I recently needed to convert an XML object to an XMLNode object in Actionscript 3. It’s not exactly rocket science, but the way to do it is hard to track down via the tubes. Here’s how I did it:

var my_xml:XML = new XML(“foobar/barbar2/bar2/foo”);

var xmldoc:XMLDocument = new XMLDocument();
xmldoc.ignoreWhite = true;
xmldoc.parseXML(my_xml.toXMLString());

var my_xmlnode:XMLNode = xmldoc.firstChild;

And there you have it. my_xmlnode is now an XMLNode object containing the data of my_xml. I needed to do this while using an AS3 Library that required an XMLNode, but I wasn’t about to go AS2 style and construct the node one attribute at a time.

-Andrew

It’s Tuesday Morning here in San Francisco. I’m sitting by a defender arcade game listening to a conversation of AIR and Flex Data service development and sipping coffee. So far, the conference has provided some great sessions. Right now is a great time to to be a Flash/Fex/AIR Developer. Adobe is providing more food for the community, almost too much. If you’re not hungry, if you’re not an Actionscript fan-boy, It may become hard to keep up with all that is happening. This is both good and bad.

Since the release of Actionscript 3 we’ve seen a split in the Flash community mostly between those who code and those who don’t. Now with Flex, AIR and all the services that extend them, there is yet another narrowing of skill requirements. This is great because now the Flash Developer is really becoming defined while still being able to provide a wide range of solutions to those in need. The bad news is, the narrower the community gets, the less Adobe will pay attention to it.

My strategy is to find a niche as a Flash Developer. Find your process and master the pieces needed to go from concept to completion. But always strive to keep up with what is going on around Adobe and around the Flash community.

Check out my twitter http://www.twitter.com/walpolea to see more updates at MAX.

-Andrew

What I’ve yet to see in the AIR marketplace is an application that uses the SWF format as it’s content that it distributes. I can envision a fantastic gaming platform created in AIR that allows for a Flash developer network to create a myriad of playable online and offline Flash games.

The app could distribute a framework FLA that anyone could use to create a game. Games could be uploaded to a server and then sold in an online marketplace navagable through the AIR application or an online Flex app. Once bought and downloaded, games could be played online and offline, cross-platform.

The “app store” mentality is really taking control of the mobile space right now, why not the computer space as well? Facebook sure seems to be banking on it.