Rich Internet Application Teaching Resources
Rich Internet Applications (RIA) combine the flexibility of desktop applications with the broad reach of the web. RIAs are interactive and engaging, combining an online and off-line experience. To prepare students with the right skills for this new realm of application development that impacts interactivity and visual design and connects designers and developers more closely, institutions must plan courses and course content. Working with faculty from higher education institutions, we’ve put together resources for teaching RIA design and development across a variety of courses, such as Human Computer Interaction, Interaction Design, and Introduction to Computer Programming.
These resources fall into three categories:
- Course projects to integrate applications design or development into existing courses
- Sample course project ideas for students developing RIAs
- Introductory online workshop modules for supplemental self-study
- Book recommendations to put together a course on RIA design and development
Course Projects
Here are two use cases for RIA technologies as used by designers and developers. Students can apply the knowledge learned in the Online Workshop modules through these projects.
Designer's Focus
The downloadable project files include the requirements document and sample content. This project covers user interface design concepts:
- Planning the design of an application
- User-centered design
- Interaction design principles
- Navigation
- Visual branding and identity creation
Students design an RIA UI design and create a prototype.
Developer's Focus
The downloadable project files include a requirements document, sample content, and files depicting one possible solution for the visual design. This project covers translating a designer’s prototype into a functioning application, including:
- Data and event handling and XML integration
- User interface components
- XML manipulation
- Event management
- Testing and bug checking / management
- Deploying applications for the web and desktop
Students develop a Flex web application and an AIR desktop application.
Sample completed project:
- Source project archives for use in Flex Builder:
- Completed web application
- Desktop AIR application installer (ZIP: 1.6M)
Project Ideas
The following sample project ideas provide a requirements document as a starting point for students developing rich Internet application prototypes or functional applications.
Designer Projects
- AIR Music Player (PDF, 325k) - In this basic design project, you are challenged to design a user interface prototype for a desktop music player application.
- Department Calendar of Events (PDF, 214k ) - In this intermediate designer project, you are challenged to design a prototype of an online calendar of events for an academic department.
Developer Projects
- Resume Repository (PDF, 162k ) - In this basic developer project, you are challenged to lay out and develop an online repository where students may edit their resumes and campus employers may browse or search for suitable candidates.
- Student Gallery (PDF, 174k) - In this intermediate developer project, you are challenged to lay out and develop an online student gallery where students can edit their information and share their work with peers, instructors, and art galleries.
Advanced Designer/Developer Project
- eCommerce Product Purchasing (PDF, 182k) - In this advanced design and development project, your team is challenged to complete wireframes and then design and develop an online store and merchandising portal. You may pick a business area of your choice.
Online Workshop Modules
Download the project archive files to follow along with this online workshop that provides a theoretical introduction to the basic capabilities and workflow in Flex Builder 3. For more in-depth information on any of the topics covered below, view some of the suggested texts in the Supporting Books section of this site.
Introduction (8 min)
Flex / AIR
- Orientation (4 min)
- Object Oriented Programming, MXML, and Actionscript 3.0 (8 min)
- Interface features and project archive files (7 min)
Designing layout and navigation
- Application container (2 min)
- Box class (2 min)
- Canvas - absolute and relative (2 min)
- Combined layout (1 min)
- Forms (1 min)
- Styling components (1 min)
- Component explorer (5 min)
- Creative Suite design workflow (8 min)
- Accordion (2 min)
- TabBar and LinkBar (1 min)
- TabNavigator (1 min)
- ViewStack (1 min)
- Step-by-step: Creating Flex application layouts using Fireworks (10 min)
Multimedia controls
Data
- Exchanging data (5 min)
- Binding and modeling (5 min)
- CRUD: Create Read, Update and Delete (5 min)
- Step-by-step: CRUD using the ‘Create Application from Database’ wizard (4 min)
- Reading XML data sources and E4X (5 min)
- Step-by-step: Connecting to an XML data source and displaying the content in UI components (7 min)
Handling events
- Simple UI event (2 min)
- Event listeners (2 min)
- Step-by-step: Changing the UI content display based on user events (5 min)
- Step-by-step: Calling a server script based on user events (4 min)
Putting it all together
- Building a simple XML / text editor (3 min)
- Building a countdown timer AIR application (3 min)
- Google RSS feed reader (3 min)
Deploying applications
Supporting Books
Use these books to put together courses on RIA design and development or to supplement your existing courses:
For courses on programming languages:
- Essential ActionScript 3.0
- ActionScript 3.0 Design Patterns: Object Oriented Programming Techniques
- Advanced ActionScript 3 with Design Patterns
For courses on Java and AJAX, etc:
- Adobe AIR for JavaScript Developers Pocket Guide
- Extending AJAX with the Flash/JavaScript Integration Kit
For courses on Rich Internet Application development:
- Enterprise Application Development with Flex
- Flex Solutions: Essential Techniques for Flex 2 and 3 Developers
- Adobe Flex 3: Training from the Source, Adobe Press
- Adobe ColdFusion 8 Web Application Construction Kit, Volume 1: Getting Started
- Adobe ColdFusion 8 Web Application Construction Kit, Volume 2: Application Development
- Creating Mashups with Adobe Flex and AIR
- Foundation Flex for Developers: Data-Driven Applications with PHP, ASP, .NET, ColdFusion and LCDS
For UI or interaction design courses:
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