FlexLive.net

The first preview release of LiveCycle ”next generation” is available for download on devnet. The package is about 2 Gbs, but it’s well worth the bandwidth if you want to see the next gen enterprise solution in action:

• Finally, SOA Done Right: The LiveCycle suite used to have separate servers catering to a specific job such as form rendering or policy control. As the LiveCycle family grew, it became a multi-headed beast that was difficult to install and maintain. The new preview release consolidates the individual server products into services running in a common container. The result is dramatic improvements in maintenance and a much cleaner API
• Eclipse-based IDE: The form designer and workflow process designer have been consolidated into a single IDE called the Workbench. Just like the Flex Builder, Livecycle Workbench is based on the Eclipse platform. The IDE is not only a lot more efficient at designing forms and workflows, but it also provide version control and team collaboration support.
• Flex and Form Designer Integration: Is your PDF form too bland? Why not spice it up with a Flex wizard? Designer now comes with a new tool called the Guide Builder that allows you to attach Flex based wizard to your PDF forms. This feature actually makes boring forms fun and aesthetically pleasing. I’ll cover it in a web cast in the near future so you can see it in action.
• More Flex Integration: Formally known as the Form Manager, LiveCycle Workspace is a web portal where the users participate in workflows. It has been completely rebuilt using Flex. The new interface is very slick and the MXML code is available for customization.

As you can see, the new preview release packs more than just incremental improvements. It’s a solid package that pushes the envelope of enterprise RIA. Stay tuned for web casts showcasing the cool new features.

IBM, one of the most influential players in the enterprise application space, has adopted RIA for its enterprise product lines. Personally, I believe this is a big deal because it finally validates the value of RIA in the enterprise space. When I think of IBM, the first impression comes to my mind it big and slow. It represents the early majority on the bell curve at best, and that’s why its every move carries so much clout. Just like how it brought Linux into the enterprise IT mainstream, IBM has given enterprise RIA its final nod.

Like many enterprise vendors, IBM adopted RIA not because it was hip, but it made business sense. The end users of enterprise applications are highly paid information workers. A well designed RIA can significantly reduce training cost and boost worker productivity, both of which could have direct impact on the bottom line. Businesses simply cannot ignore the benefits of enterprise RIA. With solid platforms like Flex and the proliferation of SOA, it’s now more cost effective than ever to build enterprise RIA.

Looking back, IBM’s decision to embrace Linux instead of building it’s own OS was definitely a stroke of genius. It’s highly likely that IBM will settle on a existing RIA platform than building its own. With the Flash and Flex moving towards the OSS direction, it could be the most attractive choice for IBM.

As promised, here is a brand new tutorial on Livecycle Designer. Acrobat and Designer both have native support for SOAP, perfect for your typical enterprise SOA infrastructure. This tutorial shows you how easy it is to consume web services from a PDF form.

P.S., Captivate refused to record my voice narration when running in Vista. I put some captions in there to guide you through, but you have to read fast

Update: Stefan just posted a tutorial on PDF web service as well. Great minds think alike.

AMF0, AMF3, SOAP, REST, and JSON are just a few of the many ways to transfer data in RIA. Ever wonder which one is best suited for your requirements? Check out James Ward’s cool RIA data loading benchmark tool.

A few years back, while working as an intern for a large corporation, which shall remain anonymous, my responsibility was to maintain a slew of internal tools for HR and operations. Most of these tools were built by interns and contractors over the years with PHP or ASP. While PHP and ASP are immensely powerful, I found most of these internal tools were over engineered. Knowing what I know now, I believe a little PDF scripting would be ideal development platform for internal tools. Here are the top five reasons:

1. Distributed architecture. Acrobat has a full blown JavaScript engine that outstrips most browsers. It allows you to manipulate the form appearance, perform data validation, or even interact with web services and databases natively. With Acrobat being one of the most widely installed applications in the enterprise, it’s a true AJAX platform without the cross-browser compatibility issues.
2. Offline capability. The beauty of the PDF platform is that everything is document oriented, which means you can take it offline, make duplications, email it around, or even print it. The document is a self contained application that can be taken anywhere on any OS.
3. Paper integration. We’ve been pushing paperless office for years, but the fact of matter is that it would take decades to completely phase out paper records. In the meantime, LiveCycle Designer allows you to take any paper form and turn it into a form oriented application with a few lines of scripts.
4. Security considerations. Acrobat and LiveCycle both provide policy control for PDF documents. It’s drop dead easy compare to writing your own policy control mechanisms with PHP. PDF also has native support for digital signatures, which is light years ahead of the password systems used in most web applications.
5. Management buy-in. The PDF platform has a very strong brand loyalty from the enterprise decision makers. It’s perceived by many as one of the most secure and stable platforms. With PDF, you can focus on building your solution instead spending time justifying your platform choice to your boss.

In the next few weeks, I’ll start posting tutorials on PDF scripting. Stefan Cameron has a tutorial on PDF database connection capabilities. Be sure to check it out. If you are looking for a place to start, Alex Mitchell also has a great introductory tutorial.

Summer is here, school is out. For me, school is out for good. I’m glad to announce that I’m returning to the LiveCycle Designer team as an QA engineer. Not many people know this, but PDF is a very capable RIA platform. Acrobat has a full blown JavaScript engine with direct support for SOAP calls and database access. LiveCycle Designer let’s you tap into that platform with a WYSIWYG form editor and a JavaScript editor. Stay tuned and I’ll be blogging a lot more about Designer scripting down the road. In the meantime, check out Stefan Cameron’s blog on LiveCycle Designer. Stefan is the only other Designer blogger that I’m aware of, and he actually sits two cubes away from me. How cool is that?!