Flash Remoting

Because it was mentioned back in Chapter 23, "Flash Remoting with ColdFusion," we won't go over it in great detail here, but it is important to mention Flash Remoting again. Flash Remoting is a way of interacting with web services in a whole new light. Instead of receiving XML back from the web service, Flash Remoting returns objects that are easier to use and parse.

If you do not have Flash Remoting, you can download the free developer edition here:

http://www.macromedia.com/software/flashremoting/downloads/components/

Also, for Flash Remoting to work with the web services we create in this chapter, you will need the .NET Framework Redistributable installed, which can be found here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=262D25E3-F589-4842-8157-034D1E7CF3A3&displaylang=en

When you complete the download, a new directory in your local host directory will be created called flashremoting. This directory is important because it will hold the gateway we need to go through to use Flash Remoting. Now you will be able to absorb web services with it instead of using the XML object.

Again, for more on Flash Remoting, check out Chapter 23.

Another great way to connect to web services is through the WebServiceConnector component. But before we can use it, we have to set up our web services in the Web Services panel.