How to find locations ?

So...if you want to find "380 new york st, redlands, ca" or "www.esri.com" or "909 793 285", you can use the IFind service.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:Application
  xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
  xmlns:framework="com.esri.aws.osgi.framework.*"
  xmlns:services="com.esri.aws.services.*"
  layout="absolute"
  >
  <mx:Script>
    <![CDATA[
      import com.esri.aws.services.FindOptions;
      import com.esri.aws.services.FindResultSet;
      import com.esri.aws.services.GeocodeInfo;
      import mx.controls.Alert;
      import mx.collections.ItemResponder;
      import com.esri.aws.services.IFind;
      import flash.utils.getQualifiedClassName;
      import com.esri.aws.osgi.framework.IServiceReference;
      import com.esri.aws.osgi.framework.IBundleContext;
      private function doFind() : void
      {
        var context : IBundleContext = framework.systemContext;
        var ref : IServiceReference = context.getServiceReference(getQualifiedClassName(IFind));
        if( ref == null)
        {
          Alert.show( "No service reference !");
          return;
        }
        var find : IFind = context.getService( ref ) as IFind;
        find.findLocation( textInput.text, null, new ItemResponder(
          function( data : Object, token : Object = null) : void
          {
            var findResultSet : FindResultSet = FindResultSet(data);
            arrayCollection = new ArrayCollection( findResultSet.findResults );
          },
          function( info : Object, token : Object = null) : void
          {
            Alert.show( info.toString());
          }
        ));
      }
    ]]>
  </mx:Script>
  <framework:Framework id="framework"
    apiKey="XXXXX">
    <services:FindActivator/>
  </framework:Framework>
  <mx:ArrayCollection id="arrayCollection"/>
  <mx:Panel width="100%" height="100%">
    <mx:DataGrid width="100%" height="100%" dataProvider="{arrayCollection}"/>
    <mx:ControlBar>
      <mx:TextInput id="textInput" enter="doFind()"/>
    </mx:ControlBar>
  </mx:Panel>
</mx:Application>

Flickr Images as Markers

You can create BubbleMarkers that when expanded will display a Flickr image. In the below example, I'm creating a map, and when the user clicks on the search button, I'm searching any public image in the map extent.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:Application
 xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
 xmlns:framework="com.esri.aws.osgi.framework.*"
 xmlns:map="com.esri.aws.awx.map.*"
 layout="absolute"
 >
 <mx:Script>
   <![CDATA[
     import mx.controls.Image;
     import com.esri.aws.awx.geom.PointShape;
     import com.esri.aws.awx.map.layers.overlays.BubbleMarker;
     import mx.controls.Alert;
     import com.esri.flickr.Photo;
     import mx.collections.ItemResponder;
     import mx.rpc.AsyncToken;
     import mx.rpc.http.HTTPService;
     import com.esri.aws.awx.geom.Extent;
    
     private function searchPhotos() : void
     {
       map.markerLayer.removeAllOverlays();
      
       var extent : Extent = map.extent;
       var httpService : HTTPService = new HTTPService();
       var urlVar : URLVariables = new URLVariables();       
       urlVar.api_key = "19640523";
       urlVar.method="flickr.photos.search";
       urlVar.extras = "geo";
       urlVar.bbox = extent.minX+","+extent.minY+","+extent.maxX+","+extent.maxY;
       httpService.request = urlVar;
       httpService.resultFormat = HTTPService.RESULT_FORMAT_E4X;
       httpService.url = "http://api.flickr.com/services/rest/";
       var async : AsyncToken = httpService.send();
       async.addResponder( new ItemResponder(
       function( data : Object, token : Object = null) : void {
         var rsp : XML = data.result as XML;
         if( rsp.@stat == "ok")
         {
           for each ( var photos : XMLList in rsp.photos)
           {
             for each ( var photoXML : XML in photos.photo)
             {
               var photo : Photo = new Photo();
               photo.id = photoXML.@id;
               photo.owner = photoXML.@owner;
               photo.secret = photoXML.@secret;
               photo.server = photoXML.@server;
               photo.farm = photoXML.@farm;
               photo.title = photoXML.@title;
               photo.isPublic = photoXML.@ispublic;
               photo.isFriend = photoXML.@isfriend;                
               photo.isFamily = photoXML.@isfamily == "1";
               photo.latitude = photoXML.@latitude;
               photo.longitude = photoXML.@longitude;
               photo.accuracy = photoXML.@accuracy;
              
               addPhotoMarker( photo );
             }
           }
         }
       },
       function( info : Object, token : Object = null) : void
       {
         Alert.show( info.toString()); 
       }
       ));
     }
    
     private function addPhotoMarker( photo : Photo ) : void
     {
       var pointShape : PointShape = new PointShape( photo.longitude, photo.latitude);
       var bubbleMarker : BubbleMarker = new BubbleMarker( pointShape );
       bubbleMarker.label = photo.title;
       map.markerLayer.addOverlay( bubbleMarker );
       var image : Image = new Image();
       // http://farm{farm-id}.static.flickr.com/{server-id}/{id}_{secret}_[mstb].jpg
       image.source = "http://farm" + photo.farm +
         ".static.flickr.com/" + photo.server + "/" + photo.id + "_" + photo.secret + "_t.jpg";
       bubbleMarker.element = image;                 
     }
   ]]>
 </mx:Script>
 <framework:Framework apiKey="19640523"/>
 <mx:Panel width="100%" height="100%">
   <map:Map id="map"/>
   <mx:ControlBar>
     <mx:Button label="Search Photos" click="searchPhotos()"/>
   </mx:ControlBar>
 </mx:Panel>
</mx:Application>

And here is the Photo class

package com.esri.flickr
{
    public class Photo
    {
        public var id : String;
        public var owner : String;
        public var secret : String;
        public var server : String;
        public var farm : String;
        public var title : String;
        public var isPublic : Boolean;
        public var isFriend : Boolean;
        public var isFamily : Boolean;
        public var latitude : Number;
        public var longitude : Number;
        public var accuracy : int;
    }
}

Flex and OSGi

The AWX framework is based on a simplified OSGi implementation in AS3. The advent of flex modules made this implementation possible. The following is a simple walk-through that showcases how to use this solution. The idea is to define an interface whose implementation can be defined and discovered at runtime. Using FlexBuilder as a project manager makes things a bit easier.

Create a flex library project named "FooAPI" to define the following interface. A SWC "FooAPI.swc" is generated upon the build in the "bin" directory.

package com.esri.awx
{
public interface IFoo
{
  function doFoo( text : String ) : String;
}
}

Create a flex actionscript project named "FooBundle" - make sure to add the AWX swc as a project library and the "FooAPI" project. Modify the FooBundle.as class as follows:

package {
import com.esri.aws.osgi.framework.IBundleActivator;
import com.esri.aws.osgi.framework.IBundleContext;
import com.esri.awx.FooImpl;
import com.esri.awx.IFoo;

import flash.utils.getQualifiedClassName;

import mx.modules.ModuleBase;

public class FooBundle extends ModuleBase implements IBundleActivator
{
  public function start( context : IBundleContext ) : void
  {
    context.registerService( getQualifiedClassName(IFoo), new FooImpl());
  }

  public function stop( context : IBundleContext ) : void
  {
  }
}
}

Here we are creating a flex module that implements the IBundleActivator interface that defines the start and stop functions. In the start fnction implementation, we register a FooImpl instance with the framework. The value of getQualifiedClassName(IFoo) (Notice, we are using the IFoo interface) is acting as a key, that we can use in other bundles to get a reference to the IFoo implementation.

package com.esri.awx
{
public class FooImpl implements IFoo
{
  public function doFoo( text : String ) : String
  {
    return "foo::"+text;
  }
}
}

The compilation of this project will output a FooBundle.swf file. This is the bundle (in OSGi parlant) that we will load dynamically at runtime. Make sure that you set the output of the project to a web application. This will facilitate the following step.

Create the main application as a flex project.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:Application
xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
xmlns:awx="http://www.arcwebservices.com/2007/awx"
layout="horizontal"
>
<mx:Script>
  <![CDATA[
    import mx.controls.Alert;
    import com.esri.awx.IFoo;
    import flash.utils.getQualifiedClassName;
    import com.esri.aws.osgi.framework.IServiceReference;
    import com.esri.aws.osgi.framework.IBundle;
    import com.esri.aws.osgi.framework.IBundleContext;
    private function listBundles() : void
    {
      trace( "---Bundles---");
      var context : IBundleContext = framework.systemContext;
      for each ( var bundle : IBundle in context.getBundles())
      {
        trace( bundle.getBundleID()+" "+bundle.getSymbolicName());
      }
    }
    private function loadFoo() : void
    {
      framework.installBundle("http://host/webapp/FooBundle.swf");
    }
    private function doFoo() : void
    {
      var context : IBundleContext = framework.systemContext;
      var ref:IServiceReference = context.getServiceReference(getQualifiedClassName(IFoo));
      if( ref == null)
      {
        Alert.show( "No reference to service IFoo");
      }
      else
      {
        var foo : IFoo = context.getService( ref ) as IFoo;
        trace( foo.doFoo( "Hello"));
      }
    }
    private function uploadFoo() : void
    {
      var bundleID : int = -1;
      var context : IBundleContext = framework.systemContext;
      for each ( var bundle : IBundle in context.getBundles())
      {
        if( bundle.getLocation() == "http://host/webapp/FooBundle.swf")
        {
          bundleID = bundle.getBundleID();
          break;
        }
      }
      if( bundleID != -1)
      {
        context.getBundle(bundleID).uninstall();
      }
    }
  ]]>
</mx:Script>
<mx:TraceTarget/>
<awx:Framework id="framework" apiKey="xxxxxxx"/>
<mx:Button label="List Bundles" click="listBundles()"/>
<mx:Button label="Load Foo" click="loadFoo()"/>
<mx:Button label="Do Foo" click="doFoo()"/>
<mx:Button label="Upload Foo" click="uploadFoo()"/>
</mx:Application>

Here in the main application, we create an instance of the Framework.
The listBundles function lists all the available bundles. By default, the framework installs the system bundle and an authentication bundle.
The loadFoo function installs the foo bundle from a url.
The unloadFoo function unloads the bundle from the framework, which automagically unregisters any registered services.
The doFoo function demonstrates how to get a reference to an IFoo implementation. If the reference is null then the service was not loaded or was unloaded. if we have a non-null reference value, then we use it to get a service reference, that we can safely cast to IFoo and act upon it.

Hey ArcGIS users

You can create an ArcGIS Server based layer using the AWX Flex API. In the below sample, I'm loading a layer from a specified endpoint and then when I click click on the button, I'm turning off the "water" layer in the ArcGIS group layer.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:Application
xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
xmlns:framework="com.esri.aws.osgi.framework.*"
xmlns:map="com.esri.aws.awx.map.*"
xmlns:layers="com.esri.aws.awx.map.layers.*"
layout="absolute"
>
<mx:Script>
<![CDATA[
  import mx.collections.ArrayCollection;
  import mx.collections.ItemResponder;
  import com.esri.aws.awx.map.layers.LayerVisibility;
  private function turnWaterOff() : void
  {
    ags.getLayerVisibilities( new ItemResponder(
    function(data : Object, token : Object = null) : void {
      var arrCol : ArrayCollection = data as ArrayCollection;
      for each ( var layerVisibility : LayerVisibility in arrCol)
      {
        if( layerVisibility.name == "Water")
        {
          layerVisibility.visible = false;
        }
      }
    },
    function(info : Object, token : Object = null) : void {
      trace( info );
    }   
    ));
  }
]]>
</mx:Script>
<framework:Framework apiKey="196405023"/>
<mx:Panel width="100%" height="100%">
<map:Map>
  <map:basemaps>
    <layers:ArcGISMapServerGroupLayer id="ags"
      endpointURI="http://host/arcgis/services/MapService/MapServer"
      />
  </map:basemaps>
</map:Map>
<mx:ControlBar>
  <mx:Button label="Turn Water Off" click="turnWaterOff()"/>
</mx:ControlBar>
</mx:Panel>
</mx:Application>

MinnDOT using Flex and AWX

Success story using Adobe Flex and ESRI AWX.

AWX2 Beta3 Released

Download it from here. One of the new items is great documentation of the API.

My MAX 2007 Presentation

Thanks all for attending, it was a packed room. You can download a zipped ppt version of my presentation from here.