This article explores some of the time saving features of Doctrine 2, Zend AMF, Flex, and Flash Builder. It is well worth a read.

Once you are fully set up the amount of laborious boiler plate code will be reduced considerably.

I have witnessed a few people having trouble with their ActionScript import statements going missing inside an <mx:Script> tag within an mxml file.

This is usually due to the xmlns reference at the top of the page including the same import. To solve the problem, remove the xmlns reference that uses the same import.

For example:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<s:Application xmlns:fx="http://ns.adobe.com/mxml/2009"
			   xmlns:s="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/spark"
			   xmlns:mx="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/mx"
			   minWidth="955" minHeight="600" xmlns:view="view.*">

	<fx:Declarations>
		<view:TestView/>
	</fx:Declarations>

	<fx:Script>
		<![CDATA[
			import view.TestView;
			private var testView:TestView;
		]]>
	</fx:Script>

</s:Application>

Because the TestView component is referenced in both mxml and ActionScript, the AS version of the import will be prone to disappearing. To solve the problem stick to either AS or mxml (not both) when using the component and don’t forget to remove the “xmlns:” reference.

Incidentally, this problem may have been resolved in FlashBuilder 4. I haven’t noticed any disappearing Imports since upgrading.

Another possible cause is referenced here.

Working in a team environment that makes use of frequent code reviews can be extremely challenging. Coders, like artists tend take a lot of pride in their work and the thought of frequent reviews can feel threatening. To create an environment where reviews are welcomed, adopting an egoless approach can prove practical.

To successfully achieve a comfortable review friendly working practice will take effort from both reviewers and reviewees. Some practice is also required until the reviewing process is just right. If the reviewer is too soft there is a danger that poor quality code could make it into the codebase, whereas if they are too hard the coder could become unnecessarily defensive or upset.

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There are times when a good quote or anecdote can provide a distilled emotional quick fix to your mood. Michael Wulf gave me the pleasure of a Theodore Roosevelt quote at a time when I really needed it.

It is not the critic who counts; Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; Who strives valiantly;

Who errs, and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; But who does actually strive to do the deeds; Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; Who spends himself in a worthy cause;

Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worse, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

-Theodore Roosevelt

Today I upgraded this site to use the excellent iWPhone plugin and the latest version of WordPress. Now you can view the site in an optimised format on your iPhone. Enjoy!

Increase the amount of heap used by Eclipse/FlexBuilder by adding the following command line options:

-vmargs -Xms256M -Xmx512M

Shortcut Example: "C:\Program Files\eclipse\eclipse.exe" -vmargs -Xms256M -Xmx512M

Alternatively, you can update your eclipse.ini file.

More information can be found on Ryan Phelan’s site.

These examples have been tested on a Windows XP PC with 2GB RAM.

If you’ve attempted to use subclipse with a secure session, you may well have experienced the dreaded error message:

The system cannot find the file specified.
svn: Can't create tunnel: The system cannot find the file specified.

Typically, you experience it when using a url with the following structure:

svn+ssh://myfancy.svnserver.com/repo

Thankfully there is a very simple fix. All you need to do is More »

The community choice awards are an opportunity to vote for fantastic open source software. For me Zentrack has been such a useful tool that it certainly got my vote! Please click the award link if you want to vote too.

After a very quiet March, April has been extremely busy. I started working with a great design company HeavyLight and we have been producing some great initial results. As a team we have really harnessed the power of Illustrator and Flex to create some fabulous looking, high performance user interfaces. Hopefully I will be able to show off some of our work in the future just to demonstrate what can be done when you get great graphic designers together with a designer friendly developer.

Well the moment you’ve all been waiting for has come! You can find the podcast feed for the first episode of Cosmic Corridors on the new site, here.

Alternatively, you can search for “Cosmic Corridors” on iTunes.