Saleh Blog

I highly recommend computer geeks and new developers to watch this.

Today I recieved a newsletter from Erain announcing their new program Harmony which should be available on market this summer. Harmony transforms SWF files into XAML-markup which is used in Microsoft WPF and in the new up coming SilverLight.

I decided to go back to Final Fantasy XI Online after quitting the game for 6 month. I miss the game and I feel very happy that I’m going to play it again. I know I am very busy with my college and other important things I’m doing, but I’m only going to play it on my free time.

I start playing FFXI after the US release of the game on PC at the end of 2003. That was the year when I was senior on high school, and I still wonder how on earth I got good grades while playing this game everyday. Its an online game or to be more precise its a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game [MMORPG]. I stop playing FFXI at the end of 2006 and I’m going to start playing it today. Here are some pictures which are 2 years old and my name on the game is Squalleye:

I failed to capture this monster

I’m wearing black armor behinde those kids

Its me

Fighting a monster with others 20 players for an armor

We call this monster a God, he drop a good armor after beating it

A Summon fight

Me and my friend

Fighting a tough montster with my group

That’s my house on the game

I was surfering the web as normally I do, checking updates on technology and computer related news and blogs and I come across a title “Microsoft to battle Adobe Flash with ‘Silverlight’” .. and I was like ‘what the heck!’. I went to google and searched for Silverlight to gain some informations about it.

It seems that Microsoft is now going for Rich Internet Application and compete with Adobe Flash. That’s a big step for microsoft towards the greed of controling the computer world which is natural since its a corporation and wants more money. I think that’s what will make Adobe and Microsoft compete on developing better Flash and better Silverlight application.

won before
 use Tel:
 easy

I have written this article before like 4 years ago in arabic and I won 2nd place on a compitition of best articles on the forum of http://www.ce4arab.com . the article was about making a phone call using flash on your pocket pc.

The idea was simple, you can make a phone call through internet explorer using Tel: NUMBER. For example, you want to call 33344422, simply you type on the internet explorer of your pocket pc “Tel: 33344422” and it will make the call. Well, I don’t know the command which will hang up the phone, but you can just press cancel when you placing a call. Anyone good enough in ActionScript will be able to do that without any trouble.

 To implement that on flash, first you have to make 10 buttons for number. Each time you click a button you add that number as a string to your variable, lets call that variable callNumber. For example when you click button five you add the character value 5 to your variable callNumber.

on (release) {
   _root.callNumber = callNumber + “5”;
}

You do that to all the number buttons. However, be sure to deal with the variable as string not as number which will do addition operation. We cannot use callNumber without defining the variable “callNumber”, we want to make it a timeline variable. To make it a timeline variable, go to the current frame and declare a variable with type String:

var callNumber:String = “”;

We gave it the initial value empty.

On the call button you add the string “Tel: ” and callNumber to your getURL command. Therefore, the call button actionscript will be as the following:

on (release)
{
   getURL(“Tel: ” + callNumber);
{

Simple isn’t it? I guess it is, or atleast so far.
We can add a digital LCD to the flash movie, so you can see what you are dialing like real pocket pc phone program. We add a dynamic text field to the stage and give it the var name “callNumber”. Its so simple and easy even for flash newbies.

The way to do it is simple and easy, but the idea that “Tel: number” on PPC internet explorer was unknown by most of you I’m guess. I can’t remember where I learned about the “Tel” command of the internet explorer.

SWX is a project developed by Aran Balkan one of the best flashers on the web. SWX concept is similiar to AMFPHP concept which is retriving data in real time by Remote Precedure Calling (RPC) to be able to make real time web application like AJAX but in flash. But the difference, in SWX you retrive information from an SWF file rather than PHP file, and the information retrived from the SWF is a variable and we deal with it as an Object Class (AS way of defining a movie clip). In flash you manipulate with the variable recieved to suite our implementation. Just imagine the coolnest of those idea and what you can do with flash!

Flash Magazine made a good review of the new Adobe Flash CS3. Take a look at it and feeeel it!

I am really impressed with the way Adobe made its new package of programs integerates together easily and more flixeble. Now I can open PDF files by using import in Flash CS3 and flash automatically distinguish between layers and images on the photoshop document. With the many new feature coming to Flash CS3 and Photoshop CS3, the possiblity to make richer and more accurate web interface experience.

Here is a quick example: Using photoshop quick selection tool to select the right part of image to work with, use Auto-align to get a better picture, use smart filter ordering to get the required experience, then use vanishing point to make the image more 3d and more realistic with the support of 3d measuring tools. Import it to flash as PDF to have a great and top quality magnificine image to work with and apply actionscripted animation with actionscript 3, modify it to fit the predefined mobile device content, do some drawing with the new rich drawing tools, apply filters and components, then export it to work on PC or mobile devices. Not to mention all other design and development programs coming with the CS3 package. All these flixebility makes Adobe CS3 one of the best developing and designing enviroment for everyone’s need.