Leverage ZEND Framework for your next Flex RIA

Wade Arnold

Wade.arnold@t8design.com

Leveraging the Zend Framework for your next Flex RIA

What is Zend Amf?

� Zend Amf is an open source implementation of Adobe’s AMF (Action Messaging Format) which is the binary protocol that the Flash Player uses to store objects.

� Zend Amf is an alternative to Adobe’s LiveCycle Data Services ES with PHP as the endpoint rather than Java.

� Zend Amf allows a seamless connection between the Flash Player and PHP classes.

� By leveraging the AMF protocol there is no additional client side work in order to encode and decode data objects that are sent to and from the server.

� Zend Amf acts as a gateway to PHP and through serialization transforms the data types between ActionScript into PHP.

What is AMF?

� Action Message Format(AMF) is a binary file format representing a serialized ActionScript object. The AMF file type is used throughout the Flash Player for data storage and data exchange. For example in the Flash Player AMF is used in SharedObjects, RemoteObjects, LocalConnection, ByteArray, RTMP, and all RPC operations. You can serialize any object in Flash Player with the only exception being a displayObject.

� File Size – AMF objects are very small and are compressed using zlib.

What is AMF?

� Fast Serialization/ Deserialization – AMF is transformed using native C code in the Flash Player making it very fast. The AMF format was designed to serialize and deserialize quickly under low memory and slower CPU conditions making it perfect for the web.

� AMF data is parsed directly into objects, meaning there is no lag for interpretation or parsing of AMF making the creation of objects complete in a single pass.

Why use Zend Amf?

� It handles the conversion of data types between ActionScript and PHP.

� It can convert complex objects and supports class mapping.

� It allows you to make direct calls to server side methods, which eliminates time spent developing parsers in Flash and PHP.

� AMF serialization is part of the Flash Player, which decreases the code footprint and optimizes server communication.

� It is simple to start using on any web server that runs PHP 5.2.3 or above.

� Services are “non-specific” PHP classes that are portable without any code change.

� Easily separate the workload of ActionScript programmers from PHP programmers and let each use best of bread tools for development.

Why use Zend Amf?

Service Census

�

http://www.jamesward.com/census/

Your first Service (demo)

� Look at PHP HelloWorld

� Connect with Flash CS3

� Connect with Flex 3

Class Mapping

� $Object->getClassName//”com.MyFlashClass”

� @ClassMap com.MyFlashClass

� $object = new Zend_Amf_Value_TypedObject(‘com.MyFlashClass',$data);

� Zend_Amf_ClassMap::registerClass(“com.MyFlashClass”, “MyPhpClass”);

Why Zend Amf

� PHP runs the internet for a reason

� Flash/Flex enable a greater level of expression

� Tested*

� Backed by Adobe & Zend

Questions?