Learning Points Discover how to send user-supplied parameters to a server-side application and retrieve the appropriate results as both plain text and XML.

rate-5701668-77434 User rating? 1 2 3 4 5 Learn more Develop Web services clients with Adobe Flex SOAP definition Adobe LiveCycle Enterprise Suite BlazeDS

Flex information relevant to the Shipping Costs application

The following list summarizes key points about Flex technology that is relevant to this module.

• Flex applications are SWF files.
• Flex is a programmer-centric way to create Flash-based rich internet applications.
• Flex applications are rendered using Flash Player 9.
• Like all Flash RIAs, Flex SWF files are processed by the client, rather than the server.
• Flex can connect to server-based applications like ColdFusion, PHP, ASP.NET and Java.
• You can retrieve plain text or XML data via HTTP.
• You can retrieve Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) messages using web services.
• You can work with Java remote objects (POJOs, JavaBeans, EJBs and ColdFusion Components) using LiveCycle Data Services (previously Flex Data Services).

In this module you will only learn how to work with HTTPService. For more information on how to work with web services and LiveCycle Data Services (previously Flex Data Services), consider taking the Adobe instructor-led training course, Flex 2.0: Data and Communications.

What you will learn in the Shipping Costs sample application

You will learn how to:

• Create a user interface using MXML to accept user-supplied zip code and weight.
• Write a method and event handler using ActionScript.
• Submit user-supplied parameters to a HTTPService call from ColdFusion, PHP, Java or ASP.NET.
• Handle returned plain text or XML data from a ColdFusion, PHP, Java or ASP.NET HTTPService call.
• Populate a text field with returned data from the HTTPService call.
• Populate a DataGrid datasource with returned data from the HTTPService call.

For step-by-step instructions to build this application, see the Tutorial.