Site building question

[chadmtate]

I recent attended a class on Flash. They took us through building a website using "forms". I asked if this was common practice to build a website. The instructors said it was. I have read through a few books on flash, and none of them mention using "forms" to build a site. I like the way forms work, and it seems like a nice way to do a site, but, I was just looking here to see what the general feeling is toward them, and some pro's and con's.

Thanks

[simonboris]

Well chadmtate,

Form !? In html website using serveur code like php, asp, .NET, it is usefull to based all your page on form since you can easily pass data from page to page. ASP.NET is based on this concept because they only find this way to pass complex data between pages because server code is executed only once, before the pages load, and is not accessible in realtime.

Flash is realTime interactivity...
In flash, if your website is in one and only html page and your site is in flash, using external swf or only one swf, you do not need form. In flash, there is global variables accessible by sub movieClip or externaly Loaded swfs. Form are not usefull and should not be used... because you simply do not need them.

Forms are a way of communicating between user and you or user and databases.

You should go back to your instructor and ask your money back...

That's what i think...

[sleekdigital]

simonboris, this poster is referring to a specific feature in flash called forms, not html forms. When you start a new new flash document, one of the options is "Flash Forms Application" And you get some different panels to work with.

I have no experience using this feature mostly because I've been using flash since way before it existed, and I don't see any major benefits to using this feature (for me) compared to what I do without it.

I think it is really a matter of preference in terms of how you like to work. I don't think it's a better or worse way to build a web site. I think the reason you don't see it in many books is because most people with experience don't find the need to use this feature. It does not really do anything you could not do with a normal flash application. Its just a different approach.