SQL - PHP - XML - Flex 2

Question

Howdy everyone!
I've only been playing with Flex for about 6 weeks or so and
I've figured out lots and lots from the online tutorials and help
system. However the project that I'm trying to put together
requires that I can pass data back and forth to Db's. I haven't
even tried to write into a database yet because for the last 3
weeks I've been trying every combination (except the working one's)
to write my Db data into XML and use an HTTPService tag to retrieve
it for use as dataProviders. I've tried everything remotely related
on this site. Several others I've found online and modified the
resultFormat and my variable types in every combination
(resultFormat = "[' ', Object, xml, e4x, text, array]" &
myDP:[ArrayCollection, Array, XML, XMLList, XMLListCollection]) and
have received as many errors & nonworking results for my
efforts. I'm not sure if perhaps there's a PHP/MySQL setting on my
server that's not set how it should be? or if I just have failed to
notice some simple detail.
Here's the PHP version I currently believe most promising:
quote:
<?php
require_once('Connections/peaceheartconnection.php');
header("Content-type: text/xml");
mysql_select_db($database_peaceheartconnection,
$peaceheartconnection);
$query_topics = "SELECT * FROM p_insight_topics";
$topics = mysql_query($query_topics, $peaceheartconnection)
or die(mysql_error());
$row_topics = mysql_fetch_assoc($topics);
$totalRows_topics = mysql_num_rows($topics);
mysql_select_db($database_peaceheartconnection,
$peaceheartconnection);
$query_categories = "SELECT * FROM p_insight_types";
$categories = mysql_query($query_categories,
$peaceheartconnection) or die(mysql_error());
$row_categories = mysql_fetch_assoc($categories);
$totalRows_categories = mysql_num_rows($categories);
print("<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?>");
$dataXML = '';
$dataXML .= "<data><categories>";
while($cat = mysql_fetch_object($categories))
$dataXML .= "<category>$cat->type</category>"
$dataXML .= "</categories>";
$dataXML .= "<topics>";
while($topic = mysql_fetch_object($topics))
$dataXML .="<topic>$topic->topic</topic>";
$dataXML .= "</topics></data>";
?>
<?php
echo $dataXML;
?>
<?php
mysql_free_result($topics);
mysql_free_result($categories);
?>
This gives me results that show up in the browser identical
to
An XML file from
"Flex 2 Training from the Source" (I event get the "no
associated style information ... document tree is shown" message
from Firefox).
Here are the relevant parts of the Flex app:
quote:
<mx:Application xmlns:mx="
http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
xmlns:ns1="Components.*" layout="absolute" autoLayout="true"
horizontalScrollPolicy="off" verticalScrollPolicy="off"
creationComplete=" getData()" >
<!-- Service Definitions -->
<mx:HTTPService id="getTypesNTopics" url="../../data.xml"
method="POST" useProxy="false"
result="showData(event)" fault="handleFault(event);" />
<mx:HTTPService id="getTypesNTopics2"
url="../../topicsNcategories5.php" method="POST" useProxy="false"
result="showData2(event)" fault="handleFault2(event);" />
<!-- End Service Definitions-->
<mx:Script>
<![CDATA[
import mx.collections.XMLListCollection;
import mx.effects.*;
import mx.effects.easing.*;
import mx.containers.*;
import mx.core.*;
import mx.rpc.events.ResultEvent;
import mx.rpc.events.FaultEvent;
import mx.events.FlexEvent;
import mx.controls.Alert;
import flash.events.*;
import mx.managers.DragManager;
import mx.events.DragEvent;
import mx.collections.ArrayCollection;
import mx.rpc.events.ResultEvent;
import mx.rpc.events.FaultEvent;
[Bindable] private var topicsAC:ArrayCollection = new
ArrayCollection();
[Bindable] private var categoryAC:ArrayCollection = new
ArrayCollection();
[Bindable] private var topics2AC:XMLListCollection = new
XMLListCollection();
public function getData():void
getTypesNTopics.send();
getTypesNTopics2.send();
private function showData2(event:ResultEvent):void
//topics2AC = event.result.data.topics.topic;
lastResultValue2.text = "Event, Categories:"
+event.result.data.categories.category
+ "Event, Topics:" + event.result.data.topics.topic;
scrollMenu.dataProvider = event.result.data.topics.topic;
lastResultValue2.text = "Result: " +
String(event.result.data.topics.topic);
private function handleFault2(event:FaultEvent):void
lastResultValue2.text = "Error: " + event.fault;
(Keep in mind that the function & service tag contents
are just the latest version as of 20 mins ago.)
Any help would be greatly appreciated. There are still dozens
of other things I want to get working on but there's no point until
I can get my app. to talk with mySQL (databases). I'm begging
PLEASE after weeks of wasting time trying to get my <topic>
& <category> nodes to populate two ComboBoxes I just
wrote a static XML file last night--just so I could feel like I had
accomplished something (that's what the first Service tag does).
Thanks 2^65536 times!
Todd

Answer 1

As it is posted right now (resultFormat (rF) = default object
with the result assigned directly), I don't receive an error but
lastResultValue.text & scrollMenu (a comboBox) both read
"$topic->topic."
With rF = default (object) & topics2AC:ArrayCollection
(assigned to the text & CB) I get: "Type Coercion failed:
cannot convert "$topic->topic" to
mx.collections.ArrayCollection. ..."
With rF = e4x, data type (dT) = arrayCollection I get:
"Error: [RPC Fault faultString="Error #1088: The markup in the
document following the root element must be well-formed."
faultCode="Client.CouldNotDecode" faultDetail="null"] "
(e4x is the format that I WANT to use, but anything working
will suffice for now)
rF = xml, dT = AC: "Property data not found on
flash.xml.XMLDocument and there is no default value."
With the "xml version" tag removed rF = e4x, dT =
XMLListCollection I get " Error #1034: Type Coercion failed: cannot
convert "$topic->topic" to mx.collections.XMLListCollection."
Likewise with dT=arrayCollection: "Error #1034: Type Coercion
failed: cannot convert "$topic->topic" to
mx.collections.ArrayCollection." (Same with dT=XMLList)
The underlying code(source) of the PHP page's output is:
"<data><categories><category>Poem</category>
...</categories><topics><topic>Teaching</topic>...<topic>Kids</topic></topics></data>"
There's an empty line above the source. The <?xml version="1.0"
encoding="utf-8"?> tag is/isn't there depending on whether I
leave it in or not. I don't know how/why the empty line is there.
The general result seems to be that I get either "cannot
decode" using e4x, "cannot convert $topic->topic" using anything
else. Perhaps the problem is still in the PHP, but Firefox
recognizes & treats it as valid XML giving me the "
This XML file does not appear to have any style information
associated with it. The document tree is shown below.
−
<data>
−
<categories>
<category>Poem</category>
<category>Song</category>
<category>Prayer</category>
<category>Idea</category>
<category>Whim</category>
<category>Enlightenment</category>
<category>Quote</category>
<category>Answers</category> ..." when I call the
page. So I'm at a loss as to what to even try anymore.
Thanks again anyone, everyone
Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Holidays, etc.
Todd