FW: Seeking help understanding accessible app development with FlexFrom: Matt May [mattmay@adobe.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 4:22 PM
To: Jamal Mazrui
Cc: Andrew Kirkpatrick; Jamal Mazrui home
Subject: RE: Seeking help understanding accessible app development with Flex

Hi Jamal,

 

I think I see your problem. In Flex, the UI is drawn after the creation complete event fires. Since you werent using an MXML file, you have to handle that event, or no UI components will be drawn. Theres an example of pure ActionScript Flex code here:

 

http://cookbooks.adobe.com/post_Creating_Application_without_MXML-11123.html

 

I should note that its exceedingly rare for developers to use Flex without MXML. The features of MXML (like being able to lay out your components in declarative markup, creating states and transitions, etc.) are a good chunk of the case for using Flex, and while you can technically do all the same things with pure ActionScript, it means a lot of extra work responding to events and setting properties that normally you get for free.

 

If you have any more questions, feel free to let me know.

 

Thanks,

m

 

From: Jamal Mazrui [mailto:Jamal.Mazrui@fcc.gov] 
Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2011 3:34 PM
To: Matt May
Cc: Andrew Kirkpatrick; Jamal Mazrui home
Subject: FW: Seeking help understanding accessible app development with Flex

 

Hi Matt, 
I got an auto responder from Andrew who is out for a few days, suggesting that I contact you for technical issues.  Can you help?

Jamal 

 

Forwarded Message 
______________________________________________ 
From:   Jamal Mazrui  
Sent:   Tuesday, April 19, 2011 6:30 PM 
To:     'akirkpat@adobe.com' 
Cc:     Jamal Mazrui home 
Subject:        Seeking help understanding accessible app development with Flex 

Hi Andrew, 
I attended the CSUN session on Adobe best practices for Flex accessibility, and was pleased to learn about MSAA improvements, the white paper, etc.  As you may know, I have experience developing software in various languages, so I thought I would try to learn enough about Flex to build an accessible sample app.  I have since put much time into studying the white paper, Flash and Flex docs, the va.gov course on accessible Flash, and other Google searches.  I am coming to you now because I am stumped, and wonder if you might be able to refer me to someone who can help, hopefully just for a few minutes by phone or email, as I think I am most of the way there.

My goal has been to build an accessible "fruit basket program" with a text editor and the Flex SDK.  A fruit basket program is a way that the blind programmer community has developed to learn and compare GUIs in various languages and platforms.  The web site with the program criteria and many such examples is at

http://FruitBasketDemos.org 

If I succeed in getting this working, I will post it there, which would then hopefully help others get a jump start on accessible development with Flex.  In the past few months, two people have contributed Silverlight samples, so the time does seem right for a Flex one.  I asked on a couple of blind programmer/web developer lists if anyone could assist me with this, but no one seemed to know how.

If I understand the Adobe docs correctly, almost anything is possible via an MXML or ActionScript approach to Flex development, or a combination of both.  My preference is pure ActionScript, so that is what I have tried.  I have gotten FruitBasket.as to compile with what seems like code that should work, but both Internet Explorer and Firefox are showing no content between the Flash start and End statements in the JAWS virtual buffer.  I also tried turning the virtual cursor off, but do not find any content that way either.

If anyone wants to look at my source code, or try running the app, it is posted in the archive at 
http://EmpowermentZone.com/flex_fruit.zip 

FruitBasket.swf is the compiled binary.  FruitBasket.htm is a minimalist hosting page using HTML I got from the va.gov course.  FruitBasket.html uses the HTML file that the demo of Flash Builder 4 created for me.  I think it also uses swf.js and PlayerInstall.swf.  FruitBasket.mxml was also created by Flash Builder in a different project, but is not yet used -- I will add to it if I cannot get the app to work via pure ActionScript. 

Thanks for considering this. 

Jamal 

Jamal Mazrui 
Deputy Director, Accessibility and Innovation Initiative 
Federal Communications Commission 
202.418.0069 

 

P.S. I'm copying my home address, so if you reply to all, I'll get your message ASAP. 
