Extending LiveCycle ES 2.5 for Java Developers

The full courseware that Scott MacDonald, Gary Gilchrist and I delivered during MAX 2010 is now available online.  Anyone may use this material as a self-paced tutorial to understand how Java Developers can extend the native capabilities of Adobe LiveCycle ES.

The course is available as a ZIP file here (right-click and then select Save target as ...")

http://www.web2open.org/courses/LCES4JavaDevs-CourseArchive.zip

This course covers the following topics:

Extending LiveCycle ES for Java Developers

TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW
EXERCISE 1: UNDERSTANDING CUSTOM COMPONENTS

EXERCISE 2: DEVELOPING THE CUSTOM COMPONENT .
Task 2‐1: Start Eclipse and create a new project
Task 2‐2: Add the required Java library files
Task 2‐3: Defining the service interface
Task 2‐4: Defining the service implementation
Task 2‐5: Defining the component XML file

EXERCISE 3: DEPLOYING YOUR COMPONENT
Task 3‐1: Package your component into a JAR file
Task 3‐2: Importing the component using Workbench ES2

EXERCISE 4: USING THE COMPONENT WITHIN A PROCESS
Task 4‐1: Create the EncryptManyDocuments/EncryptManyDocuments process and invoke it from
Workbench.
Task 4‐2: Programmatically invoking the EncryptManyDocuments process.

Solution code is provided as well as extra notes on the code for the programmatic invocation: 

Three great LiveCycle@MAX picks

For the LiveCycle@MAX pick of the week for Oct 11, I am going to break tradition and highlight three separate sessions instead of one.  The links lead directly to the formal descriptions and registration. 

This first is a case study based on repeatable patterns.  I am a huge fan of case studies as they give attendees the opportunity to not only learn what went right, but also to learn what could have gone better and avoid making the same choices.  The session entitled “Delivering Repeatable Solutions with Deloitte Consulting and Adobe Enterprise Solutions" is bang on with a deep dive into real world experiences. In this session, attendees will learn how the $26B company drives the success of its customers using Adobe LiveCycle, the Adobe Flash Platform and more.  Deloitte has a long history of working with Adobe in the enterprise, specifically around LiveCycle ES, and their expertise is something we can all learn from. 

The second case study is more specific to an individual enterprise. “Transforming the Value of IT for Government through Modernization” will give attendees insights into the experiences of the South African Revenue Service and learn how this historically rich country leveraged Adobe LiveCycle and the Adobe Flash Platform to implement one of the first and largest Adobe AIR applications ever delivered.  

The third case study is entitled “Improving the User Experience: Contract Servicing Improvements at Northwestern Mutual”.  This one I want to attend myself to learn how this $21B company is transforming how it does business with its independent brokers using Adobe LiveCycle. 

Speaking of LiveCycle, the LiveCycle@MAX tracks are over half sold out.  The word seems to be getting out that LiveCycle developers are in ultra high demand and MAX is the one place per year where a complete LiveCycle training program is available for developers.  See you there!

LiveCycle ES Pick of the week for Adobe MAX 2010

This week, Technoracle is picking a session that is related to LiveCycle ES yet very specific to the client technologies. In fact, this is probably one of the more important sessions for Adobe LiveCycle Developers to attend given the rise in exploit attempts based on the ISO PDF standard. Join product experts Steve Gottwals and Suchit Mishra as they help separate fact from fiction in the buzz around Adobe Reader security. They will outline the motivation behind Protected Mode and give a demonstration of Reader running in the sandbox. They will also discuss how Reader Protected Mode works and how it can protect end users from Internet attacks via malicious PDF files.

Sandboxing Adobe Reader: Protected Mode

Join Suchit Mishra, Acrobat lead security researcher, and Steve Gottwals, group product manager, as they help separate fact from fiction in the buzz around Adobe Reader security. We'll outline the motivation behind Protected Mode and give a demonstration of Reader running in the sandbox. We'll discuss how Reader Protected Mode works and how it can protect end users from Internet attacks via malicious PDF files.

Tracks: Envision, Design, Develop
Audience: Architect, IS/IT, Application Developer, Business Decision Maker
Skill Level: General Audience
Product: Acrobat
Speakers: Suchit Mishra, Steve Gottwals
Times:
Wednesday, October, 27th, 8:00 am - 9:00 am

Also - please don't forget that Technoracle is giving out 99 special LiveCycle developers tattoos!  If you want one of these, you have to:

1. Register and attend at least one LiveCycle session;
2. Find Duane Nickull in the hallways; and
3. Say the pass phrase "Canada won the Gold"

See you there!

LiveCycle ES Pick of the week for Adobe MAX 2010

This is a new post in a series of ongoing recommendations for various LiveCycle ES sessions at Adobe MAX 2010.   This week I want to showcase a session by Paul McNamara and Philip Copeland.  Since Adobe LiveCycle ES has been available on the cloud, I have been regularly using it and trying to get developers to see how easy it is.  From my perspective, the cloud based offering is clearly the single best way to get an instance of LiveCycle ES up and running to develop against.  The program is available to anyone in the Adobe Enterprise Developer Program and this session is a must attend if you are interested.  Here it is:

Rapid Development using LiveCycle in the Cloud

Learn how Adobe has embraced Amazon EC2 to deliver a comprehensive cloud offering for Adobe LiveCycle ES2. Hear from product experts how the cloud is quickly becoming the definition of rapid application development environments, with the ability to start up a server instance with no hardware or software investment. You'll learn how this approach provides a low barrier and faster time to development. Also hear best practices as we walk through development to staging and production in a completely hosted manner, featuring a case study to illustrate the process using an application currently deployed on Adobe LiveCycle Managed Services.


Tracks:    Develop
Audience:    Architect, Partner Decision Maker, Web Developer, Application Developer, Business Decision Maker
Skill Level:    General Audience
Product:    LiveCycle ES
Speakers:    Philip Copeland, Paul McNamara
Times:   
Monday, October, 25th, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, October, 26th, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Register here!

LiveCycle ES Pick of the week for Adobe MAX 2010

Continuing the weekly series of LiveCycle@MAX picks of the week, this week we selected a track for developers and community members to learn more about where to find special interest content related to Adobe LiveCycle ES. For those who do not know Dan or Marc, they are major forces within the LiveCycle community. Dan is putting together the core LiveCycle@MAX content for Adobe MAX 2010. Marc Eaman is the guru behind the Adobe Enterprise Cafe. Adobe Enterprise Café helps you stay in touch with the enterprise community, receive news, find information, and aggregate content related to Adobe LiveCycle ES (Enterprise Suite), Acrobat, Connect, ColdFusion, and the Adobe Flash Platform in a timely and customized fashion. Targeted at developers and technical staff, Café is the one tool you need to search across the entire community knowledge base and stay in touch with the Adobe teams. Technoracle encourages you to download and install the Adobe Enterprise Cafe from this URL.

Here is Technoracle's Adobe MAX pick of the week:

Hidden Gems for the LiveCycle Community
Hear from Adobe insiders and learn about the hidden gems and community resources that can help you build, share, and leverage the LiveCycle Enterprise Suite developer ecosystem. This session will review the Adobe Developer Connection program, the latest Adobe forums, and the developer website and include demonstrations of tools including Enterprise Cafe, Tour de LiveCycle, and Developer Express.

Tracks: Develop
Audience: Architect, Creative Designer, Partner Decision Maker, Web Designer, IS/IT, Web Developer, Application Developer, Business Decision Maker
Skill Level: General Audience
Product: LiveCycle ES
Speakers: Marc Eaman, Daniel Heick
Times:
Tuesday, October, 26th, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Wednesday, October, 27th, 9:30 am - 10:30 am

These will fill up fast so register here now!  See you at MAX!

Adobe MAX AIR Code Camp - Second Instance Added!

Adobe MAX 2010 staff informed James Ward and me that our AIR 2 Code Camp sold out last week.  While we were stoked, we realized that this means there is a lot of people who will miss out on it.  To solve this problem, Sarah Eaton added a second instance of the lab.   The second instance was added this morning and is already starting to fill up as space is limited.  If you want to take this course or you're even just thinking about it, we recommend you book it now to reserve a seat.


Adobe AIR Code Camp
Attend this mega-lab for a comprehensive, hands-on dive into Adobe AIR for Flex 4 developers. You'll learn how to use the latest features of AIR by building several applications on your own computer, and leave with source code for more than 12 applications. We'll cover using the microphone class, writing to a local drive, launching a native process, and more. The lab includes a sneak peek at developing AIR applications for the Android OS. The courseware is modularized so beginners can follow along.


Tracks:    Develop
Audience:    Architect, Creative Designer, Application Developer
Skill Level:    General Audience
Products:    AIR, Flash Builder, Flex
Speakers:    James Ward, Duane Nickull
Times:   
Tuesday, October, 26th, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (SOLD OUT)
Wednesday, October, 27th, 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm

UPDATE!

The second instance is now also sold out.  After Adobe MAX, I promise that the assets will all be shared via this blog including complete access to source code.

Livecycle@MAX 2010 - Pick of the Week!

What can I say? There are so many quality Livecycle ES sessions at MAX this year that it makes it hard to pick a new candidate each week to highlight. Nevertheless, after much investigation, here is the one I want to promote.

Advanced Dynamic Form Design

Join author J.P. Terry for a hands-on lab covering advanced form design techniques and his latest tips and tricks. For instance, you'll learn how to add an auto-completion feature to a PDF form that provides relevant suggestions as the user types into the form. See other advanced techniques that make form completion much easier and more accurate. The techniques will be taught within the context of the Institutional Investor case study from Terry's book “Paperless: Real-World Solutions with Adobe Technology.”

Tracks:	Design, Develop
Audience:	Web Designer, Web Developer, Application Developer
Skill Level:	Advanced
Speaker:	J.P. Terry
Product:	LiveCycle ES
Times:	Monday, October, 25th, 12:45 pm - 2:15 pm Tuesday, October, 26th, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Note that this is an advanced level session. I want to attend this myself and get the tips right from J.P. Just to let you know who he is, J.P. Terry is the CEO of SmartDoc Technologies, a leading consulting firm in the field of intelligent document solutions with offices in NY, NJ, and Beijing, China. SmartDoc specializes in LiveCycle and has developed paperless solutions for Fidelity Investments, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup. J.P. often writes and speaks about dynamic PDF and is the author of “Creating Dynamic Forms with Adobe LiveCycle Designer” (Adobe Press, 2007) and “Paperless: Real-World Solutions with Adobe Technology” (Adobe Press, 2010). Prior to SmartDoc Technologies, J.P. founded BrandWizard Technologies, a division of Omnicom (OMC), and was the CEO of BrandWizard from 2000 until 2005.

Remember, Livecycle@MAX also sold out early last year. Register now if you are going so you don't have to wait another year. I'm going to be there the whole week.

See you!

MAX 2010 - Get your LiveCycle ES Career on Track!

MAX 2010, October 23 -27th at the LA Convention Center, will feature an expanded LiveCycle ES bundle including tons of new materials and topics. All sessions and hands-on training will be done with the latest versions including such awesome improvements as Action Builder and the Service Discovery plug-in.

It's no secret, LiveCycle ES developers are in high demand. Don't believe me, check out the barrage of "LiveCycle Developers Wanted" postings (297 results) on the Google LiveCycle Developers list. Some pay as high as $400/hour! If you want to put your tech career into high gear, you will definitely want to get the “LiveCycle@MAX” bundle, which includes LiveCycle preconference training and full MAX conference pass. THIS SOLD OUT EARLY LAST YEAR so book it soon. The 2009 preconference LiveCycle ES workshops even sold out faster than the Photoshop training.

Sign up for the LiveCycle @ MAX Bundle now: http://max.adobe.com/sessions/livecycle/

I'll be teaching one session, which will be featured in a later post. Every week on Technoracle, we'll try to feature one new MAX 2010 LiveCycle featured promotion.

Here is Technoracle's featured promotion for MAX 2010 for the week of July 12, 2010:

Developing a LiveCycle ES2.5 Application

This program for enterprise developers combines one-and-a-half days of introductory preconference training on Adobe® LiveCycle® Enterprise Suite 2.5 with a full conference pass to MAX 2010.

The "Developing a LiveCycle ES2.5 Application" preconference lab is an essential introduction to developing user-centric applications with Adobe LiveCycle ES2.5. LiveCycle ES2.5 allows both business and IT professionals to visually assemble end-to-end processes, which when combined with rich interfaces, create engaging applications that unify systems and people quickly and flexibly. We'll present an end-to-end use case bringing a rich Internet application (RIA) and a LiveCycle application together. You'll learn about the LiveCycle IDE, the Admin User Interface, and the LiveCycle ES2.5 solution components as we guide you through development of this comprehensive use case.

We strongly recommend this training to those new to LiveCycle ES2.5, or those who would like a refresher, in order to get the most value out of the more advanced LiveCycle topics that will be presented during MAX.

The Developing a LiveCycle ES2.5 Application preconference lab will take place October 23rd and 24th at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Adobe MAX 2010

Adobe MAX 2010 takes place on Oct 23-27 at the LA Convention Center (same place as last year). The website is up and running at http://max.adobe.com/. MAX 2010 is the single, pivotal connection point in the universe for thousands of Adobe designers, developers, and business leaders. This is the one place where you get to meet the Adobe ones face to face.

There is a lot I would encourage you to do. If you are a speaker, you can submit to speak here:

http://max.adobe.com/call_for_speakers/

Get on the mail list:

http://max.adobe.com/mailinglist/

If you are a startup and want to let Adobe users see your product or offering, consider becoming a sponsor. There are tons of packages available and some companies like Konductor Software have found this a really great way to reach their core customers:

http://max.adobe.com/sponsorlist/

This is going to be a great party!