Chapter 12. Controlling Visibility and Navigation
IN THIS CHAPTER
Controlling Visibility
Navigation Components
Creating a Photo Gallery Application
Summary
“I pleased myself with the design, without determining whether I was ever able to undertake it; not but that the difficulty of launching my boat came often into my head; but I put a stop to my own inquiries into it, by this foolish answer which I gave myself, ‘Let’s first make it; I’ll warrant I’ll find some way or other to get it along, when ’tis done.”
—
Daniel Defoe
Robinson Crusoe
One advantage of developing with Flex is the capacity to create dynamic web interfaces reminiscent of desktop applications. In part, this is handled by controlling the visibility of and navigation to different content areas. A company’s website might include different sections for featured products and/or services, recently completed projects, staff profiles, a blog and discussion forum, and so on. This much content cannot be presented at once on the same screen, so the site is partitioned into several different content areas.
The long-standing approach to navigating static websites requires dividing the site into several individual pages, each requiring a complete browser reload in order to view it. However, the Web 2.0 approach allows for dynamic delivery through various modules and widgets; even the main body content can be changed without refreshing the entire page.
This chapter covers the basics of navigation and flow control in Flex applications. ...
