Wow. Just realized it’s been a while since I put in an entry. This is why I don’t keep my own blog.

• Last week I spent time looking at the differences between Flex 3 and Flex 4 and how that would affect the the Ingest Manager rewrite (utilities it will be using since some are still Flex 3)
• Created the initial Ingest Manager layout in Maven format and imported into Eclipse.
• Keeping with F4, wrote code using containers for multiple content areas (breaking up header, footer and main content).
• Incorporating ManagementUtils LoginScreen into code
• Continue to receive a maven error on project build, even though it hasn’t affected my output. I also can’t seem to fix the issue. Has anyone seen the following error before:
  

  3/30/11 1:41:40 PM EDT: [ERROR] .m2/repository/com/adobe/flex/framework/spark/4.0.0.14159/spark-4.0.0.14159.swc(spark/components/SkinnableContainer):[-1,-1] Type was not found or was not a compile-time constant: [mx.core]::IDeferredContentOwner.
  3/30/11 1:41:40 PM EDT: Build errors for IngestManagerF4; org.apache.maven.lifecycle.LifecycleExecutionException: Failed to execute goal org.sonatype.flexmojos:flexmojos-maven-plugin:3.8:compile-swf (default-compile-swf) on project IngestManagerF4: Error compiling!

• Found some fun URL issues when initially created the pom. In the original Ingest Manager, http://viz-n.com/ is used instead of fgmdev.com:8081. This was causing me a headache until I discovered the fix. Was that the original URL before fgmdev.com:8081?

• Went through Ingest Manager. Wrote up ideas on how to make it more user-friendly, as well as a list of questions about some features
• Met with Dong and Phil to discuss. Goal is to re-write/create client-side Ingest Manager in Flex 4 that uploads, analyzes and sends data.
• Asked Dong whether mySQLIf worked with Flex 4 and he was kind enough to update the code so it does.
• Started looking into code and laying out game plan for re-write

• MySQLIf updated for Flex 4 – MySQLIf4 v. 1.0
  • svn://fgmdev.com/trunk/Flex_folders/Components/MySQLIf4
  • set debug flag manually for flex-mojos-maven-plugin

  <configuration>
     <debug>false</debug>
  </configuration>

• Put in a commenting system which allows users to post comments on sections of a report
• Fixed an issue with the quad chart that broke the navigation buttons

Back to working the visualization part in order to get something to show the customer.

• Working on figuring out how to run something inside without hosting it on a server
  • Should be able to open a swf/html file from a CD as long as it doesn’t require any outside services except maybe loading xml files locally
  • Hard coded some methods to fill a local data cache with data for the report viewer
• Figure we need some of the basic stuff even if it isn’t wired:
  • Users and a login screen
  • Ability to comment on things in reports
  • Have a log in screen working and connecting to a remoteobject, need to figure out how to turn the remoting on/off at run-time (some kind of demo mode)

• Spent time getting MySQL synced up with Eclipse and getting Ingest Manager working
  • Reinstalled MySQL on mac (major messup. Not sure what went on there). Got it working with Eclipse and did a few tests to be perfectly sure all was working
  • Began working on Ingest Manager — syncing it up with the J2EE projects (RemoteObjectTestbed — it was easier to stick with Phils naming convention). Was able to get it up, but not running. I’m thinking this has to do with the Java packages that need to be created (the ones that should coincide with what’s called in the remote-config.xml file).
  • Currently working creating the Java packages.

• Spent time yesterday and today continuing on with the Flex/Java/Tomcat setup.
• To avoid Tomcat’s settings.xml file from being overwritten, I had to modify the server.xml file in Eclipse (under Servers < Tomcat: localhost). Still don't know why, but it works and I'm happy
• Had minor setback with a Messagebroker issue, but that was resolved with a click of a Tomcat setting
• Set up and ran a test Java/Flex project. Success. Discovered a bug with SDK 4.0 where an error was returned when calling mx.rpc.Responder (error message was: Can not resolve a multiname reference unambiguously. flash.net:Responder (from /Applications/AdobeSDK/flex_sdk_4.0.0.14159_mpl/frameworks/libs/player/10.0/playerglobal.swc(flash.net:Responder)) and mx.rpc:Responder (from /Applications/AdobeSDK/flex_sdk_4.0.0.14159_mpl/frameworks/libs/rpc.swc(mx.rpc:Responder)) are available). Found out that this is a known bug and the way to resolve it was to explicitly call the full classname
• Now that I have a better understanding of the Flex/Java setup, tomorrow I will begin trying to get Ingest Manager up and running *finally*
• Non-dev related: Claire was very excited to have her purple shovel again

• Finally resolved the deletion issue
• Now working on a basic Flex app for browsing and managing the data base
• It currently:
  • Displays a list of all existing object types
  • Can retrieve and display all dynamic objects of a selected type
  • Displays meta information about each object type (property names and primitive types)
• It will:
  • Allow new object types to be created
  • Allow modification of existing types
  • Allow deletion of object types (including removing of every dynamic object of that type)

• Came in this morning and the internet was out.  Ended up calling Comcast with Kristi and they helped us sort it out
• More progress on saving and loading of dynamic objects
  • Have custom serialization working to minimize the amount of data sent back and forth while sending dynamic objects
  • Have a simple UI for querying for all available types
  • It can then request all object of a specific type and display them
  • Attempted to delete object but ran in to some problems, still sorting it out

• Just checking in. Slowly working through getting Ingest Manager running. Have had little time to do so b/c child has been sick with the flu and now I have it. Not a good week

More progress on the dynamic object hibernate database thing.  Now transferring meta information to and from Flex along with the dynamic objects.

Found a weird bug with internet explorer while trying to download .docx, .pptx, or any other new microsoft office files.  Internet explorer automatically renames a file such as myDocument.docx to myDocument.zip, but it’s not the site zipping up your file and sending it to you to save space.  It’s Internet Explorer RENAMING THE FILE BECAUSE IT’S RETARDED.  It then tries to open your document as a zip file and confuses the hell out of the people using our SCT blog.  Dong and I overwrote the mime type definitions on our apache server to resolve the problem.  Details here.

• Deleted and re-checked out EdgeUtils2 only to have the same errors occur. Met with Dong:
  • More maven fun, this time on the mac. Discovered flexmojos:flexbuilder not working correctly for library apps (ex: EdgeUtils)
• Installed MySQL on Windows machine; got Tomcat working in Eclipse on both Mac and Windows.

Repairing the hand:

• Index finger still has problems.  Found out it was actually the bottom, not the top, that had the wrong resistance.  Attached a new one waiting for glue to dry.

I2C volume control:

• Found out the difference between a rheostat and a potentiometer.  A rheostat only has 2 leads while a potentiometer has 3.  The potentiometer changes the resistances between the wiper and both ends producing two different resistances which add up to the total.   All potentiometers can act as rheostats but rheostats can’t act as potentiometers.
• Our i2c chips are rheostats which is a problem because our amplifier needs a potentiometer.  I was able to mimic a potentiometer by setting the second register to (255 – register1).  This worked but there is no way to cut off the sound completely.  The chip has a shutdown command but it shuts it down at A which doesn’t exist on these circuits.
• There is a version of this chip which is a potentiometer and the cut off switch would work but these are not addressable.  To use these I would either need a usb hub or some type of i2c multiplexer which I am still confused how you actually address it.
• The other option is to get a complete audio amplifier IC.  Finding one of these that is not tiny and has leads is hard.
• Going to read documentation for the ad5243 to see if there is a special way to mute it.   Have a feeling only the potentiometer version can do this.