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Using XML and Flash to create a server-agnostic application: XML is a key component in this ambitious project. (XML & Flash).

Article Excerpt
I recently undertook an extremely ambitious project in which I decided to convert an entire application user interface from Internet Explorer to the Flash-based .swf (pronounced "swiff") format.

Flash has been reborn of late to support the development of "X" Internet applications (dubbed Rich Internet Applications by some in the industry). The small but robust Flash 6 Player has been greatly enhanced to support this new class of applications. Perhaps the most notable enhancements are its enhanced XML support and the new "components" or objects that allow sophisticated functionality to be encapsulated into a user-friendly programming metaphor. Both of these enhancements were critical for the project.

The project I worked on was a sophisticated content management application whose primary administrative user interface relied on certain "Internet Explorer-only" features including a combination of JavaScript, DHTML, CSS, and dynamically generated server-side code. The limitations of this approach went beyond the browser requirements, but that has proven to be one of the most limiting facets of the current application. Specifically; the combination of HTML, DHTML, JavaScript, CSS, and server-side code intermingled into each of the hundreds of files that make up the user interface has created a maintenance headache to say the least. What's...