Tech Tuesday: Flashbacks from Flash on the Beach
I’m just back from Flash on the Beach 2009 in Brighton, England, where I witnessed loads of inspiring talks, great people and some sneak peeks from Adobe at the three-day conference. I hope to post video of my “Flash your TV” presentation as it becomes available in the coming days, but meanwhile here are a few key takeaways from the Adobe keynote.
During the keynote session they demoed Flash CS5 and integration with Flash Builder. Some of the key features of the new software:
Code snippets allowing designers to generate stubs
This can be used by both developers and designers that work in Flash. The snippet they demoed was for mouse movement on an object. Having code snippets will allow designers to add basic functionality without having to depend on a developer every step of the way.
Integration between Flash and Flash Builder
You will be able to open projects started in Flash using Flash Builder. All project files will automatically be generated. This will allow developers to code in the environment that is most comfortable to them. You can also build Flash projects straight out of Flash Builder.
Improved drawing tools
In the demo they used the deco-brush to draw various types of trees using one stroke of the mouse. The brush can be programmed allowing designers to quickly draw common objects.
Code completion in Flash
This one is self explanatory and long overdue but Flash CS5 will support code completion. You will get completion on methods and properties assigned to a custom class. Great when you get a rescue project and are forced to use the Flash IDE. Personally, I’ll be sticking to Flash Builder for my development needs.
