Remote Data

To overcome the shortcomings of local data applications, we can introduce remote data into Flash. As we will see over the next five chapters, Flash can integrate external data and send data to a remote server. Such use of remote data overcomes both of the liabilities of local data applications. To change the underlying data in a remote data application, the data can be modified at its source (database, text files, extensible markup language [XML] documents, and so on) instead of being copied into the FLA source code. Additionally, should a remote dynamic data application be decompiled, the underlying data will not be exposed.

Additionally, this remote data can come in two forms, static data, which is read from text files (such as XML or delimited text), and dynamic data, which is tailored for each specific request to the server. Over the next several chapters, we examine how Flash can work with both static and dynamic remote data.

Of course, a remote data application lacks the one benefit of local data applications ”the ability to operate in a stand-alone manner when it is not connected to the Internet. To truly benefit from both local and remote architectures, a hybrid application is needed.