Macromedia Flash MX 2004 for Rich Internet Applications

With the skills you now have using server-side ActionScript, you probably understand that the division between client- and server-side script is really somewhat artificial. Like I keep saying, "A little bit of SSAS goes a long way to reducing your CSAS."

The general skills you picked up in this chapter include the following:

• How to trap key events such as onAppStart and onConnect in the main.asc file

• Basic approaches to control access to your app

• How to extend the SSAS application and Client classes so that you can write functions that automatically become available to each instance

• The differences in the way SSAS accesses RSOs

• The way to use send() and call() for messaging (between server and client)

• The details of using the server-side Stream object to both play media and log events

• Starter tips on using the communication components

On top of all these specific techniques, the most valuable thing you can take away from this chapter is a clear understanding of what's possible. With the framework under your belt, you should be able to select the right tool for the job as you gain experience. Obviously, you may want to dig deeper in some areas, but you're definitely ready to build some killer apps.