the interface is your friend

picnik has the friendliest registration process i have ever experienced with immediate, intuitive, consistent feedback.

moxie & me

“moxie & me,” it sounds like a chick flick. Hell, with the amount of time i spend with Moxie…

Flex Builder 3 (aka “Moxie”) Beta 2 is engaged in a user-friendly direction. Unlike my relationships. Adobe is all over their bug database. Moxie’s current character flaws are worth noting:

• Pre-Moxie workspaces will act irreverant. Import all old projects into a fresh workspace.
• When your project clearly isn’t building, turn off “Project/Properties/Flex Compiler/Generate HTML wrapper file.” Then click “Apply” and turn it on again. Sometimes it works. Other times you need to make a new Project.

Not bugs but some tips to save you time:

• When drawing shapes programmatically: create a UIComponent rather than a Shape, Sprite, or something else that you’d think would work.
• this
  1. var loader:Loader = new Loader();
var url:URLRequest = new URLRequest("http://www.helpexamples.com/flash/images/image1.jpg");
loader.load(url);
this.rawChildren.addChild(loader);

  is not as correct as this

  1. var loader:Image = new Image();
loader.load("http://www.helpexamples.com/flash/images/image1.jpg");
this.addChild(loader);
• Skinning the MenuBar points:
  1. You can apply styles for the submenu to Menu, including borderSkin, fontSize, paddingLeft, and now in build 187191 if openDuration=0, you can skin showEffect.
  2. The submenu doesn’t exist until activated from the MenuBar. myMenuBar.addEventListener(MenuEvent.MENU_SHOW, setSubMenuProperties); You can then alter additional properties and add filters, masks, …
  3. If your user group is expecting MenuBar RollOver to show the menu, you must play Houdini. Listen to anyone having a MOUSE_OVER:
     1. menubar.getChildAt(j).addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OVER, menuItemRollover);

     Redirect the event:

     1. e.target.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN));