Chapter 1. Designing Applications


In This Chapter

The Analysis Phase 4

The Design Phase 8

The Implementation Phase 14

Testing 25

Summary 32

One of the most frequent questions ActionScript developers ask is, "How do I know what constitutes a class?" This question strikes at the heart of a larger dilemma, which is: What are the steps for building a successful application from start to finishfrom concept to completion? This is a big topic to tackle. Many people dedicate themselves to understanding and improving methodologies to answer this question.

The difficulty with teaching someone how to design and build an application from start to finish is that it requires elements that are difficult to talk about much less teach. It requires being able and willing to look at the big picture as well as looking at things from many perspectives. It requires creative thinking as well as abstraction. It requires practice and experience. But there are steps you can follow to help with the learning process. There are technologies you can use to assist you in developing your ActionScript classes. This chapter outlines some of the steps and technologies that have proven useful for many ActionScript developers.

Some methodologies say there are five steps for building applications; other methodologies say there are eight steps; still others can't decide how many steps it takes. In general, most developers agree that there are at least three phases to building successful applications:

  1. Analysis

  2. Design

  3. Implementation

In addition, most developers also agree that testing is a vital part of the application development process. Although not always considered a core phase we'll also look at testing as a fourth important phase.

As we look at each of these phases, remember that they are not necessarily linear. You can go back to an earlier step at any point if necessary. During the design phase, for example, you might realize that you forgot about an important use case for your application. At that point, you can return to the analysis phase. However, you should be as thorough as possible at each step. Don't jump to the design phase too early just because you can. The more thorough and complete you are with each phase before moving to the next, the more successful your application is likely to be. Additionally, thoroughness at each phase helps minimize the risk that you'll have to make major architectural changes later on, which could severely impact schedules and project success.




Advanced ActionScript 3 with Design Patterns
Advanced ActionScript 3 with Design Patterns
ISBN: 0321426568
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 132

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net