Best way to get dynamic content XML formatted

[Ruben]

Alright this will probably be the most stupid question of all time, but I've got expectations to life up to;


I was wondering, since XML seems to be the trend for loading external content into your flashsite, how do I keep this updated. This might be kinda confusing so here's an example;

If I'd use mySQL databases for storing the text on my site I'd just use a PHP-file to load the stuff from the database and then I'd load that into my flashsite using LoadVars (or whatever).
But if I would wanted to load mySQL stuff as XML then would I have to put all of the tags around them in the PHP as strings like thisprint "<stuffies>" + $stuffies + "</stuffies>";...or is there some kinda shortcut to doing this?

OR is the whole concept of loading your content as XML based upon the idea of the XML files instead of mySQL databases. ...which sounds kinda weird to me because that'd be real sh:tty to update in an CMS (I think..)


Anyways, I'd be really gratefull if someone could enlighten me here and tell me what is the best way to manage your content and still have my flashsite loading XML...

thanks bunches and heaps

:cool: - Ruben

[CyanBlue]

Howdy... :)

Here is my 2 cents on this... It's your decision to see if it is worth or not... ;)

I just don't understand those people who has to create additional process when you don't have to...

This approach is valie ONLY if you have some use of the XML document on other process of your project... Maybe your HTML site requires some data from the XML document or maybe your standalone application on the client's desktop requires access to the XML document...

Flash <--> XML <--> SSL/Database

But those examples can actually talk to the database directly without the XML document just by calling the SSL(server side script not secure socket layer) hence get rid of the use of the XML document...

You get to see more hassle than the benefit by using the XML document in Flash unless it is well structured in the beginning... Those beautiful XML attributes and the flexibility might be great for most of the cases, but that's not really an attractive point in Flash because of many reasons... :(

What I am trying to say is use this approach if you do not have the need for the byproduct... That's all... :)

Flash <--> SSL/Database

[Ruben]

Thanks CB for the opinion. Would anyone else care to explain what they think?

:) - Ruben


PS. Cyan, could you fill me in on the SSL thing a bit further? I have never heard of it to be honest...

[chrisxkelley]

I work in a small web dev. company and we were working on a media player project a week ago or so... We basically used a mySQL database to hold song information, and in the xml file had a php script that generated the xml tree structure with various print statements that grabbed info from the database. I dont know much about the php script because i'm on the flash end of it, but that is how we did it..

hope that helped

[CyanBlue]

I meant the server side script such as PHP/ASP/CF/JSP and such... ;)

[Ruben]

Ahh thanks chrisxkelley, that was exactly the kind of answer I was expecting (thanks CyanBlue too of course ;)).

...Anybody else? I'd like to get as many views on this baby as I can...

- Ruben

[Ruben]

I found this link while searching through stuff related to this topic:

XML FAQ (http://www.tupps.com/flash/faq/xml.html) - this is a really good one, read it if you have anything to ask about xml

:) - Ruben