Flash Remoting: The Definitive Guide

Connecting to .NET

Flash Remoting supports integration with ASP.NET pages (.aspx files), .NET class libraries (.dll files), and XML web services. This support allows developers to construct hooks for Flash interfaces using whatever back-end implementation they prefer; however, each implementation provides certain advantages and disadvantages when it comes to Flash Remoting, as shown in Table 8-1.

Table 8-1. Comparison of ASP.NET implementations for Flash Remoting

Connection method	Advantages	Disadvantages
ASP.NET page	Fast development timeBuilt-in session and application state managementGood performance	Limited to one result per pageBreaks with object-oriented design practices if used without code behindNot remotely accessible to other applications
.NET class library	Object-oriented designExposes multiple methods and propertiesGood performance	Longer development time and more planningNot remotely accessible to other applicationsSession and application state management is not built-in
.NET XML web service	Accessible to remote applications..NET allows quick development timeBuilt-in session and application state management	Slow runtime performance

ASP.NET pages (pages with an .aspx extension) must be service-oriented (SO) in Flash Remoting because they can return only one value to the calling Flash movie. Developing ASP.NET pages is extremely quick and allows developers to separate presentation and business logic within a page. However, ASP.NET pages lack the structure ...