Postcards From My Life

Dear Reader,

I have posted several posts on this blog that all derived from a sample app that I wrote to generate QR Codes using the Google API. So far I’ve only give you the individual pieces, this post is about pulling them all together and creating the application.

I have been working on this particular application since February. (I used it to generate the QR Code I sent to the lovely and talented Kathy for Valentine’s Day. (Yeah, I’m that much of a geek) If you are a regular reader then you will recognize some of the code and concepts that we have discussed previously.

The MXML can be found below this post, and a link to the FXP can be found just above it. If you have Flash Builder 4, grab the FXP and you can import it and see all the code.
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Dear Reader,

I am putting the finishing touches on my reference application to demonstrate my wrapper for Google’s QR Code API. While doing so I decided to see what it would take to have the image pop up in a new window. Originally I had it displaying on the right side of the main window but aesthetically, that just didn’t do it for me.

“A journey of a thousand steps begins with a subclass…”

I created an ActionScript subclass of the spark Window class thinking that I would then subclass it as MXML and do the visual parts. This technique called “Code Behind” is considered a best practice when building Flex components. However, once I started working on it, I realized that I only needed 2 graphical elements. It just seemed easier to code it all in AS.
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Dear Reader,

Anyone that knows me knows that I love new toys. Sometimes it’s a new piece of hardware or a new game. Sometimes however, it is just a idea to play with. This post is all about an idea. I’ve been intrigued by QR Codes for a while. Actually, my love of bar codes goes way back to when I used to run computer systems at my parent’s company. Even back then I saw how they could change things. These days, Bar Codes are ubiquitous in retail but haven’t moved out of the business niche. QR Codes stands ready to change that. Given that most smart phones can translate them they make a great way to link the real world to the net.
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Dear Reader,

Recently I decided to consolidate all of the custom and reusable controls I had created in Flex into a single library. Even as good as Eclipse is at refactoring (one of the things it actually does well) it still wasn’t was clear cut of a procedure as I had hoped for.
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Dear Reader,

Having just completed an article on Callbacks in ActionScript and having previously written about custom events in ActionScript I thought I would take a few minutes and contemplate on the difference between the two and when I see each being useful. Bear in mind that I still have only a small amount of experience in Flex and ActionScript. This is more of a straw man post than a definitive guide and I welcome thoughtful criticisms and comments.

Both callbacks and events allow us to respond to events, the difference is how and to an extent, how complex. Custom events are a bit more complex to code and maybe that is why I see callbacks as more useful on a day to day basis.
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