10.10 Wrapping Up

In this chapter, we've looked at how you might use Flash Remoting to consume web services from service providers, rather than create your own remote services. You've seen examples that work in each implementation of Flash Remoting, and you've seen some limitations of dealing with web service datatypes that might prevent you from using a given server solution for a particular web service. You've also seen how a Flash Remoting example of a web service can be used inside of the Flash environment as a Flash panel.

At the time of this writing, support for SOAP-based web services in Flash MX Professional 2004 is still in flux. That said, the existing Flash Remoting feature set remains supported in Flash Player 7 and Flash MX 2004. Even if enhanced support for SOAP-based web services in Flash MX Professional 2004 obviates the need for Flash Remoting to be installed on the server, these examples should work in Flash Player 7. If necessary, see the online Code Depot for updated .fla files for Flash Player 7, which may differ slightly from the Flash 6 versions presented here if you're not using Flash Remoting on the server.

Chapter 11 delves into one of the coolest areas of Flash MX and ActionScript programming ”building user interface components and enabling them to be data-driven by a remote service.