Tyler MadisonCreative Developer

There are lots of reasons for the upgrade to the URLRequest object from AS2’s getURL method. The major reason is that the URLRequest contains all of the HTTP information for a specific url request, content headers , get or post methods  , content type etc. BUT the downside is that it takes a little more effort and importing to get the same functionality as the AS2 standard getURL method. So I’ve include a simple global getURL class that you just need to import wherever it is used, then you can just call “getURL” as it worked in AS2, but now for AS3. The function takes two parameters; The first is the URL that you want to direct to, the second and optional parameter is the window method(“_blank” , “_self” , “_parent” ) which defaults to “_blank”.

The simplest implementation would be:

import getURL;
getURL("http://www.google.com");

Download getURL class here!

ENJOY!

* This is really only useful when you just need to launch a single url without special data being sent, as there is no access to the URLRequest object specifically.

PureMVC is a pretty flexible framework that I have used in a couple projects now, you should check it out. The separation between the three tiers of the application tied together by the “Facade” is a great approach. The framework has its own notification system that works in conjunction with the builtin Flash event dispatcher system. A quick breakdown of the following terminology.

PureMVC Conceptual Diagram

# facade – creates an API that is simplier to use and understand than communicates with much more complex components of the system i.e. the facade handles communication between the Model , View , and Controller tiers. It is also the place to map out you system wide notifications and commands.

#Mediator – facilitates communication between concrete view components and events within the rest of  the framework. Basically means that the mediator is responsible for listening to regular “Flash” events from the view component and interpreting how to notify the rest of the system.

#Command – Handles notifications from the system and contains all of the logic for acting upon a given/mapped system notification. The command can retrieve references to other parts of the system and notify and call methods upon them. This is basically where the main application logic lies.

#Proxy – a proxy maintains a reference to a model object that contains some type of data for your application, whether its a calculation, data structure , or XML handling. This is where the data and brains for the application is housed.

More info on PureMVC availiable here!

I am currently developing a microsite flash experience in AS3 for the new Madden Football game for EA Sports. I ‘ve been working with art director Andy Slopsema and senior designer / animator Armand Tam at Freestyle Interactive. It’s pretty much the dream team to work with because these guys are great at what they do, so it makes my life easier. The site goes live 7/2, so stay tuned for a direct link, and a behind the scenes look at the development process, once it is live.