Spring

On February 15, 2011 I’ll be presenting at the Detroit Java User Group about Building Cross-Device Apps with Flex and Spring. If you live in the Detroit area then I hope to see you there! If not, then talk to your local Java User Group leader about having me come and speak.

Here is the abstract for the talk:

Today, users want apps in the browser, on their desktop, phone, tablet, and TV. Reusing code across all of these devices is now crucial for developers. By combining Flex for the UI with Spring and Hibernate for the back-end, developers can build apps that work on a variety of devices including PCs, Android phones / tablets, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, iPhones, and iPads. This session will walk developers through the steps for creating these cross-device apps with Flex and Java.

Next week at JavaOne 2010 I’ll be co-presenting two sessions! On Monday Jeremy Grelle and I will present “End-to-End Richness: Integrating Java EE Services to Create Engaging RIAs” at the Hilton San Francisco. Here is the session information:

Session ID: S313939

Abstract: Flex is one of the most widely used tools for building RIAs. But how do you efficiently connect applications to diverse back-end services built on Java EE? The Spring BlazeDS Integration project has emerged as an effective solution for building a lightweight connective tissue for exposing rich Java EE services to a Flex client from any Java Servlet container. Aimed at experienced Java developers who want to make maximum use of their knowledge of Spring and Java EE to build a compelling integrated experience, this session covers:

Jon Rose and I have created a new DZone Refcard called Flex 4 and Spring 3 Integration. In the Refcard, we walk you through the steps for building RIAs with Flash Builder 4, Flex 4, BlazeDS 4, Spring 3, the Spring BlazeDS Integration, and Hibernate. Whew! That’s a lot of pieces! The Refcard covers simple Remoting, Flex & Hibernate integration through Spring (all Java annotation driven and using the new data-centric development features in Flash Builder 4), Pub / Sub Messaging, and Flex and Spring Security. We pack a lot into six pages!

Tomorrow night, Wednesday Feburary 10 2010, I’ll be speaking to the London Java Community about RIAs with Java, Spring, Hibernate, BlazeDS, and Flex. I hope to see you there!

UPDATE 1: Flash Builder 4, BlazeDS 4, and Spring 1.0.3 have all been release so you no longer have to use beta or nightly builds of these products. Use the production versions!

UPDATE 2: A Refcard on Integrating Spring 3 and Flex 4, which I co-authored, is now available! It provides a step-by-step tutorial for setting up everything I show in the video below.

Last week I posted a screencast that walks through the basics of connecting a Flex 4 application to a Java / Spring back-end with the new Data Wizards in Flash Builder 4. Here is a new video that extends beyond just simple RPC method calls and adds Hibernate for persistence. Let me know what you think.

UPDATE 1: Flash Builder 4, BlazeDS 4, and Spring 1.0.3 have all been release so you no longer have to use beta or nightly builds of these products. Use the production versions!

UPDATE 2: I’ve done a second part to this screencast that combines Flex 4, Flash Builder 4, Spring 3, BlazeDS 4, and Hibernate 3.

UPDATE 3: A Refcard on Integrating Spring 3 and Flex 4, which I co-authored, is now available! It provides a step-by-step tutorial for setting up everything I show in the video below.

While at Devoxx 2008 Chet Haase and I sat down with The Java Posse for an interview about Flex, integrating Flex with Spring, Flex Gumbo, and various other topics. You can listen to the interview via The Java Posse Podcast - episode #242, watch it on parleys.com (perhaps even using their awesome AIR app) or watch it right here. Let me know what you think.

UPDATE: There is a new version of the Refcard available:
Flex 4, Hibernate 3, and Spring 3 Integration

DZone has just published a new Refcard “Flex & Spring Integration” written by Jon Rose and me. This is the second Refcard I’ve written. The first was “Very First Steps in Flex,” which was a few chapters from First Steps in Flex written by Bruce Eckel and me. Working on the Flex & Spring Integration Refcard was fun because I was able to learn more about the new Spring BlazeDS Integration project from SpringSource. I’ve been really impressed with how easy it is to integrate Flex and Spring together. Another great resource for learning how to integrate Flex and Spring is Christophe Coenraets’ Spring BlazeDS Integration Test Drive. It contains a bunch of great examples that will help you better understand how to get everything set up and working.