WebORB for PHP 3.0 is available

I am very happy to announce a release of a new major version of WebORB for PHP - 3.0. The new release includes a bunch of new features as well as important bug fixes. Here's what we've got for you:

• Flex Messaging implementation - This is by far the most requested feature next to data management. The concept is very simple: Flex client can send a message to a destination, WebORB receives and delivers the message to all other Flex clients subscribed to the destination. Our implementation includes a simple ActionScript API (similar to Adobe's Producer/Consumer) to publish/receive messages to/from a messaging destination. There is also a basic Flex chat example demonstrating the API.
  
  
• Improved service browser with lazy structure loading - previously our console used to load the entire directory structure with all the PHP classes in a single request. That led to several problems including slow performance as well as PHP class loading issues (for bad PHP classes). The new approach uses lazy loading where we load information about classes and methods only when you select a particular node in the service browser.
  
  
• Error reporting in the service browser - PHP classes that do not pass validation are shown with a warning sign in the service browser. You can get the text of the error just by rolling mouse pointer over.
  
  
• Flex destination management - There is a new configuration panel in the WebORB management console you can use to create new destinations, set channels and assign user roles to the destinations.
  
  
• PureMVC code generator - We added a new code generator to the service browser. When you select a PHP class in the service browser, and choose PureMVC in the "code style" list, the code generator creates PureMVC-conforming code you can use to invoke methods on the selected class.
  
  
• Improved AS3 code generation - The AS3 code generator has been improved. The new generator creates a bindable model class to make it easier to update the UI when you get remote invocation results.
  
  
• Added support for downloading generated code in a ZIP file - Previously when you used code generators in the WebORB console, you had to copy and paste the generated code from the console into Flex Builder project files. This is very inefficient and can be a tedious process if the code generator produced a lot of classes. The new release makes it significantly simpler where with a single click you can get a zip file with all the generated code.
  
  
• Performance improvements - WebORB 3.0 is about 200% faster than our previous implementation. The latest release takes advantage of the optimizations built into the AMF3 protocol and the size of WebORB response messages is smaller too.
  
  
• New examples (chat, file upload, custom security, XML serialization) - be sure to check out all the new examples shipped with the product.

I am very excited about this release as it sets the stage for some fantastic features we're working on now. The next release will bring an implementation of WDMF for PHP, a data management framework you will love to use. I also would like to thank everyone who has helped us out with the beta testing of WebORB for PHP 3.0. Your help and loyalty is remarkable!

Finally, I'd like to remind everyone that though WebORB for PHP is a free product, product support is not free. If you find WebORB useful, I encourage you to obtain a support package to help us help you. You can see all available support packages at:
http://www.themidnightcoders.com/weborb/weborb_support_packages.shtm

Back to blogging

It has been a loooong time since I blogged anything and I do not feel good about it. It is not easy to find time when you're behind on 1000 things, but I have all the intentions to blog more often.

We have been extremely busy across the board! The product development is going extremely well and I am about to announce two new version releases. Additionally, we're working on a new revolutionary product that will change the way businesses run their RIAs. That's all I can say for now, but I guarantee you will want it when you see it.

Finally, our consulting team is kicking some serious butt. After seeing the kind of applications we developed for our clients, I know we have the best Flex talent in the world. If you're looking for Flex consultants, drop us a line.