This tutorial integrates the XMLConnector component with the Flash UI built in Part 1 which used the List and MediaPlayback components. The list of FLV files displayed in the List component is loaded from an XML source with the XMLConnector component. More information at:

http://www.communitymx.com/abstract.cfm?cid=E4593

Note that a subscription is required to view this tutorial. You can get a free trial membership to view the article if you don’t have a subscription.

Danny Patterson, who now works with Schematic as a contractor, posted a new article on CommunityMX.com  titled, “Monitor Changes Using the Object.Watch Feature in Flash”. If you’re learning ActionScript, you should definitely know about Object.watch().

My most recent tutorial posted today on CommunityMX.com. The tutorial’s full–and long–title is “Data Binding in Flash MX Pro 2004 – Part 1: Visual Binding with the List and MediaPlayback Component”. This is a free article to view–no subscription needed. This tutorial is geared for all skill levels, so even if you’re brand new to Flash, you shouldn’t have any problems following along. The completed example can be viewed here:

A friend of mine (Ezra @ Schematic) sent me the link to the Dock-n-Talk system by PhoneLabs. I’m seriously considering the purchase of this unit, as it enables you to hook up your cell phone to a transmitter so that it can be used with regular phones in your house. So, effectively, your cell phone becomes an antenna for a land line! Since I have several phone lines already, I hate having my cell phone somewhere I can’t access it easily. Now, if I come home and hook up my cell phone to the base station, my desk phone can automatically send and receive calls to/from the cell phone. Awesome!

I just got a new stainless steel Ducane gas grill from the local Home Depot here in Portland, Oregon. I mean, it’s going to be summer soon and we need to cook some meat outside, right? We got rid of our Canadian-made grill during the move from Los Angeles, and we were ready to step up to something that will last for a good long while. Now, if I could only find the proper cover for the grill, we’ll be all set! I cooked some brats on it last night to break it in, and they were tasty!

Some of you may not know about the Shared Font Manager.It’s a pretty neat tool that allows you to more easily attach fonts dynamically to Flash movies. If you’ve ever tried to use createTextField() and use a font that’s embedded in another loaded movie, you’ll know that it’s not as simple as it sounds. Ivan Dembicki, the creator of the app, told me about the Font Library Creator extension, a JSFL extension for Flash MX 2004 that creates font library SWFs that can be used with the manager. I used http://babelfish.altavista.com to translate the Spanish into English.

Ivan also has a support area on FlashSupport.com.