smartfoxserver.com

For SmartFoxServer 2X developers only...

We would like to add a new feature to the Admin Tool: give you the possibility to create custom modules fully integrated in the Admin Tool interface, allowing you to add configuration/monitoring/management interfaces specifically dedicated to your games and applications.
Through a very simple client and server API it would be possible to have such modules side by side with the default ones (Zone Monitor, Server Configurator, etc) keeping all the server and application management features in one convenient place, leveraging the existing connection and secure admin login system already offered by the tool.

But...
...thanks to Adobe and their brilliant work on the latest Flex SDK and Flash Builder versions, this is not so easy to achieve. In fact the Admin Tool was developed using SDK 4.1, and the latest versions of Flash Builder (4.5, 4.6) do not support it in Design View (although you can still develop using it of course). As it is impossible for us to move the Admin Tool to the latest SDK (too many issues and runtime errors, also in third-party libraries out of our control), the feature described above can be provided with the following limitations in modules development:
- Flex SDK 4.1 can be used only;
- Flex 3 compatibility mode must be enabled;
- Spark components can't be used (mx only);
- no Design View in Flash Builder 4.5 or later.
We think that the only show-stopper could be the last one. We can live with that (the standard modules development undergoes the same limitations), but we want to hear your voice.
Just to be clear: this applies to Admin Tool's modules development only; it has nothing to do with your games/application development!

Bottom line: are you interested in creating custom Admin modules, despite the above limitations?
Please help us decide if we should go on or not. You can vote the poll and argument your opinion with a reply. Feel free to ask any questions coming to your mind.

I went for a Yes vote because we really could use now and in the future the ability to improve the admin control panel. I'm implementing sfs2X for a few customers of mine and all of them have requests about enhancing the admin tool, so I don't really care to stick to a specific version of the build tools or else

Of course I voted yes, only a small correction: I'm using a design view with Flash Builder 4.5 using mx code only (never got to do the transition to Spark). Trick is to create the project from the beginning in Flex 3, then, when you import it to Flash Builder 4.5, you maintain the ability to use Design View as well

trueicecold wrote:Of course I voted yes, only a small correction: I'm using a design view with Flash Builder 4.5 using mx code only (never got to do the transition to Spark). Trick is to create the project from the beginning in Flex 3, then, when you import it to Flash Builder 4.5, you maintain the ability to use Design View as well

Unfortunately it is not so easy: Design View works if you user Flex SDK 3.6 or 4.5. But if you use Flex SDK 4.1 or others in between the previous two, it doesn't work. The Admin Tool uses SDK 4.1 and, as mentioned above, upgrading (or even downgrading) is impossible (again, thank you Adobe for making your developer's life so happy and easy!).

while the feature sounds nice, being stuck with an older version of the SDK is a nightmare in the long run so please don't waste time on this in these conditions

I'm implementing sfs2X for a few customers of mine and all of them have requests about enhancing the admin tool, so I don't really care to stick to a specific version of the build tools or else

Eldido wrote:while the feature sounds nice, being stuck with an older version of the SDK is a nightmare in the long run so please don't waste time on this in these conditions

Good point. because it is not only a limitation to an old SDK, but to the old framework, if one would only be allowed to use mx-components.

(By the way, I have disabled the Design View a long time ago.)

karfau

karfau wrote:Good point. because it is not only a limitation to an old SDK, but to the old framework, if one would only be allowed to use mx-components.

Can you clarify what problems do you foresee in being forced to use mx components?

Please keep in mind that we are just talking about a module in the Admin Tool, usually used by 1-2 persons at a time. Spark components maybe offer a slightly better performance, but we are not talking about an application being distributed to users all over the world, possibly with poor hardware.

And as of today we still don't have the corresponding spark component for all mx components (and this is an approach already adopted in the past by Adobe: "this is an initial set, but in the next releases we will expand and complete it"... yes, in fact now the SDK has even become open-source, which to me means that Adobe has no more interest in developing it...).

so what is the status on this? cane e get a ADK to develop modules for admin?

levancho wrote:so what is the status on this? cane e get a ADK to develop modules for admin?

Not yet. This feature has been put on hold to give priority to something else still to be announced.

Yes absolutly
Thus the Admin's creativity will become a source of power !
The king admin will evolve in god admin !! =)
For example add new visuals about some things to watch and modify the game in real time via admin tools and stuff like that ^^

Would love to get this ADK!
How much greater likelihood that will be released in the near future

Recently I've been roaming on oDesk and noticed a job with requirement to do some custom admin pages. FYI

Any updates on the custom admin tool modules? Since y'all updated the admin tool, I just had to ask if this feature will ever be released or at least hear something about this. I've wanted something extremely similar to this since SFS1X, and then the gotoAndPlay() team finally suggested the idea on the forums and haven't heard much about it ever since..

Are there any pre-releases so some people can test the progress of this feature, if any?

I'm still looking forward to this and hopefully it'll be released soon!

Thanks!
Carson

For the moment we put this idea aside in favor of others, sorry.