
$m = str_replace( ‘{CurUserLastName}’, $CurrUserMeta->last_name, $m );
$m = str_replace( ‘{CurUserDepartment}’,$CurrUserMeta->department, $m );

For the second night in a row I have been waiting on hold with yahoo customer support for over an hour. Although the “musak” version of “While You See a Chance” by Steve Winwood is rather uplifting, I would prefer to have my problem addressed.

I did finally get someone on the phone (1hr 12min wait) only to be placed on hold once more after explaining the issue I decided to send a bitchy email instead of waiting another millennium. Here is what I wrote, more to come…

First of all let me say that yahoo provides possibly the worst customer support I have ever experienced.
I have been unable to properly map subdomains, and have been unable to get any help, even after waiting on hold for longer than one hour.
The problem is a create a subdomain with your little wizard, and it does not map to the URL (Yes I have waited 24 hours)
If there is an actual person reading this email, by the time you read this I will have likely already switched to goDaddy or similar hosting services.
PS. this message is being posted to my blog.

Was the part about goDaddy too mean? That is pretty low I know. I just want them to hurt as much as it hurts me to listen to Kenny G for an hour after a full day of work and a night class.

Recently I was given an invite to join google grand central which is a free answering service provided by the almighty indexers of all that is important, google.com. My first impression of Grand Central was pure awe. I was given a free number which could serve essentially as a main line for all the phone numbers by which I can be reached. Grand Central has a nifty web interface which allows you to check who has called, route certain calls to specific numbers and take messages. I do think the service is rather neat, but on second glance, I wonder if it serves any real purpose. After two weeks of using the service I have not checked in to play with it again. What I really wonder is who would I actually give this number to? Is there anyone I would like to go through yet another degree of separation before being able to reach me? In the end, If I was important enough to need something like Grand Central, I would be important enough to have a receptionist.

I would love to hear about anyone else’s impression of Google Grand Central