Web Development

When we started designing the ehrmandate.com, the last thing I wanted was to end up like all the other medical websites that look identically sterile.

So that means a flash site, right? Well…almost. I was thinking of doing something similar to http://drxlr.com, because it’s simple, has great navigation and is in a word well designed. Kind of like something in an art museum you just want to keep looking at even after your brain finally “gets” it.

But because we have to hit a medical audience, we decided to go with something more straightforward. Pattern: http://www.mwacareers.org, built in flash with some cool effects and video ideas.

This website also had to be ipad compatible (and this was before Apple opened up Flash for IOS devices).

Stephen our amazing UI developer used jQuery and javascript to create almost the same look and feel (granted, with slightly simpler animations). Here are some of the cooler things that had to be done:

• Algorithm to randomly (or nonrandomly if you specify a certain parameter) distribute objects over the css grid background
• There’s a shadow on top of all the page elements, so we had to program in the ability to click on elements and be passed to URLs
• AJAX tabs and form submission…eventually the whole thing will be AJAX, making page loads seamless
• Making a jQuery scrollbar that would work on iOS was tricky but ended perfectly

Judge the results for yourself:

“Flash is on its way out.” I’m getting tired of hearing it.

Saying that we don’t need Flash anymore because of technologies like HTML5, CSS3 and javascript is like saying that we don’t need a MacBook Pro because we have an iPad. Really, all we are saying is that it’s cooler because it’s newer.

Q: Why is Flash still awesome?

A: Flash is still WAY better for any sophisticated animation and video stuff. You couldn’t do these sites without flash.

Consider the following technical excerpt from a Cisco programming guide for one of their DMP devices (ActionScript is the Flash programming language):

Comparison of Javascript (JS) and ActionScript (AS) APIs Some JavaScript API’s do not have an equivalent ActionScript APIs as there are no equivalent features to match (browser related calls). The reverse is also true – some ActionScript API’s do not exist in the JavaScript API Flash related calls). For example, JS call tvMediaPlayer_browserClose(id) does not exist in the AS API as there is currently no Browser. AS call like setColorKey(red:Number, green:Number, blue:Number, range:Number) does not exist in JS API because this feature is not supported by the Browser. However most video functions have a 1:1 mapping. For example, AS call stopVideo() is equivalent to the JavaScript function tvMediaPlayer_stop() where both API’s stop video. In JavaScript the function tvMediaPlayer_play(url) is equivalent to the ActionScript function playVideoToCoordinates(url:String, loop:Boolean, fullscreen:Boolean, x:Number, y:Number, w:Number, h:Number) where both API’s play video to a location defined on the screen. Link to Action Script Media Player Full API :

Translation: JavaScript can do things that ActionScript cannot do, and vice versa. Just like MacBook Pros and iPads.

Q: Why is jQuery awesome?

A: Because it provides an alternative to simple Flash animation while not requiring a plugin.

BUT if you’re not doing sophisticated video development or animation, you may be able to get by with a javascript library like jQuery, prototype, mootools, or the like. I am a proponent of jQuery because it is easy to use and has the largest user base. Here’s a post where we discuss the use of jQuery replacing Flash on one of our favorite projects.