Dax Data, South African Macromedia distributor and Web enablement specialist, has announced the local availability of Macromedia Flash MX 2004, the latest version of the industry standard tool for designers and developers.
The company has also introduced Macromedia Flash Player 7, a new, high performance, rich client for Flash content and applications, and Flash MX Professional 2004, an advanced tool for creating data-driven rich Internet applications and video experiences.
"Flash MX 2004 enables users to accelerate projects with productivity and performance improvements that enhance the end user experience," says Jeremy Matthews, MD at Dax Data. Timeline Effects allow designers to add common transitions such as blurs and drop shadows without scripting. Predefined Behaviors eliminate the need for complex scripting of navigation and media controls.
The high performance compiler significantly improves playback performance, even with content created for earlier versions of Flash Player.
Optimisations in Flash Player 7 deliver additional performance gains for the best end user experience. The product also includes tighter integration with Macromedia Dreamweaver, Fireworks and other design and development tools in Macromedia Studio MX 2004.
New tools in Flash MX 2004 give developers fine-grained control over content quality and interactivity further enhancing user satisfaction. The ActionScript 2.0 scripting language enables developers to add sophisticated interactivity to their content. New support for Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) enables users to deliver hybrid sites that blend Flash and HTML with a consistent look and feel. Accessible components, Unicode support, and localisation tools extend content reach to include visually impaired users and international audiences. Full spell-checking and global search and replace help improve content quality.
"For the first time, Flash offers an extensible architecture that enables users and third parties to add functionality and customise the development workspace. Members of the worldwide Flash community will use the new Extensibility API to create and exchange powerful extensions and custom effects that simplify tasks and address emerging market needs," Matthews adds.
"The new extensibility layer architecture in Flash MX 2004 has created exciting new opportunities for customers to harness third-party tools that further enhance their development and design process," he says. "This architecture has opened up new doors for Macromedia`s 3D-to-Flash technology, making it possible to see the seamless integration of 3D design directly within the Flash authoring environment."
Flash MX Professional 2004 includes all of the features of Flash MX 2004, plus advanced capabilities for visual development of rich Internet applications, including a new forms-based development environment as an alternative to the traditional timeline metaphor, a rich component library, and easy data-binding to Web services and XML. The product also offers high-quality video capabilities and streamlined development for mobile devices.
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