Alberto, Look generally under the heading Flash Remoting. Also check AMFPHP - good if the database server is running PHP.
More generally, wherever you can read a file, e.g. sendAndLoad() or loadXML(), substitute a script executing on a server and treat the data stream it returns as a file.
The more difficult question is whether or not Flash is a good tool for interactive applications. Let's leave the "communicate with rather large server-side databases" out of it for the time being. Yes, if you want a tight, completely under your control, with v. private communication with the server, kind of app, and if you want to do something progressive, without a lot of page reloads.
But with AJAX you can also achieve a high degree of interactivity, without page reloads.
There was a thread on here last month about rich Internet applications. There were two incredible examples, www.gigagolf.com, and one which provided an online, Excel-like interactive tool to analyze acquisition possibilities for investors / merchant bankers. (At least that's how I remember it.) A classic "it depends".
Tools? A text editor, a scripting language on the server iwth the appropriate drivers/functions to access the database. If you have no experience with databases a quick familiarization with database terminology, normalization, basic SQL commands, which you can get from a gazillion sources.
Hope this is helpful - Miles Thompson At 12:03 PM 3/1/2006, Alberto Florentin wrote:
Hi all, I have been programming in Flash for quite a while, but always in the basic sense of rather complex applications which run on web pages or projectors. I have never done any communication with servers (apart from loading xml files in flash which I upload via FTP) Would flash be a good tool for interactive applications that communicate with rather large server-side databases? What other tools do I need to look into in order to start working towards this direction? thanks a lot Alberto _______________________________________________ Flashcoders@chattyfig.figleaf.com To change your subscription options or search the archive: http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders Brought to you by Fig Leaf Software Premier Authorized Adobe Consulting and Training http://www.figleaf.com http://training.figleaf.com
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