Flash templates for Joomla!Using XML for data-exchange
Herman PeerenDutch Joomla!Days, June 13, 2009
Herman Peeren
• Creating is manipulating• Standards, interfaces and Open Source• why I like Joomla!• and Flash…
• Flash (dis)advantages - and solutions• data-exchange with J-AMFPHP• using XML for data-exchange• reading XML into Flash• using feeds from Joomla! to produce XML• using webservices for two-way exchange• TODO, under construction
Flash templates for Joomla!Agenda:
Flash (dis)advantages
• great scaling to screen• browser independant• alpha-transparancy; no matte-
drama• font embedding• movement & sound• Actionscript: familiar and
mature language
• SEO more difficult• less CSS-support• no back-button• no easy event tracking• you need extra provisions
in case Flash Player is missing
+ -
IE-6 CSS-bugs: who cares?• Some of my customer’s websites still have > 15% IE6-
visitors! (yes, in 2009)
• professional websites/webapplications cannot ignore IE6, UNFORTUNATELY.
• peekaboo-bug, multiple classes bug, ID-class bug, box model bug, double margin float bug, haslayout-problems, no png-(alpha)transparancy, no min/max-width/height, etc.
Part of overriding mod_mainmenu:
//geef class="itemNrX" mee aan li- en anker-tag (met X = hoeveelste item) bij level==1 (hoogste niveau)$x=1;if (($node->name() == 'ul') && ($node->attributes('class')!='menualgemeen')) {foreach ($node->children() as $child){if (($child->name() == 'li') &&($child->attributes('level')==1)) {//hang die class aan de liif ($child->attributes('class')) {$child->addAttribute('class', $child->attributes('class').' itemNr'.$x);} else {$child->addAttribute('class', 'itemNr'.$x);} //en aan de bijbehorende anchor-tag TO AVOID MULTIPLE CLASSES BUGforeach ($child->children() as $grchild){if ($grchild->name() == 'a') {$grchild->addAttribute('class', 'itemNr'.$x);}}$x++;}}}
Excursion: template override to avoid multiple classes bug
More HTML in Flash textfield
• FPXHTMLRENDER 1.2.2:sourceforge.net/projects/fpxhtmlrender
• beware of the mafia...• To use with Joomla! back-end, see:
stevenstark.com/images/flash+cms.pdf
Google in the Middle Ages
Isidorus of Seville(560 - 636)
Better SEO: HTML-layer
• make a HTML-layer under a Flash-layer• easy to do with a CMS• you can even put some EXTRA text there• BTW: trick of using content double in a
template can sometimes be handy
More SEO for Flash
• Flash Actionscript cooperates very well with JavaScript
• You can track events and trigger JavaScript to make bookmarkable URLs, get conversion code etc.
• nice article about this subject (in Dutch): http://naarvoren.nl/artikel/flash_en_javascript
data-exchange with J-AMFPHP• AMF: Action Message Format = a binary
format for data exchange with Flash• can communicate with webservices• AMF and PHP: amfphp.org; used in J-AMFPHP• at this moment THE way to exchange data
between Joomla! and Flash• figo.tandolin.co.za/adobe-air/how-to-use-
jamfphp-for-joomla-remoting.htm
Using XML for data exchange
• broader standard, which can also be used to exchange data with other programs
• looking for a more universal interface
reading XML into Flash• Easy loading of XML-files in Flash• SOAP also standard available• good book: Flash XML Applications by Joachim
Bernhard Schnier, ISBN 9780240809175
Producing your own XML
• When only needing very few data once, you could directly query the Joomla!-database…<?PHP //maak xml-bestand voor Flashheader ("content-type:text/xml");print('<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>');print('<links>');//algemeen: database connectie e.d.require_once("configuration.php");$config=new JConfig;$connection=mysql_connect($config->host, $config->user, $config->password);mysql_select_db($config->db, $connection);$query_a="select * from ".$config->dbprefix."menu where name='";etcetera
• and make some custom XML
using feeds in Joomla! to produce XML (1)
• One way: from Joomla! to Flash• Project: FlashFeed (now: version 0.04) on
www.youcanjoomla.com• Includes Actionscript 2 and 3 classes and a
component to create feeds of articles and blog-views
• but no menus (yet)
using feeds in Joomla! to produce XML (2): menus
• modules like mod_mainmenu cannot have a XML-view…
• So, you have to make a component to make a feed from your menus
• an attempt in that direction: Byrd Web Design, com_menu_to_xml
• you only need a front-end: component under constuction.
using feeds in Joomla! to produce XML (3): example
Jonathan Byrd (from his administrator/components/com_menu/controller.php):
$db->setQuery( "SELECT name, link FROM #__menu WHERE menutype='". $type->menutype ."'" );$items = $db->loadObjectList();
$file= fopen( JPATH_COMPONENT_SITE.DS.'XML'.DS.$type->menutype.".xml", "w" );$_xml = "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?>";$_xml .= "\r\n<menu>\r\n";
foreach( $items as $item ) {$ss="_parent";$url = str_replace( '&', '&', $item->link );$name = str_replace( '&', '&', $item->name );$_xml .= "\t<item item_url=\"". $url ."\" item_label=\"". $name ."\" item_url_target=\"". $ss ."\">". $name ."</item>\r\n";}$_xml .= "</menu>";
using feeds in Joomla! to produce XML (4): example
Produces this XML (kind of RSS):
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><menu>
<item item_url="index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage" item_label="Home" item_url_target="_parent">Home</item><item item_url="index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5" item_label="Joomla! Licentie" item_url_target="_parent">Joomla! Licentie</item><item item_url="index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=3" item_label="FAQ" item_url_target="_parent">FAQ</item><item item_url="index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19" item_label="Joomla! overzicht" item_url_target="_parent">Joomla! overzicht</item><item item_url="index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22" item_label="Wat is nieuw in 1.5?" item_url_target="_parent">Wat is nieuw in 1.5?</item><item item_url="index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=4" item_label="Meer over Joomla!" item_url_target="_parent">Meer over Joomla!</item><item item_url="index.php?option=com_weblinks&view=categories" item_label="Weblinks" item_url_target="_parent">Weblinks</item><item item_url="index.php?option=com_newsfeeds&view=categories" item_label="Nieuws feeds" item_url_target="_parent">Nieuws feeds</item><item item_url="index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=1" item_label="Het nieuws" item_url_target="_parent">Het nieuws</item><item item_url="index.php?option=com_facileforms" item_label="Contact" item_url_target="_parent">Contact</item><item item_url="index.php?option=com_jumi&fileid=1" item_label="Hello Jumi!" item_url_target="_parent">Hello Jumi!</item>
</menu>
webservices• Goal: bidirectional XML data-exchange• XML-RPC• SOAP: envelope and wsdl• RESTful webservices: resources• XML-RPC in Joomla 1.6 on the right spot at
last: receiving data in a controller, producing data in a view, possibly using a common model.
Flash and XML-RPC: 2 projects
• XML-RPC-lib (Pedro Ornelas): members.netmadeira.com/killer/xmlrpc
• XML-RPC client for actionscript: sourceforce.net/projects/xmlrpcflash
Joomla! en SOAP
• JMSOAP: Joomla SoapServer APIunfortunately now only for Joomla1.0
• you can use other PHP SOAP-projects within Joomla! Possibilities: NuSoap, Pear::SOAP and PHP5 SOAP.
• I am working on a Joomla-plugin
TODO, under construction
• Joomla! component for menu-syndication• Joomla! SOAP-plugin (and REST)• re-use by standardisation• standard Actionscript classes to consume
webservices (maybe also using AMF?)
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