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snorky7178337
Known Participant
July 5, 2009
Question

Times Reader 2.0 - Technology Overview Available?

  • July 5, 2009
  • 2 replies
  • 2263 views

I am very interested in the new textlayout stuff. we have a candidate application that would present as both a web app and an AIR app.


Is it possible to get more "inside" info on the Times Reader 2.0 application? Or, is there a developer who worked on this who would be available for contacting?


We are trying to evaluate the amount of effort involved to create something like Times Reader 2.0 using textlayout component. We would like to know whether this app was created entirely with textlayout component or if there was a lot of custom coding required to do everything they are doing?


For example, columns are handled extremely well in Times Reader 2.0 and text flows nicely regardless of monitor size or text sizing. Does that happen automatically using textlayout? Or is that custom coding? (I saw the Alice in Wonderland example and it is impressive but falls short of what they are accomplishing in Times Reader 2.0.)


Related to the above comment, pagination is handled extremely well in Times Reader 2.0. Regardless of my screen settings, the app "knows" where a page break occurs and allows me to page through articles while retaining column formatting and I never have to vertically scroll (except to advance to a new page). Does that happen automatically using textlayout? Or is that custom coding?


Pictures are well integrated into Times Reader 2.0 along with the column handling. Does that happen automatically using textlayout? Or is that custom coding?


Printing is handled pretty well in this app. I noticed that the article I was reading printed pretty well at all three text sizes (although it encroached on the footer in one configuration). Does that happen automatically using textlayout? Or is that custom coding?


I am assuming an app like Times Reader 2.0 would need to be EASILY updated with external content. Can you provide any insights as to how they set up a CMS to support this? Is there something off-the-shelf they are using to create content each day for real-time importing into textlayout?

I understand Times Reader 2.0 is a proprietary app owned by another entity but it provides such a compelling case for using textlayout/AIR that I bet a lot of developers would welcome an extended "behind-the-scenes" conversation! Thanks!

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2 replies

dwabyick1
Adobe Employee
dwabyick1
Adobe Employee
July 7, 2009

oops! Gordon just showed me the original post. I didn't see your specific questions.

Regarding the column layout. There was custom work to determine the areas that the containers of text should occupy, and where the images go. This is a combination of layout algorithms that follow the 'rule of print', and a custom implementation for 'text wrapping' around objects such as images and pull-quotes.  This is really about determining your column size, placing your 'statics' (e.g. main image), and then placing the text containers around them.  It would be great if TLF could provide a text wrapping'implementation in the future.  I think this is a fundamental building block for these types of projects.  The good news is that there are well known

Pagination, as well, was a custom implementation.  The general approach was to layout the TLF text containers for a page (ContainerControllers), compose (using IFlowComposer), and determine if there is more text. If so, make a new page.  The component than reports the number of pages that it has, which can be utilitized by other UI components.

These may not be the answers you want, right now, but hopefully this help shed some light on things.

S
snorky7178337Author
Known Participant
July 7, 2009

Hi Daniel,


Thanks so much for your responses.


First let me say what you have done with Times Reader 2.0 is very impressive. When I saw the Times Reader stories I was curious but figured it was part of the usual marketing noise. Gonna change the way news is experienced? Yeah right! But, once I started playing with it I quickly realized this goes way beyond the hype! This could be a real game-changer!

I want to use AIR and textlayout to produce electronic brochures/catalogs with the following specs/features,

  • as much layout control as possible! If I could have HTML/CSS with textLayout's columns and text flowing that would be perfect!!! But I truly love the concept of an intelligent layout manager that drops pictures when the space is too small, increases columns when space is available, etc.
  • data needs to be stored completely separate from code
  • we need the ability to deliver minor updates daily with complete updates monthly


As I understand it so far, I can use textLayout containers linked together to flow the text. And the containers will handle the sizing and flow within themselves. But what I would need to do externally would be to manage the outer "containers"; the ones that contain the textLayout containers. I would also need to manage placement, size, etc. of images as well as whether or not to display them.

3.jpg

So, in the pic above, if I understand this correctly, my code needs to get available screen size and decide on column config and image placement. Then it sets up the 5 linked text containers (in this example) and tells textLayout to do its magic. When it finishes it tells my code whether or not more text needs to be dealt with and if so I create another "page" and repeat. Then, once everything is done my code controls the display of my "pages". If the viewer resizes the screen my code repeats everything maybe adding or removing one or more text containers based on my own logic. Is that about right?

You said " I think this is a fundamental building block for these types of projects.  The good news is that there are well known". Was there more to that last sentence?

Could you shed some light on data storage/manipulation/production? If I understood from the videos and articles you are using SQLite for storing data. And you have a synch manager that checks the server, downloads updates, etc. So there is a remote database and a local one. When connected to the net the AIR app synchs up and when not connected everything runs on the local data.

What is the format for the data you are storing on the server vs the local database? Is it MXML in both?

I foresee a need for a CMS for my project but I'm guessing for Times Reader you connected to an existing data source? Can you provide any insight into this aspect?

Once again thanks for taking the time to discuss this and kudos to you and your team for an inspiring application!

dwabyick1
Adobe Employee
dwabyick1
Adobe Employee
July 7, 2009

Ah, I meant to say 'there are well known algorithms', regarding text-wrapping, in particular when dealing with rectangular shapes. Its the type of thing you can find in computational geometry books.  Thanks again for the compliments.  We hope that this type of app becomes more prevalent, and people create better onscreen reading experiences !

R
Adobe Employee
rdermer
Adobe Employee
July 6, 2009

Hi,

Mabye someone from TImes Reader will chime in.

They are using the same builds we post to Gumbo and the weekly builds to labs.  They've done a lot of work to develop their own layout manager that then uses TLF linked containers to get the desired result.

Richard

S
snorky7178337Author
Known Participant
July 6, 2009

thanks for your reply. yeah I'd love it if someone from the Times Reader crew could stop by and answer a few questions! I have watched the videos and read the articles on it. that was all really helpful. but I still have more questions.

the Times Reader is such a cool proof of concept for textLayout. on the one hand it is incredible to see what is possible. but on the other it can be frustrating as a developer to download the framework, fire it up and then realize that a significant portion of the app was custom and not using out-of-the-box functionality. if there was a way to enlighten us as to what is built-in and what is custom that would be great. (maybe I'm asking too much as I understand this is a proprietary app!)

dwabyick1
Adobe Employee
dwabyick1
Adobe Employee
July 6, 2009

Bhi snorky -

Its Daniel Wabyick. I was the developer on Times Reader responsible for implementing a lot of the text technology in the app.

I definitely understand your frustration. A lot of what we built in the app isn't currently available as 'out of the box' functionality.  In a way, Times Reader has served to inform the Flex and TLF teams what developers need.  We definitely want to make things simpler for you guys.  Let me turn the question around and ask, what particular aspects of Times Reader are you looking for? What type of apps are you trying to build?

The good news is that there wasn't too much black magic in the application, and the basic building blocks are there for you. Probably the only exception to that is the hyphenation algorithm implementation, which was built internally and not publically available. Hopefully, it will be soon.


Hope that helps.


Thanks,

-Daniel

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