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Tutorials

Flex Flex Power Tools: Using Flex Builder and FDT in The Same Workflow
by: Joseph Balderson
Release Date: 07/02/2009
In my everyday programming as a Flex and Flash Platform developer, it's up to me to keep tabs on the best tools to enable me to do my work with the greatest ease and with the most efficiency. In other words, call it lazy or efficient, I just want to be able to code with the greatest of ease so I can focus more on building and less on typing.

In this tutorial, we're going to solve the challenging task of getting two of the most impressively featured Flex IDEs, Flex Builder and FDT, to work seamlessly in the same workflow, in the same eclipse installation, and even in the same project. The Flex coding workflow holy grail, one might say. So that when you're coding a Flex project, you have a choice of using the incredible code intelligence features of FDT, or the native features of Flex Builder, in the same project.

Note: this is an advanced tutorial, so you need to be familiar with using Eclipse-based tools.

FDT compilation with Design View

Look Ma, FDT compilation with Flex Builder design view!

SQL Quickshot: Enforcing Case Sensitivity in SQL Server
by: Ray West
Release Date: 07/01/2009
If you are paying attention to security in your online applications, then you are likely encouraging your users to select strong passwords that contain numbers, special characters and letters that are both upper and lower case. Without special attention to your database settings, however, SQL Server will treat upper and lower case characters as equivalent to one another, causing you to loose a significant part of the strength of your passwords.

In this article, we will show a quick and simple way to have SQL Server enforce case sensitivity.

Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book Excerpts - Part 2: Text and Image Optimization
by: Jim Babbage
Release Date: 06/23/2009
Adobe Fireworks CS4 has quite a few cool features, but if you're completely new to the program - or new to web design, you might be wondering where to start in Fireworks. In the Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book , my goal was to introduce the complete novice to Fireworks and by the end of the book, leave them with a wide range of skills and a solid grasp of what Fireworks could - and could not - do.

cover shot of Fireworks Classroom in a Book

In this four part series, you will find PDF excerpts from the book, complete with some of the working files to help you along.

This is the second installment and the series and covers the following topics:

Text Basics
Optimization and working with previews
Creating a simple rollover

Approximate download size: 6.5MB

Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book Excerpts Series
Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book Excerpts - Part 1: Bitmap and Vector Tools
Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book Excerpts - Part 2: Text and Image Optimization
Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book Excerpts - Part 3: Workflow
Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book Excerpts - Part 4: Advanced Prototyping Coming Soon

Fiery Photoshop Soap Bubble - Part 1
by: Scott Valentine
Release Date: 06/22/2009
I've seen fire, and I've seen rain... er... soap. But not at the same time. Until now! Break out those latent 3D skills and come with me as we bend Photoshop to our will and place a little lick of fire into a soap bubble! This tutorial is aimed at intermediate to advanced users, and goes really quick. But don't let that scare you - the steps are all there, and we have forums to help you with the details and concepts. Photoshop CS4 Extended has brought 3D well into the realm of every user. So let's go burn some soap!

Extending Dreamweaver CS4 - Part 1: The TNC Lightbox
by: Adrian Senior
Release Date: 06/18/2009
Dreamweaver has a little gateway hidden within it that leads to the land of magic! Have you ever used this gateway? Do you know where it is? If the answer to those two questions is no then you should read on and be prepared to meet the first of our free items of treasure.

When you buy Dreamweaver you buy so much more than what comes on the disk. You can become involved in some great communities like CMX, and you can access widgets and extensions that will make your work flow faster and therefore make you more productive and cost effective in what you do.

Not all widgets and extensions come with a price tag, as we shall see as we set off on a series that will introduce to some of the fantastic functionality that can be added to Dreamweaver in no more than a couple of clicks of your mouse! Read on...

The Extending Dreamweaver CS4 Series
Extending Dreamweaver CS4 - Part 1: The TNC Lightbox
Extending Dreamweaver CS4 - Part 2: jQuery UI Calendar
Extending Dreamweaver CS4 - Part 3: Phatfusion SortableTable
Extending Dreamweaver CS4: Part 4 - Digg This! Coming Soon

Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book Excerpts - Part 1: Bitmap and Vector Tools
by: Jim Babbage
Release Date: 06/15/2009
Adobe Fireworks CS4 has quite a few cool features, but if you're completely new to the program - or new to web design, you might be wondering where to start in Fireworks. In the Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book, my goal was to introduce the complete novice to Fireworks and by the end of the book, leave them with a wide range of skills and a solid grasp of what Fireworks could - and could not - do.

In this four part series, you will find PDF excerpts from the book, complete with some of the working files to help you along.

Approximate download size: 3.9MB

Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book Excerpts Series
Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book Excerpts - Part 1: Bitmap and Vector Tools
Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book Excerpts - Part 2: Text and Image Optimization
Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book Excerpts - Part 3: Workflow
Fireworks CS4 Classroom in a Book Excerpts - Part 4: Advanced Prototyping Coming Soon

From Jumpstart to Composition Demo in Fireworks CS4
by: Kim Cavanaugh
Release Date: 06/12/2009
One of the great new tools that comes with Fireworks CS4 is one that is easy to overlook—the ability you now have to take a composition and publish all of the visible elements to a Flash-based demonstration of your design. Using this new feature along with the Master Pages that are part of Fireworks you can quickly create a design composition and publish it to your server for client review.

In this tutorial you’ll be provided with the source Fireworks PNG file that was developed using Sheri German's original design for the Baltimore Jumpstart series as its base.

This source file has been broken up into multiple pages to demonstrate how a comp might be prepared that shows multiple layouts, color schemes, and page elements. From there you’ll learn how to use the incredibly easy Demo Current Document command to publish all of the pages into one tidy package that you can upload and provide to a client by way of a link.

Dreamweaver Built-In CSS Help Features - Part 1: CSS Layout Outlines
by: Adrian Senior
Release Date: 06/05/2009
Dreamweaver, over the last version or two, has included some very nice CSS help features. The features I'm referring to are termed Visual Aids and can be found within the Visual Aids drop-down menu that can be accessed from the document toolbar. There are several different CSS features within this area and we will look at them one by one to gain a good understanding of each and see how they can benefit our workflow.

The Dreamweaver Built-In CSS Help Features Series:
Dreamweaver Built-In CSS Help Features - Part 1: CSS Layout Outlines
Dreamweaver Built-In CSS Help Features - Part 2: CSS Layout Box Model
Dreamweaver Built-In CSS Help Features - Part 3: CSS Layout Backgrounds

PHP Cartweaver Admin Hints and Mods Part 1: Creating a Low Stock Warning for PHP
by: Tom Muck
Release Date: 06/03/2009
Cartweaver is an online shopping cart system available from www.cartweaver.com for PHP, ColdFusion, and ASP. It is intended as an easy-to-use solution for building an online store. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of some of the more pricey carts available, but with a little coding, many new features can be added.

In Part 1 of this series, we will show how to add a low-stock warning to the Cartweaver admin.

The Cartweaver Admin Hints and Mods Series:
Cartweaver Admin Hints and Mods - Part 1: Creating a Low Stock Warning for PHP
Cartweaver Admin Hints and Mods - Part 2: Creating a Low Stock Warning for ColdFusion
Cartweaver Admin Hints and Mods - Part 3: Creating an Order Report Graph

Textual Musings – Fireworks Text Techniques: Part 2
by: Laurie Casolino
Release Date: 05/22/2009
There is so much you can do when is comes to dealing with text in Fireworks. You can bend, twist, expand, fade, colour, add gradients, and turn in to bitmaps or vectors, to name but a few. You may think you have seen everything possible (and probably have), but there's always more to discover, test and try out.

In the first tutorial we created rounded and spooky text from our standard font type using masking and the levels filter. Now we can use that as a basis to create some devilish text and also use many more techniques utilizing both vector and bitmap tools.

Note: This tutorial requires Fireworks 8 or newer

Alex Dunn is a freelance web enthusiast from Bristol, England. He has a BSc(Hons) Degree in Information Technology and a Diploma in Computing and Multimedia Studies. He loves being creative and being involved with all aspects of web design since he became 'hooked' back in the late nineties.

The Textual Musings Series:
Textual Musings – Fireworks Text Techniques: Part 1
Textual Musings – Fireworks Text Techniques: Part 2

Photoshop Photo-graphic Novel?
by: Scott Valentine
Release Date: 05/20/2009
Capture the true essence of your hero self (or friends) with this quick and easy graphic novel look. Amaze your friends! Change your enemies! Confuse small domestic animals!

Textual Musings – Fireworks Text Techniques: Part 1
by: Laurie Casolino
Release Date: 05/13/2009
There is so much you can do when is comes to dealing with text in Fireworks. You can bend, twist, expand, fade, colour, add gradients, and turn in to bitmaps or vectors, to name but a few. You may think you have seen everything possible (and probably have), but there's always more to discover, test and try out.

In this Part 1 we experiment with transforming a plain font, such as Verdana, into our own unique font in just a few steps. We will then see how we can make this font re-usable using masks and live filters.

Then in Part 2, we will expand on our work to produce a unique logo using both the vector and bitmap toolset.

The most important thing is experimenting with the tools available, trying out new ideas and of course- having some fun!

Alex Dunn is a freelance web enthusiast from Bristol, England. He has a BSc(Hons) Degree in Information Technology and a Diploma in Computing and Multimedia Studies. He loves being creative and being involved with all aspects of web design since he became 'hooked' back in the late nineties.

The Textual Musings Series:
Textual Musings – Fireworks Text Techniques: Part 1
Textual Musings – Fireworks Text Techniques: Part 2

Programming Preventing Infinite Redirect Loops with Apache mod_rewrite
by: Steven Seiller
Release Date: 05/12/2009
When writing rewrite rules for URLs without a trailing slash, an infinite redirection loop will be your likely result. To prevent this problem, create a preceding rewrite condition which adds the trailing slash to the requested URL. This tutorial will show you how.

Dreamweaver Introducing CMX JumpStart: Nairobi Flexible
by: Sheri German
Release Date: 05/07/2009
It wasn't that long ago - November 26, 2008 to be exact - that we released CMX JumpStart Nairobi. At the time, I introduced the JumpStart based on the capital of Kenya with this sentence:

We think that the latest CMX JumpStart, CMX JumpStart Nairobi, will become one of your most important JumpStarts. Why? Because Nairobi is all about features and flexibility.

Read that last word again, because that is exactly what we're offering in this reworking of Nairobi - CMX JumpStart Nairobi Flexible. My original meaning in the word "flexibility" was meant to underline all the ways you could use the JumpStart. In response to subscriber interest in using Nairobi as a flexible layout, however, Adrian Senior has not only provided a modification of his own Nairobi design, but has provided a comprehensive tutorial on how he accomplished thet transformation.

A Beginner's Guide to Spry - Part 1: The Spry Tooltip Widget
by: Adrian Senior
Release Date: 04/22/2009
Spry widgets are a collection of JavaScript driven behaviours that are native to Dreamweaver. The functionality they provide is varied and customisable. From form checking to sliding panels and data sets, Spry widgets provide a quick and customisable solution to everyday requirements in the web site designer's world.

We'll begin this series by investigating the Spry Tooltip widget, the Spry Tooltip widget is — for want of a better description — a fancy tooltip generator that allows you to customise how your tooltip will appear with good use of CSS. The Spry Tooltip is similar in functionality to the title attribute, but provides greater flexibility and styling options. With a little care you can make Spry Tooltips a desirable feature within your website.

The Beginner's Guide to Spry Series:
A Beginner's Guide to Spry - Part 1: The Spry Tooltip Widget
A Beginner's Guide to Spry - Part 2: The Spry Collapsible Panel
A Beginner's Guide to Spry - Part 3: The Spry Accordion
A Beginner's Guide to Spry - Part 4: Spry Tabbed Panels
A Beginner's Guide to Spry - Part 5: Spry Menu Bar

Photoshop Sketching with Paths
by: Scott Valentine
Release Date: 04/20/2009
Do you like the look of free-hand sketches? Do you want to turn a photo into a sketch, but don't like using filters? Did you answer these rhetorical questions aloud?

I'll be honest... I love the idea of being able to sketch, but I really and truly am horrible at it. Or maybe you really are good at sketching, but you don't have a digital tablet.

Good news!! Follow this simple guide to give your sketches a natural look without using a tablet or having any innate talent! Ok, you may have talent, but this is still a cool thing to have in your toolkit :)

Using the Kuler Panel in Fireworks CS4
by: Jim Babbage
Release Date: 04/09/2009
Fireworks CS4 comes with a built-in Kuler panel to help you select, edit and create color schemes for a web site or application UI. In this video, we take a look at how to access color themes from the Kuler web site, create a custom swatch palette and then use those colors in the creation of a web page design.

Screen grab of finished design

You can view the video offline by downloading the support files at the bottom of the page.

PHP Creating an Alphabetical Directory Listing with PHP and MySQL
by: Steven Seiller
Release Date: 03/31/2009
You want to create an alphabetic listing of database records by grouping them by their first letter. As a convenience, you want to provide a menu of alphabet letters with hyperlinks to take you directly to the records for that letter. How do you create an alphabetic listing of database records without performing 26 queries - one for each letter?

I've reduced the process to just one query which first selects the first letter represented by the records and then grabs the data itself. I created arrays for each letter to store data until it is displayed. The script uses a few advanced PHP bits to keep the code concise including:

MySQL substring() function
range() function
array_key_exists() function
ternary operator
variable variables

Masking in Fireworks CS4
by: Jim Babbage
Release Date: 03/27/2009
Masking is a very powerful design tool in Fireworks. In this video, we will look at three different ways to mask bitmap images to complete a banner ad for a fictitious movie called Double Identity.

Double Identity banner ad

This is a video demonstration but you can follow along by downloading the original images from the download button at the bottom of the page.

Even though this video uses Fireworks CS4, the masking techniques described can also be achieved in earlier versions of Fireworks.

This video is approximately 25 minutes long.

Approximate download size: 90MB

Photography Using Photo Downloader to Import Your Images
by: John Warren
Release Date: 03/26/2009
Learn to download your digital camera files to your computer the right way. You will not only learn how to use Photo Downloader but why you should use Photo Downloader. Using this method will help you stay organized right from the beginning.

Flash Using the Bandwidth Profiler - Part 1
by: David Stiller
Release Date: 03/16/2009
As Tom Green mentioned in his end-of-2008 video "A Quick Tour of the Flash CS4 Interface," the latest version of Flash introduces a handful of eye-popping new tools. These are covered in detail in our latest collaborative effort, Foundation Flash CS4 for Designers (ISBN: 1430210931, by Tom Green and David Stiller, published by friends of ED). We've taken an introductory look at some of these new features already in this series — and there's more to come — but no matter what version of Flash you're using, if your content is distributed via the Internet, the time it takes to download and display is totally dependent on two things: a) the assets included in that content, which are under your control, and b) the flow of network traffic, which is not necessarily under your control.

This means you need to not only concentrate on what is in your movie, but also on who wants to access it. This is your chance to fall in love with the user and not the technology. Sure, the "bells and whistles" are usually exciting, but you need to regard the data transmission of your Flash content in much the same manner you regard your local highway. It may have six lanes for traffic and a posted speed limit of 60 mph or 100 kph, but all of that becomes irrelevant during rush hour. Traffic moves at the pace of the slowest car. It is no different with the Internet. Servers can become overloaded. In this excerpt, you'll learn how to take a few precautions.

Approximate download size: 1MB

The Using The Bandwidth Profiler Series:
Using the Bandwidth Profiler - Part 1
Using the Bandwidth Profiler - Part 2

Dreamweaver's Swap Image Behaviour
by: Adrian Senior
Release Date: 03/04/2009
Dreamweaver's Swap Image behaviour is a simple, yet effective, way to provide interaction on your web page. In this tutorial we will be exploring this behaviour. We'll see how to correctly slice and export the images from Fireworks before implementing the Swap Image behavior in Dreamweaver. You will understand how the interaction between your images is triggered and see how to set alternative interaction events. Finally we'll implement a little CSS to remove the default borders that are applied to this type image swap.

Making Your Own FAQ - Part 1
by: Paul Davis
Release Date: 02/26/2009
Need to create a quick FAQ (frequently asked question) for a web site? With Dreamweaver, a little JavaScript and SQL, we can have a nice display in place in less than an hour!

The Make Your Own FAQ Series:
Making Your Own FAQ - Part 1
Making Your Own FAQ - Part 2: Adding Categories and Search
Making Your Own FAQ - Part 3 Coming Soon
Making Your Own FAQ - Part 4 Coming Soon

Photoshop CS4 - Mastering the Brushes Panel: Part 1
by: Scott Valentine
Release Date: 02/25/2009
Get a hands-on overview of the Brush Panel and how to bend it to your will. Learn about every setting in the panel in this series and take control. The heady power of mastery is yours!!

The Mastering the Brushes Panel in Photoshop CS4 Series:
Photoshop CS4 - Mastering the Brushes Panel: Part 1
Photoshop CS4 - Mastering the Brushes Panel: Part 2
Photoshop CS4 - Mastering the Brushes Panel: Part 3

Photoshop Captivating Eyes
by: Scott Valentine
Release Date: 02/10/2009
Can you take good portraits, but need a little extra spice? How about making those eyes pop? Use this nifty trick to liven up your portrait work in under five minutes.

Flash Using Audio in Flash CS4
by: David Stiller
Release Date: 02/06/2009
As Tom Green mentioned in his end-of-2008 video "A Quick Tour of the Flash CS4 Interface," the latest version of Flash introduces a handful of eye-popping new tools. These are covered in detail in our latest collaborative effort, Foundation Flash CS4 for Designers (ISBN: 1430210931, by Tom Green and David Stiller, published by friends of ED). We've taken an introductory look at some of these new features already in this series — and there's more to come — but it may encourage you in the meanwhile to hear that certain workflows haven't really changed much in Flash CS4, even though the user interface was overhauled completely.

One of these workflows pertains to timeline-based audio. In this excerpt, we'll take a look at the two basic types of sound in Flash: event and streaming. In a sense, it doesn't matter what version of Flash you're working with, these principles apply across the board — and amazingly, they haven't been covered before in a Community MX article, so let's jump in!

The Excerpts from Foundation Flash CS4 for Designers Series
Flash CS4: The 3D Rotation Tool
Flash CS4: The 3D Translation Tool
Flash CS4: The Motion Editor Panel - Part 1
Flash CS4: The Motion Editor Panel - Part 2
Using Audio in Flash CS4

JavaScript Variable Scope: Local and Global Variables
by: Estelle Weyl
Release Date: 02/05/2009
In writing JavaScript functions, variable functions can trip you up. A common error is overwriting a global variable because the variable in a function didn't have local scope.

If that last sentence didn't make any sense, then this article is for you.

This article covers tips and tricks for understanding variable scope in JavaScript.

Photoshop Vignette—Everything Old is New Again
by: Knut Kubenz
Release Date: 01/19/2009
The lenses used in the early days of photography, had many optical problems associated with them. One of the most apparent of these problems was something known as vignetting, which produced darkening around the edges of the photo. Although almost unavoidable in the early days, current optics rarely have this problem. I use the word problem only from a technical perspective. Aesthetically, however, it is a great technique for isolating your subject matter and generating a higher interest level, sort of like peeping through a keyhole so to speak.

Since modern lenses are pretty well free of vignetting, if we still want the effect we'll have to create it. Today's tutorial will demonstrate how you can quickly create a vignette in Photoshop and then save the effect for future use on other images. Let's begin.

Flash Motion Tweening in Flash CS4 - Think Again!
by: Laurie Casolino
Release Date: 01/14/2009
The changes in Flash's motion tweening are the effect of two changes in Adobe Flash CS4. The first change is in the new interface. There is a new location for the panels and a different arrangement for the properties related to motion tweening.

The second change is the new concept of animation in Flash CS4. This concept is imported from other Adobe video products, such as Adobe After Effects. The new animation concept is built on two facts:

The symbol follows an animation path. This path starts with the first keyframe in the animation (the start of the animation) and ends with the last keyframe in the animation (the end of the animation). This path can be manipulated as if it were a stroke or a symbol.
The keyframe concept has changed slightly from the previous version of Flash. The old keyframe concept requires you to add keyframes manually when indicating a change in the symbol. Old-style motion tweening is now called classic tweening. The keyframe used in the new motion tweening concept is created automatically when you create a change in the symbol. This happens after you apply motion tweening to the symbol.

In this article, we will show examples of how to create and work with the new tweening concept in Flash CS4.

Rafiq Elmansy has been a multimedia graphic designer since 2001 and a graphic and web designer since 1999. His background is in fine art and sculpture. He uses Flash to create graphics and animations for desktop applications, cartoons, games, web sites, e-learning courses, and mobile and Pocket PC applications. He is the founder of Bee Design Studio. He is Adobe Flash CS3 Certified, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Certified, and the founder of the first Adobe User Group in Egypt. Rafiq also creates computer artwork and writes articles and reviews about graphic, animation, and Flash topics at his articles site Graphic Mania. Rafiq is an Adobe Community Expert and Contributing writer at Adobe Design and Developer center.

CSS From Screen to Print: Creating a Print CSS in Dreamweaver
by: Stephanie Sullivan
Release Date: 01/12/2009
Questions often arise about how to print web pages. Should you create a separate, simple page for printing? Should you just leave users to their own devices knowing they control whether backgrounds or images print anyway? Cascading style sheets (CSS) make it simple to maintain a single page while presenting the content in two different manners using media types.

In this article, you'll learn about media types and how to take advantage of them to create compact pages for print. At the end of the fixed width chapter of the book Greg Rewis and I wrote called, Mastering CSS with Dreamweaver CS4 (there's also a Dreamweaver CS3 version of the book if you have not yet upgraded), we discuss the rules of creating a print style sheet. In this article, you will see those principles in action as you build an example CSS page. Let's get started!

Flex Flex Builder 3 Tip: Migrating a Workspace
by: Joseph Balderson
Release Date: 12/22/2008
Every once and a while there comes a situation where you need to migrate a whole workspace full of Flex projects over to another drive, or another directory. Flex Builder only supports importing projects, not workspaces, so this is not as easy as it sounds. This brief tutorial shows you how to do it simply and headache-free. We'll also cover some gotchas and best practices for managing Flex Builder projects.

Dreamweaver's Form Validation Behavior
by: Paul Davis
Release Date: 12/18/2008
This quick video shows how to use the form validation behavior in Dreamweaver.

Approximate download size: 14MB

Creating Screenshots in Fireworks CS4
by: Jim Babbage
Release Date: 12/09/2008
There have been some pretty cool features added to Fireworks CS4, but here's one for the Windows version of Fireworks you may not know about: the Take Screenshot command. Follow along in this quick tutorial on how to use the Screenshot command.

Photoshop CS4 - 3D Billiard Ball: Part 1
by: Scott Valentine
Release Date: 12/04/2008
Have you ever tried making a good-looking ball in Photoshop? Remember the pain you went through to get the curved highlights and shadows just right? Of course you do! We all did it, and we all had varying amounts of success coaxing 3D effects out of a 2D application.

Well, we're going to do it up right in Photoshop CS4 Extended. Except we will be using actual 3D tools. Mostly. There will be some 2D lovin', 'cause we're old-school like that.

The Photoshop CS4 - 3D Billiard Ball Series:
Photoshop CS4 - 3D Billiard Ball: Part 1
Photoshop CS4 - 3D Billiard Ball: Part 2
Photoshop CS4 - 3D Billiard Ball: Part 3

Working With Fireworks CS4 Symbols
by: Jim Babbage
Release Date: 11/14/2008
In my book Adobe Fireworks CS4 How-To's, my goal was to explain the software in easy to digest techniques. This PDF excerpt from my book - Chapter 9 - covers 8 techniques on working with Symbols, one of Fireworks very powerful features.

Flex Developing a Flex-free AS3 Project for Flash Player 10 in Flex Builder 3
by: Joseph Balderson
Release Date: 11/12/2008
So you're developing an ActionScript 3.0 project, without using Flash components or the Flex framework, aimed at Flash Player 10. You could do it in Flash authoring, or you could do it in a third party code editor. But did you know you can also do this in Flex Builder?

This tutorial aims to show you that Flex Builder is not just for Flex projects: it can be used for pure ActionScript 3.0 projects, without accidentally using any classes or features of the Flex framework, compiled and deployed for Flash Player 10.

Flash Flash Troubleshooter Chronicles - Part 1
by: David Stiller
Release Date: 11/11/2008
Most of us have at least one mentor, even if it's someone we haven't met in person. In fact, if you're anything like me, you have a different mentor for each field that interests you: someone who inspires you to keep practicing the piano, to get creatively crazy in the kitchen, to learn yet another unicycle trick, and to keep strengthening your grasp on Flash (or Photoshop, or Dreamweaver ... you get the idea).

When it comes to Flash, one of my mentors has helped me significantly with troubleshooting — with making things work when, against all expectation, they simply don't work. In this series, I'd like to explore a single theme — troubleshooting — from a variety of angles, sharing with you what my mentor has shared with me. Along the way, we'll turn up a few quirks involved in working with Flash, but more importantly, we'll review how to approach arriving at useful workarounds, regardless what the issue is.

Here in Part 1, we'll start with a lowly movie clip symbol.

The Flash Troubleshooter Chronicles Series:
Flash Troubleshooter Chronicles - Part 1
Flash Troubleshooter Chronicles - Part 2
Flash Troubleshooter Chronicles - Part 3
Flash Troubleshooter Chronicles - Part 4

Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part Nine
by: Sheri German
Release Date: 11/11/2008
In this last installment of the Dreamweaver for GoLive Users series, you will learn about templates and library items, two essential productivity/automation features. You will then get an introduction to Dreamweaver's ultimate layout productivity feature, the CSS Starter Pages.

If you have been using GoLive's template and component features, learning to use the Dreamweaver equivalents - templates and library items - will not be too much of a stretch.

The Dreamweaver for GoLive Users Series:
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 1
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 2
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 3
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 4
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 5
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 6
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 7
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 8
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 9

HTML Firebug - Part 1: The What and Why
by: Estelle Weyl
Release Date: 11/05/2008
In this multi-part series, we are going to learn all about Firebug, the premier (and free) web development tool for Firefox. Part 1 is an overview of the the Firefox browser, and Firebug, the Firefox plugin. Learn how to install Firefox and Firebug, and learn how to run the application and change preferences. In future sessions will show you how to work with and troubleshoot CSS, HTML and Javascript.

The Firebug Series:
Firebug - Part 1: The What and Why
Firebug - Part 2: Overview of Firebug Functionality
Firebug - Part 3: Editing with Firebug
Firebug - Part 4A: Inspecting and Troubleshooting CSS
Firebug - Part 4B: Inspecting and Troubleshooting CSS

Flex Developing for Flash Player 10 in Flex Builder 3
by: Joseph Balderson
Release Date: 11/05/2008
As a Flex developer, keeping up with new advances in Flash Player 10 is essential. Thus, it's nice to be able to build to the latest Flash Player, without waiting for the next major release of Flex Builder. This article will show you how to get Flex Builder 3's code assist to recognize Flash Player 10 classes, and to compile for and check for the presence of the Flash 10 Player, without a lot of mucking about with configuration files.

Open Source Using Dreamweaver to Work With Drupal Modules
by: Ray West
Release Date: 10/31/2008
To start with, this is not a part of the Creating Web Sites with Drupal series. This article is for developers who are writing and/editing Drupal modules. It is not an advanced article per se, but it is typically only needed by people doing advanced things with Drupal.

This article is for those of us who still love Dreamweaver for its interface, its design view, and its built-in site management and FTP, but need to work with Drupal module files with the .module, .install, .info and other file extensions. To Dreamweaver, these are not recognizable files and it will not want to open them. Even when you get them opened, Dreamweaver will not use its normal PHP color coding and you will just get black text. This can make it tough to find things in your files and tell when things are comments, among other issues.

This article will show you how to get Dreamweaver to open these files from the site manager and how to use Dreamweaver's built in PHP color coding for all these weird file extensions.

Dreamweaver The CSS Starter Page Series - Part 1: Faux-Column Images
by: Sheri German
Release Date: 10/30/2008
Most of you have probably opened a CSS Starter Page by now, intending to use it as a launching pad for a site design. Sure, they save a lot of headaches in that they give you the basic structure for columns, header, and footer. They include generic classes for floating images left and right. They even take the worry out of figuring out how to code a liquid versus fixed, or elastic versus hybrid, layout. And what a blessing that they include some basic Internet Explorer fixes!

Still, you may have looked at them with some dismay as soon as you noticed what they don't include. Like how about that pesky little detail called the navigation scheme? Or what about the fact that the second (or third column, if there is one) has a background color that stops as soon as the content within stops? Or what to do about the Internet Explorer problems that you introduce as you modify the CSS Starter Page?

Relax. This series will tackle the missing puzzle pieces of the CSS Starter Pages in a codified and modular fashion by taking on one issue at a time. The first topic of this series will be devoted to background images and faux column technique in all of their permutations, starting with background images for columns in liquid, elastic, and fixed-width layouts. So settle back, download the support files at the bottom of the page, and begin your journey towards becoming a background image guru.

The CSS Starter Page Series:
The CSS Starter Page Series - Part 1: Faux-Column Images
The CSS Starter Page Series - Part 2: More Background Images
The CSS Starter Page Series - Part 3: Three-Column Fluid Background Images
The CSS Starter Page Series - Part 4: Rounded Corner Background Images
The CSS Starter Page Series - Part 5: Shadows and Rounded Corner Background Images
The CSS Starter Page Series - Part 6A: Adding Navigation Schemes
The CSS Starter Page Series - Part 6B: Adding Navigation Schemes Part Two
The CSS Starter Page Series - Part 6C: Adding Navigation Schemes Part Three
The CSS Starter Page Series - Part 7: Adding a Spry Menu Bar

Integrating PayPal Payments Into Your Site with ColdFusion: Part 1
by: Arman Danesh
Release Date: 10/21/2008
PayPal Website Payments are fairly easy to use once you understand them. This series covers integrating PayPal payments into your ColdFusion web site. The first article in the series provides an overview of PayPal's offerings and then walks you through some basic tasks needed to get ready to implement your own PayPal solution with ColdFusion.

The Integrating PayPal Payments Into Your Site with ColdFusion Series:
Integrating PayPal Payments Into Your Site with ColdFusion: Part 1
Integrating PayPal Payments Into Your Site with ColdFusion: Part 2
Integrating PayPal Payments Into Your Site with ColdFusion: Part 3
Integrating PayPal Payments Into Your Site with ColdFusion: Part 4

Flash Creating a Smart Skip Intro Button in Flash - Part 1
by: David Stiller
Release Date: 10/15/2008
Generally speaking, Flash designers have become more considerate. In the late 1990s, it was common to encounter dozens of Flash web sites a day with bloated, pointless intro animations. Ultimately, sure, content was king: users would eventually get to the meat of a web site, but all too often, were subjected to unnecessary bells and whistles, simply because Flash was the shiny new kid on the block. Nowadays, bloated intros are largely a thing of the past, but back then, designers were proud of these intros and assumed users were thrilled to see them. Frankly, it just wasn't so.

Fortunately, designers began to change their ways. Best practices took hold, and the "Skip Intro" button became a fashionable device (in fact, it appeared so often it became an industry joke). If users were really lucky, they'd even see a "Skip Intro Always" button, which remembered their preference for the next visit.

In this two-part series, you'll learn how to create such a button, and we'll examine other uses for the same mechanism. It's easier than you might think!

The Creating a Smart Skip Intro Button in Flash Series:
Creating a Smart Skip Intro Button in Flash - Part 1
Creating a Smart Skip Intro Button in Flash - Part 2

PHP Build Your Own Contact Forms - Part 1: Workflow
by: Steven Seiller
Release Date: 10/14/2008
This tutorial will describe the functions of web site contact forms and how to create its processing script. We'll cover the creation of the HTML form and use PHP to create the processing script which handles the submitted data and sends the email. Along the way, we'll review best practices in data validation, storage, spam prevention and security.

At the end of this series, you should understand all the aspects of the contact form workflow and be able to create your own PHP processing script. By knowing the process, you will be able to build your own PHP contact form customized to your specific needs. Should you decide to implement a commercial or open-source contact form, you will be able to readily manage the process.

The Build Your Own Contact Form Series:
Build Your Own Contact Forms - Part 1: Workflow
Build Your Own Contact Forms - Part 2: The HTML Form
Build Your Own Contact Forms - Part 3: The PHP Processing Script
Build Your Own Contact Forms - Part 4: Spam Prevention

Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part Eight
by: Sheri German
Release Date: 09/29/2008
In Part Seven of this series, we completed the Music History design in Dreamweaver. This time around we'll perform some quality assurance on the page by using the Check Browser Compatibility feature. We'll learn about using Internet Explorer Conditional Comments (IECC) to take care of problems in that browser. Finally, we'll create a snippet to fix future encounters with the Three-Pixel Text Jog bug.

The Dreamweaver for GoLive Users Series:
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 1
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 2
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 3
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 4
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 5
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 6
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 7
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 8
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 9

Javascript Quickshot: PayPal Product with Three Options!
by: Paul Davis
Release Date: 09/26/2008
PayPal only allows two options for products and you need three. This quickshot will make quick work of getting this done for you.

ColdFusion Contact Forms in One Easy File - Part 1
by: CMX
Release Date: 09/17/2008
One of the most common and obvious needs of any professional web developer is the ability to collect information from an HTML form and submit it via email. There are many reasons why this is superior to a simple 'mailto' link, the most important being the ability to hide your actual email address from the ever-more-voracious spambots that plague our online universe (they love to find links like <a href="mailto:me@lotsofspamplease.com"> ... your address becomes a free lunch for the harvester spiders).

In this easy-to-follow tutorial you will learn how to :

Submit a simple html form with any fields you like via email from any ColdFusion page
Double-validate submitted info with <cfform> and server-side checking
Create an automatic custom-formatted mail message
Send the user a custom-formatted auto-responder 'thanks' message
Hide your email address from spambots
Send email so that replying goes to the sender, not back to the web site

...all in one simple <cfinclude> file that you can insert into any page!

This tutorial assumes you have some experience with html form elements, and very basic ColdFusion tags such as <:cfif>, <cfinclude>, <cfparam> and <cfoutput>. A general concept of <cfform> and the 'required' attribute for <cfinput> might also be helpful, but is not required.

Michael Evangelista is a freelance web developer, ColdFusion programmer, and owner of a successful web and print design company based in southern Utah. Michael's company, Evangelista Design, has grown from a locally-oriented small business web design company to an international team of designers and ColdFusion developers offering a wide range of online business solutions, including full-service web hosting, custom content management applications, corporate data systems, and more.

The ColdFusion Contact Forms in One Easy File Series:
ColdFusion Contact Forms in One Easy File - Part 1
ColdFusion Contact Forms in One Easy File - Part 2
ColdFusion Contact Forms in One Easy File - Part 3

GoLive Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part Seven
by: Sheri German
Release Date: 09/16/2008
In Part Six of this series, we used Dreamweaver to manipulate the various divisions of the page and position them into a header with two columns underneath. This time around we'll complete the design in Dreamweaver by formatting the maincontent div text and turning the sidebar links into clickable buttons. In the process, I hope to introduce you to additional features that will improve your productivity.

This tutorial includes starter exercise files as well as a completed layout that you can use as a basis of comparison while you work through the steps.

The Dreamweaver for GoLive Users Series:
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 1
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 2
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 3
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 4
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 5
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 6
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 7
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 8
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 9

HTML Semantic XHTML - Part 1: The Required Elements
by: Estelle Weyl
Release Date: 09/16/2008
By writing semantic, valid XHTML, the code that you create for your website will work not only cross browser, but cross device. The web page that works in your Firefox Browser on your Windows XP computer can work in a cell phone's browser, on TV via a PlayStation, and even in a braille reader. To write semantic code, you need to understand what every element means. In this series, we will cover all the HTML

This series will include:

Part 1: The required elements to create a document:
Part 2: Elements that go inside the document head
Part 3: block level elements
Part 4: Lists
Part 5: Tables: Block level elements that aren't display: block
Part 6: Common inline elements
Part 7: The Phrase elements
Part 8: Empty Elements
And more....

There are several elements that we can use to create a valid XHTML document that is sematically correct. To code correctly, it is important to know all the elements, and especially to know when and how to use them. In part one of the Semantic XHTML series, we discuss the five elements that are required.

Dreamweaver Integrating Cartweaver with a Page Design
by: Tom Muck
Release Date: 09/09/2008
My last article about integrating Cartweaver with your web site focused on our JumpStarts. The article described how to integrate Cartweaver with the Minneapolis JumpStart, which was an e-commerce JumpsStart, but the techniques could apply to any of our JumpStarts.

This article will focus on integrating Cartweaver with any design, including the simple layouts included with the latest versions of Dreamweaver (CS3 and CS4).

Animation Fun with Twist and Fade
by: Jim Babbage
Release Date: 09/08/2008
The Fireworks public beta has had many updates, but one very fun update is the revised Twist and Fade command.

This command will take any selected object and - based on your input - create multiple faded, rotated iterations which seem to follow a path. And while that is kinda cool. What I love about the command is its ability to create an animation quickly and easily.

ColdFusion and Spry: Part 1
by: Laurie Casolino
Release Date: 08/28/2008
Spry is a JavaScript-based framework that provides AJAX-powered dynamic web content. There are other JavaScript libraries available to accomplish similar results. such a JSON, jQuery, etc. (On this CMX site, Rob Williams has a couple of series on jQuery and jQuery UI Components.)The Spry library is produced by Adobe Labs, and, as of this writing, is in 1.6.1 release. (SPRY at Adobe Labs.) Although SPRY can be used with other server technologies, such as PHP, ASP.net, etc., Spry seems to employ techniques that are especially intuitive to the ColdFusion developer.

Keith Dodd got into web development as a second career following 30 years in public education, with 19 as a middle school principal. With help from friends and a lot of reading, he got into ColdFusion (version 3) and in 2003 was certificated as an Advanced ColdFusion MX Developer. In recent years, he has worked with Flash and the integration of Flash with ColdFusion (with a lot of help from CMX resources). He is just starting to delve into Flex.

The ColdFusion and Spry Series:
ColdFusion and Spry: Part 1
ColdFusion and Spry: Part 2
ColdFusion and Spry: Part 3
ColdFusion and Spry: Part 4

Dreamweaver Introducing CMX JumpStart Phoenix
by: Sheri German
Release Date: 08/21/2008
It's another JumpStart, and this one is named after a city I visited and loved, Phoenix, Arizona.

CMX JumpStart Phoenix is a centered, two-column, 760 pixel fixed-width layout that has many appealing design features. There is a strikingly contrasted color scheme, vertical navigation in the right column, and "swap image" rollovers that use a caching technique that corrects flaws in Internet Explorer.

The JumpStart filters styles for various versions of Internet Explorer, and includes separate style sheets to address issues found in IE 6 and below versus IE 7.

Of course Phoenix meets the W3C standards for CSS and XHTML, as well as the WAI accessibility requirements, too.

Flash Working with Library and Linkage Changes in ActionScript 3.0
by: David Stiller
Release Date: 08/15/2008
Like its forerunner, ActionScript 3.0 supports the attachment of Library assets at runtime, but the mechanics have changed. While ActionScript 2.0 had the familiar MovieClip.attachMovie() and Sound.attachSound() methods, the only class methods that now contain the word "attach" relate to connecting the SWF file to an external device, such as NetStream.attachCamera(), which lets the user transmit webcam input. Not the same thing at all! So, how can you access the Library at runtime in an AS3 document? The answer is gratifyingly elegant, and even in its simple approach, ActionScript 3.0 gives you more elaborate options than before.

This article, adapted from an excerpt of The ActionScript 3.0 Quick Reference Guide (ISBN: 0596517351), discusses how Library linkage has changed in ActionScript 3.0. This quick answer guide is slated for October, 2008, published by O'Reilly, and is written by Community MX partner David Stiller, as well as Rich Shupe, Jen deHaan, and Darren Richardson.

Showing Results and Details on One Page Using AJAX For Cartweaver
by: Tom Muck
Release Date: 08/13/2008
Dreamweaver's Master/Detail page set is a handy set of behaviors to use for a drill-down functionality -- display a list of records, and click on a link in the list to view the full record. Cartweaver does not use the Dreamweaver behaviors for the Master/Detail page set, but does include the same concept with its results and details page. The article Creating a Master/Detail Pageset on One Page Using AJAX showed how to put both pages together using AJAX using the built-in Dreamweaver server behaviors. In that tutorial, I showed how to create one master/detail page that uses some very simple JavaScript to load the details section of the page dynamically using AJAX. This creates a much faster page, in that it only loads the dynamic details portion when needed, rather than the entire page.

This article will use the same JavaScript functionality to create the functionality for a Cartweaver site. The article will apply equally to the ColdFusion, PHP, and ASP versions of Cartweaver and assumes that you own one of those products. To use this functionality you have to set your details display setting in the admin to either "Simple" or "Tables". The "Advanced" option uses JavaScript to set menus, which would require more modifications.

Newsprint with Photoshop CS3
by: Scott Valentine
Release Date: 08/12/2008
Recreate imaging effects of old, forgotten days with this nifty little halftone effect. Come back with me nearly two whole decades to see how newspapers looked "way back when". This is that "weird dot thingie" look.

Programming Processing Submitted HTML Form Data - Part 1
by: Steven Seiller
Release Date: 08/06/2008
This tutorial will walk through the essentials of processing submitted HTML form data. Whether you are processing information submitted through a contact form, a blog or a content management system, you must understand the essential components of submitted form data in order to process the submitted information. You might process the submitted data with ASP, ColdFusion, PHP or Perl but regardless of the scripting language you choose, the data submitted through the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) remains the same.

In Part 1 of this tutorial, we will review the CGI process and the two methods of submitting form data via HTML. Additionally, we will look at the range of form controls at your disposal and the nature of the data returned by each control. In Part 2 of this tutorial, I will use PHP to demonstrate the structure and values of typical form data with sample processing routines.

The Processing Submitted HTML Form Data Series:
Processing Submitted HTML Form Data - Part 1
Processing Submitted HTML Form Data - Part 2: PHP

Quickshot - Missing Images in CFDocument
by: Ray West
Release Date: 07/30/2008
ColdFusion's tag makes creating dynamic PDF images on the fly a breeze. There have been problems, though, including images in those documents. Many times, for various reasons, you can end up with a perfectly valid image reference in the HTML portion of your document that becomes a red X when the HTML is PDF'd.

Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part Six
by: Sheri German
Release Date: 07/25/2008
In Part Five of the Dreamweaver to GoLive series, we completed the Music site design in GoLive. Now it is time to translate your GoLive CSS skills into Dreamweaver CSS skills. The basic concepts do not change, but rather just the location of a few tools.

This tutorial includes both a starter and completed folder in its support files.

The Dreamweaver for GoLive Users Series:
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 1
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 2
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 3
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 4
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 5
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 6
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 7
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 8
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 9

CSS Making a Three Column Layout Using CSS: Part 1
by: Estelle Weyl
Release Date: 07/24/2008
Tableless layouts are all the rage, but how are they created? Focusing on learning how to float divs, the first tutorial in this series will introduce you to the basic skills required to create your own 3-column layout.

The Making a Three-Column Layout Using CSS Series:
Making a Three-Column Layout Using CSS - Part 1
Making a Three-Column Layout Using CSS - Part 2
Making a Three-Column Layout Using CSS - Part 3: Changing Column Order With CSS
Making a Three-Column Layout Using CSS - Part 4: Fixed, Fluid and Elastic Layouts

Fireworks Hidden Gem - Paste Attributes
by: Jim Babbage
Release Date: 07/23/2008
There are a lot of features in Fireworks to improve your workflow, but one you might not know about has actually been around for a long time. It's called Paste Attributes and it's a very versatile command, as you will see in this quick tutorial.

GoLive Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part Five
by: Sheri German
Release Date: 07/21/2008
In Part Four of this series, we used GoLive to manipulate the various divisions of the page, and positioned them into a header with two columns underneath. This time around we'll complete the design in GoLive by formatting the maincontent div text and turning the sidebar links into clickable buttons.

This tutorial includes starter files as well as the completed layout.

The Dreamweaver for GoLive Users Series:
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 1
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 2
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 3
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 4
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 5
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 6
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 7
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 8
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 9

Tracking the Popularity of Your Database Content
by: Steven Seiller
Release Date: 07/21/2008
If you have database content which you share, you may wish to track the number of times each record is requested or viewed. Be it an article, an image, a link or a video, counting the number of times that record has been accessed or requested will provide a measure of its popularity relative to the rest of the records in your database. You have likely seen this tracking in action in the form of the "Most Viewed" search option, such as those found on news sites or You Tube. You might choose to keep the tracking count to yourself for private statistical analysis or allow visitors to view the record counts.

Quick Shot - Validating Imported Dates in ColdFusion
by: Ray West
Release Date: 07/10/2008
In previous articles, we have discussed the way that Microsoft stores dates in SQL Server and Excel and how that can be an advantage and a hindrance as you deal with your data. There is a method to the way that MS products store dates. It allows you to deal with time against an absolute reference rather than being concerned with its formatting (whether US, Euro, or other). But the way ColdFusion's validation functions treat dates can be tricky if you are trying to get some concrete assurance that you are processing valid information.

GoLive Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part Four
by: Sheri German
Release Date: 07/07/2008
It's been a while since the third installment in the Dreamweaver for GoLive users series, but I didn't forget you while I was writing about the Dreamweaver public beta or the latest CMX JumpStart! In parts four and five of this tutorial, we'll get to the really exciting stuff. We'll use Adobe GoLive to add the styles that will transform the pure markup from a series of divs that stack vertically down the page into a neatly contained fixed-width layout with side-by-side columns.

Then, in part six, you'll learn how to perform the same tasks in Dreamweaver.

This tutorial includes both starter and completed files folders.

The Dreamweaver for GoLive Users Series:
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 1
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 2
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 3
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 4
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 5
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 6
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 7
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 8
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 9

Javascript The jQuery UI Components - Part 1: Introduction
by: Rob Williams
Release Date: 07/01/2008
The jQuery library goes a long way to help make AJAX-oriented applications easier to develop and deploy. One of the things that makes jQuery stand out from the other libraries available though is it's expandibility. The jQuery UI plugins, built on top of the original jQuery library, take that original ease of development and expand it to apply to interactive interface components, rather than just the underlying code that drives them.

In this series we're going to look at the various modules and components that make up the jQuery UI system to see how they can help to make building rich interfaces on top of our existing jQuery systems a piece of cake. Today, in the first part of the series we'll do a quick review of jQuery's organizational structure, talk about what plugins and UI modules are, and explore just how easy they are to implement.

The jQuery UI Components Series:
The jQuery UI Components - Part 1: Introduction
The jQuery UI Components - Part 2: Draggables
The jQuery UI Components - Part 3: Droppables
The jQuery UI Components - Part 4: Sortables
The jQuery UI Components - Part 5: Resizables
The jQuery UI Components - Part 6: Accordion Widget
The jQuery UI Components - Part 7: Datepicker Widget
The jQuery UI Components - Part 8: Colorpicker Widget
The jQuery UI Components - Part 9: Magnifier Widget
The jQuery UI Components - Part 10: Progress Bar Widget
The jQuery UI Components - Part 11: Slider Widget
The jQuery UI Components - Part 12: Tabs Widget
The jQuery UI Components - Part 13: UI Themes
The jQuery UI Components - Part 14: UI Core Effects
The jQuery UI Components - Part 15: UI Effects II

Using CF Tags from CFScript
by: Tom Muck
Release Date: 06/26/2008
When working in ColdFusion, you have two basic ways of coding: ColdFusion tags and CFScript. Both are legitimate and both provide certain advantages. With ColdFusion tags, you have a full arsenal of functionality available. With CFScript, you have more basic script operations available, such as looping, setting variables, conditions, and other more mundane tasks. Frequently when writing scripts, however, you need some functionality that is only available to a ColdFusion tag. The more obvious solution is to close the tag, execute your tag, then re-open the tag to resume your coding. We'll talk about another way to approach this situation -- create functions that mimic CF tags.

Flex Flash-Flex Integration - Part 6: Editing Flash Code in Flex Builder
by: Joseph Balderson
Release Date: 06/25/2008
Sometimes, when you're coding a Flex application, don't you just wish you could use a Flash animation, right there? And in Flash, don't you sometimes wish you could use that one class in Flex, or that one component, which would make your life so much easier? It is at such times that a developer encounters the limitations of their tools, be it in Flex or in Flash. This series aims to explore the possibilities inherent in an integrated Flash-Flex workflow, bridging the gap between the two technologies, enabling a greater range of development options.

In this article, we will delve into Flash-Flex integration on a more intimate level, using both Flash and Flex in a completely integrated development workflow. Using David Stiller's Click-and-Paint tutorial as a basis for our enhanced application, we will convert a timeline-based Flash project into a class-based project, but using Flex Builder as the code editor. Essentially using the Flash IDE as the assets editor and SWF compiler, and Flex Builder as the ActionScript 3 editor (without using the Flex compiler).

In this article, you will learn how to set up a Flex project workspace to enable the editing of Flash IDE-compiled ActionScript 3 class files. In doing so, you will no doubt discover why Flex Builder is a much more powerful tool for ActionScript class editing than the Flash Actions panel. As one of my Flash colleagues is fond of saying, "Once you go Flex, you never go back." :) But this isn't about making converts to either Flash or Flex development. Whatever your specialty, this series is here to show you that with a little ingenuity, you can have your cake and eat it too.

Flash Actions panel or Flex Builder: for code editing, there is no contest.

The Flash-Flex Integration Series:
Flash-Flex Integration - Part 1: Workflows
Flash-Flex Integration - Part 2: Flex 2 Component Skinning
Flash-Flex Integration - Part 3: Flex Component Skinning with Scale-9
Flash-Flex Integration - Part 4: Skinning the Scale-9 Flex Component
Flash-Flex Integration - Part 5: Building the DragPanel Component
Flash-Flex Integration - Part 6: Editing Flash Code in Flex Builder
Flash-Flex Integration - Part 7: Coding With Flash Components in Flex Builder
Flash-Flex Integration - Part 8: Creating Custom Flex Components with Flash CS3
Flash-Flex Integration - Part 9: Using The FLVPlayback Component in Flex

PHP PHPMailer: Full Featured Email Transfer Class for PHP - Part 1
by: Steven Seiller
Release Date: 06/25/2008
PHP contains a mail function which sends script-generated email with very little configuration and ease. This built-in function, while easily accessible, provides only basic options for creating emails and requires a more manual effort to create advanced email features such html formatting and attachment encoding.

For many years, I have used PHPMailer which is an object-oriented PHP class that easily allows you to implement advanced email formatting. Features which can be readily tapped include: SMTP authentication, use of redundant SMTP servers, attachments, HTML formatting, multipart/alternative formatting for non-html email and various encoding methods. Due to its ease of use and broad feature base, I incorporate the PHPMailer class into all my scripts which send email.

My primary reason for using this class comes from the ability to send script-generated email through authenticated SMTP servers which dramatically reduce the risk of the email being trapped in spam filters. In my testing, mail sent directly from the server by the mail() is significantly more likely to be caught by ISP spam filters due to the fact that it resembles robotically generated spam. I also enjoy the relative ease of adding attachments, html formatting and using multipart/alternative text for email client preview.

In this tutorial, I will demonstrate how to install the PHPMailer class and use it to create simple email, while sending through an authenticated SMTP server. Use of this class requires some knowledge of working with server files and directories and some experience with PHP classes.

In Part 2, we will take it further and go over adding attachments and creating HTML emails.

The PHPMailer - Full Featured Email Transfer Class for PHP Series:
PHPMailer: Full Featured Email Transfer Class for PHP - Part 1
PHPMailer: Full Featured Email Transfer Class for PHP - Part 2

Flash Building Click-and-Rotate Content in Flash - Part 1
by: David Stiller
Release Date: 06/24/2008
In one implementation of the QuickTime VR format, known as QTVR Object Movies, the user can click-and-drag an image to seemingly rotate it, as if spinning the real-life object on a lazy Susan. This simulated 3D interactivity can improve multimedia curb appeal, and makes for a nifty way to showcase merchandise. But it doesn't stop there: the same basic principle can also bring click-and-drag responsiveness to short video sequences and even user input widgets, such as the click-and-scrub input fields of numerous Adobe dialog boxes

Adobe often uses click-and-drag input to update text fields

If you're a Flash developer and interested in click-and-drag functionality, you've come to the right tutorial series! Here in Part 1, we'll start by exploring the Flash version of a QTVR Object Movie that rotates an F-15A aircraft. In future articles, we'll work through a common "gotcha" in regard to direction reversal. We'll also load images from external files and explore alternate uses for the same programmatic concept.

The Building Click-and-Rotate Content in Flash Series:
Building Click-and-Rotate Content in Flash - Part 1
Building Click-and-Rotate Content in Flash - Part 2
Building Click-and-Rotate Content in Flash - Part 3
Building Click-and-Rotate Content in Flash - Part 4

Photoshop Cross Processed Film Effect
by: Scott Valentine
Release Date: 06/16/2008
There's a great way to get some gritty, glowing effects to your images. If you shot them on film, then you have the added bonus of getting toxic chemical exposure. Sadly, us digital folks will have to achieve this film look without the interesting health effects and wonderful smells of a wet darkroom.

Photoshop A Matching Color Set in Three Steps
by: Knut Kubenz
Release Date: 06/11/2008
Have you ever wondered if it were possible to give a group of photos, perhaps a series of images, the same sort of color tone? You might want to do this when you are exhibiting a show of your work to set a particular mood for the exhibit, whether warm or cool in appearance.

Well Photoshop has just such a tool, which often is overlooked or at first glance looks a bit complicated, and yet the Match Color tool and its dialog window does a quick and easy job of setting the color mood for any and all of your future images in three easy steps. Let's begin.

Comparing Timestamps in ColdFusion
by: Ray West
Release Date: 06/05/2008
In a couple of previous articles, we looked at comparing timestamps in SQL Server and MYSQL, with an eye for capturing data that matches a supplied date even if the times are different. Lest we think there is only one way to do things, we got some comments regarding the ability to do this in the server side language (such as ColdFusion) as well.

Fireworks CS4 Public Beta - Part 3: Wrapping Text Inside a Path
by: Jim Babbage
Release Date: 05/29/2008
OK, how long have we been waiting for this? The ability to flow text within a vector shape is now part of Fireworks CS4! Woo Hoo!

And we can do more than just wrap the text inside the shape. When you're mocking up a web page design, you can also emulate how text will flow around a floated image.

Follow along in this article to see the creative options available for you with just one of the new features in Fireworks CS4.

The Fireworks CS4 Public Beta Series:
Fireworks CS4 Public Beta - Part 1: Fireworks Gets a Facelift!
Fireworks CS4 Public Beta - Part 2: Productivity Features
Fireworks CS4 Public Beta - Part 3: Wrapping Text Inside a Path
Fireworks CS4 Public Beta - Part 4: Panels

SQL Comparing Timestamps in MySQL
by: Ray West
Release Date: 05/23/2008
In a recent article, we looked at comparing timestamp columns in SQL Server in order to pull records that occurred on a date or series of dates without regard to the time, and the question came up about how to do the same thing in MYSql.

Flash Playing Videos Sequentially
by: Tom Green
Release Date: 05/19/2008
In this, the last of six excerpts from Foundation Flash CS3 Video published by friendsofED, CMX partner Tom Green and his coauthor, Adam Thomas, answer that age-old question: How do I play a sequence of videos?

The Foundation Flash CS3 Video Excerpts:
Going Small - Playing Video On a Cell Phone
Going Big - Enter H.264
Reflections On an Alpha Video Theme
Using ActionScript to Dynamically Add a Masking Object
Letting Video Show Its Age
Playing videos sequentially

GoLive Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part Two
by: Sheri German
Release Date: 05/15/2008
In Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part One, you set up the sites and files you are going to use as you create a web standards layout side-by-side in both GoLive and Dreamweaver. In this second tutorial in the series, you will code the markup for the layout in Adobe GoLive; in the third part, coming very soon, you will code the markup for the layout in Dreamweaver. During the course of these two interrelated tutorials, you will learn more about how to translate your knowledge of GoLive's interface into knowledge of Dreamweaver's.

The Dreamweaver for GoLive Users Series:
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 1
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 2
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 3
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 4
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 5
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 6
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 7
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 8
Dreamweaver for GoLive Users: Part 9

Flash Letting Video Show Its Age
by: Tom Green
Release Date: 05/13/2008
In this, the fifth of six excerpts from Foundation Flash CS3 Video published by friendsofED, CMX partner Tom Green and his coauthor, Adam Thomas, explore how to age a video playing through the Flash Player.

The Foundation Flash CS3 Video Excerpts:
Going Small - Playing Video On a Cell Phone
Going Big - Enter H.264
Reflections On an Alpha Video Theme
Using ActionScript to Dynamically Add a Masking Object
Letting Video Show Its Age
Playing videos sequentially Coming Soon

Flash Wiggle that Text! - Part 1: AS2 Timeline Code Prep
by: David Stiller
Release Date: 05/13/2008
As the well-known adage dictates, "a picture's worth a thousand words." Often enough, that sentiment is true — but even so, words are powerful in their own right.

The Wiggle that Text! Series:
Wiggle that Text! - Part 1: AS2 Timeline Code Prep
Wiggle that Text! - Part 2: AS2 Timeline Code Animation
Wiggle that Text! - Part 3: AS2 Custom Class
Wiggle that Text! - Part 4: AS3 Custom Class

Flash Using ActionScript to Dynamically Add a Masking Object
by: Tom Green
Release Date: 05/05/2008
In this, the fourth of six excerpts from Foundation Flash CS3 Video published by friendsofED, CMX partner Tom Green and his coauthor, Adam Thomas, show you how to load an Illustrator CS3 file that can be used as a video mask ... at runtime.

The Foundation Flash CS3 Video Excerpts:
Going Small - Playing Video On a Cell Phone
Going Big - Enter H.264
Reflections On an Alpha Video Theme
Using ActionScript to Dynamically Add a Masking Object
Letting Video Show Its Age Coming Soon
Playing videos sequentially Coming Soon

Setting and Deleting Cookies in ColdFusion
by: Ray West
Release Date: 05/02/2008
Cookies are little bits of text information that you can store on your visitor’s computer to keep track of all kinds of things related to your site. Common uses are to track the last time a person was at the site or to store login information, at the user’s request, to allow them to be automatically logged in the next time the visit. In this article we will look at setting and deleting cookies in ColdFusion. In the next article we will use those cookies to automatically login a user when they ask the site to remember them.

A Fireworks Quickie - Vacuuming Pixels
by: Kim Cavanaugh
Release Date: 05/01/2008
If there is one constant in working with clients in the web and graphics design world it is this: Your clients rarely provide you with artwork that you can use right away.

Need a logo from your client? "Oh sure, our company has a logo. One of the secretaries made one a few years back that we love. But we only have it in .BMP format and I'd like to remove some of the extra stuff that's in there and sharpen it up. You can do that right?"

Photos? "Oh yeah, my nephew took some pictures of our office a few years ago. I'll send those to you. And can you remove Craig on the far right from the picture? He

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