I’m very happy to announce that the mCOM (formerly GLIC) component set has been released, and is available for purchase. The final set of 21 components meets the original goals I established for GLIC: They are much smaller; massively more processor friendly; mostly polymorphic with v2 components (so you don’t have to relearn everything); and utilize a clean, cohesive architecture (say goodbye to Array and XML mix-ins).
Beyond the above advantages, these components are backed by a creative and committed company (two of them really – gskinner.com will continue to work closely with Metaliq), that will continue to grow and enhance the set to meet developer needs. This is something that the Macromedia component set is unable to do (for good reasons, in their case). This is balanced with a commitment to keep the API and code base stable – so you don’t have to worry about code you write being obsoleted because some guy has a cool idea that requires an API change.
I’m pretty psyched to see these babies finally hitting the market, and looking forwards to seeing what people build with them. I’m also excited that we can start using them in our own projects – I hope to post some cool examples over the next few months.
Here’s the current component list:
Accordion
Button
CheckBox
ColorPicker
ColorPickerRGB
ComboBox
DataGrid
FieldSet
IconToolTip
List
Menu
Menubar
NumericStepper
ProgressBar
RadioButton
ScrollPane
Slider
TabBox
TextArea
TextInput
UIScrollBar
Check out more info, and a full demo on the official mCOM page. Be sure to play around with the keyboard control – our support for focus management and keyboard input is unmatched by any set out there AFAIK, and one of the things I’m really proud of. And bear in mind that the demo has had a LOT less time/testing put into it than the components. 🙂
I purchased our copy yesterday!!! I wonder if I’m your fist customer :). Can’t wait to use them.
The demo only works for I.E. not Fire Fox …
The demo works fine in Firefox on Windows.
it’s very nice to finally see those components in action. One question: What about a tree control? Is there something planned?
thanks
@sroberts: work’s fine here: FF 1.0.6 on Windows
Is there posibility to activate mose wheel in ScrollPane?
Nuevo set de componentes mCOM / GLIC
El set de componentes que gskinner.com desarrolló (antiguamente GLIC) por fin ve la luz en forma de mCOM. La empresa que se ocupa de la distribución y el desarrollo ahora no es gskinner.com sino metaliq.com. El set se compone de…
I have run into this strange problem using MTASC. with mCom. I have recently purchased mCom components (aka GLIC), and I used Sexie to extract the intrinsic classes out of the SWC files.
I have put the component in Frame 15 of Flash with Export to first frame disabled, and set Flash to export classes to Frame 15.
I compile the movie in MMC, it works just fine. However, if I compile the movie with MTASC with -mx -frame 16 (I have also tried -frame 15), I could see the component keeps flickering on the screen.
I wonder if this happens to any of you before with this set of components or other SWC components, anyone has any advice? Thanks!
the components are well but documentation is far from being complete and right, eg:
http://www.metaliq.com/mcom/getting_started.htm pages5
RadioButton LinkageID : com.metaliq.controls.RadioButton:Radio is wrong but com.metaliq.controls.RadioButton:Dot is correct.
will Doc. be updated?
I’m sorry to say that I am dissappointed in this product so far. At the price of a full upgrade to MM Studio 8, I expected much better. As the previous comment mentions, the documentation is almost non existant. Yes, these components have a similar API to the MM V2 components, but I’ve been running into quite a few differences and without proper documentation, its quite difficult to get things working.
Also, on the Metalic site they did not provide the full list of components (the getting started guide was not available when I purchased). Instead it says “And More..”. So I did not realize how big the delta was between mcom and MM V2 components. I was really expecting at least a Window component. So now I guess eventually there will be a seperate set of components to fill the gap… geez how much will that cost?
The current documentation is admittedly too scarce, which is why Metaliq is working hard at putting out more. There should be a full API spec available in the near future. If you have any specific questions in the meantime, send an email to mCOM@metaliq.com, we are working with them to address support questions, and I know they are looking for specific areas that require better documentation. We have already fixed the documentation issue that Ali mentioned above.
I don’t believe there was any intent to mislead with the component listing. I had a full listing on this page – I don’t know what Metaliq had on their site, but I assume it was the same list. If they had “and more” I’ll admit that is a little misleading, but I’m certain there wasn’t a claim on their page that they had an equivalent for every v2 component. If you wanted clarification on what “more” there was, you could have sent an email.
When we were developing GLIC, we chose to focus on those components we found most commonly in Flash applications (our own and others), plus a couple that we needed for specific project (like the extra color picker). There are new components being developed to close the gap with v2, but I’m not certain what the plan is for their release – I’ll request that someone from Metaliq post here.
I am actuelement on a project where I use the mCom abondament. Within one week I will send the whole of the problems to you that met.
bye ali 😉
Thanks for the response Grant. When mcom was first made available for purchase, This was the only page they had up…
http://www.metaliq.com/mcom/product.htm
And there you can see the “And More..”. But you are certainly correct, I should have followed up to get the full list. I guess I took the Window component for granted. To me it seems an essential, so I was a bit surprised that it was not included.
As for the documetation, I can’t say that there are “specific areas that require better documentation”… none of the properties and methods have descriptions. So its more of a general, overall lack of documentation rather than specific areas. I realize it is being worked on, but in my view, it really should be ready before a quality product is released.
I wonder if anyone has figured out how to use the RowRenderer because the documentations there are limited.
I tried to extract the intrinsic classes so that I can use it with MTASC.
Anyhow, I believe they are great components, but spending $300 for the components that I cannot even use due to poor support and incomplete documentation, I can say I am very disappointed.
For the most part, the rowrender is a setter on the component:
list.rowRenderer = “linkage”;
The documentation is still being worked on. As Grant has said, an advantage to the mCOM components is that Metaliq is dedicated to adding service, support and better documentation as it is needed.
Considering the slowness of answer to the question at metaliq I come to put my question here. How to use the components type classe eg: com.controls.GraphicButton !?
Well, I have to say that list.rowRenderer = “linkage”; is already in the documentation, and I have read the API as well as the “Getting Started” document many times. There is not much detail as to how to write a RowRenderer.
3 weeks after the release of the software, I don’t see any updates to the documentations, I would hope Metaliq is doing better than what it’s claiming for its dedication.
Can anyone (Grant?) tell me how to instantiate mCOM components using code only? I have extracted the intrinsic classes from the mxp/swc and have them in the classpath, but can’t get the components to show themselves.
The main problem I get seems to be an error relating to the constructor being a private method (well it says private member).
A small code example would be great!
Where is Doc. complete?!
I do not manage to use DataGridRowRenderer.
Please Grant returns from traveling. 😉
Hivemind,
Currently, you have to use attachMovie to create components by code. Just use the full classpath as the linkage id:
attachMovie(“com.metaliq.controls.Button”,”btn”,0,{label:”Click Me”});
The next dot release will include support for createClassObject to be in line with V2 components.
We have also created the intrinsic classes for mCOM and are awaiting distribution (if they haven’t been distributed yet).
In terms of the documentation, we are creating a RowRenderer/DataGridRowRenderer tutorial with sample source files provided that should be available shortly.
Here is a good news:)
Anyone has received any updates yet? I haven’t got anything here.
We are trying to use the components in a project for a major client. At first they seemed great and really easy to skin. However now we are running into a multitude of issues and the documentation and metaliq’s response time are seriously lacking. Is there any support outside of metaliq?
When the new documentation will be on line?
It is inadmisible what is provided for a paying product!!!
The advantage of OpenSource it is the reactivity. 😉
Gabe,
Can you email me directly with issues you’ve run into?
Regarding documentation questions…in the interim, please email me directly and i’ll provide answers as best as I can.
Thanks.
[quote]Regarding documentation questions…in the interim, please email me directly and i’ll provide answers as best as I can.[/quote]
First question : http://www.metaliq.com/ticket/Feedback.aspx?i=5cc78ec5-0d2a-42f1-9476-739a22d4731b
Grant,
What are your thoughts about having a Forum site with a conversation thread for each of the entries in the documentation you envision for the mCom component set.
Let all of us help flesh things out and provide depth an insight into usage of your great components.
T.
Hi there. I have a couple of form related questions. 1 – Could you suggest a good approach for having a form submit button be triggered if the user has focus on a control in that form? MM has a method FocusManager.defaultPushButton property this doesn’t seem to be implemented in MCom. I think even more useful would be to be able to asign a default push 1 button to a tab group.
2 – Tabbing seems to become stuck on buttons for me but in the demo on the MCom site it they don’t have this problem. I have the following code:
this.textInput1.tabIndex = 1;
this.button1.tabIndex = 2;
this.textInput2.tabIndex = 3;
I can’t tab past button1. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks!
Please disregard the issue above where tabbing seems to become stuck on buttons. It works fine when running in a browser, I was just testing it using test movie in Flash.
Grant,
The gComm components look awesome.
I had a few questions:
1. For the tab component, it does not seem to automatically have scroll bars if the content exceeds the pane width or height. Would inserting a text area or scrollpane inside work?
2. For the Datagrid component, it does it to have multiline capacity for each row, does it?
3. Can you actually have a movie clip in the scroll pane that updates the scroll bars real time as the mc is changing size? That did not work natively with MM’s scroll pane version.
4. Finally, do you have an education pricing??
Thanks
It’s been more than a month, I have not noticed any tutorials, updates or sample source files.
[quote]In terms of the documentation, we are creating a RowRenderer/DataGridRowRenderer tutorial with sample source files provided that should be available shortly.
Posted by: Philter at October 3, 2005 10:47 AM[/quote]
hhhmmmm I suggested to my client to use these components since I heard good things about it a while back. Reading these posts now makes me regret to have opted for it 🙁 Sorry grant.
There is almost no documentation… I have no clue how to use the tabBox and some of the data grid.
I emailed metaliq over a week now, no response.
You know what would really help? If you could please please with a cherry on top email the source files you created for their demo to users who have purchased the components.
Any chance?
Moca,
No need apologizing to me – we’re not in charge of documentation or support. I’m sorry that you’re having a hard time with a product that was previously associated with my company.
I still hold that the components are great – we use them daily here, but I definitely hear your concerns about the documentation and lack of tutorials.
I’ll contact Metaliq for you and find out why you haven’t received a response to your support request. I also think releasing the source code for the demo application could be a great thing. I’m not 100% certain about the feasability of it, but I’ll raise the idea with Metaliq. I think the idea of a forum is a good one too – that way users can help each other, as well as provide a central location for common support issues.
Hopefully it’ll make you look good with the client in the end. I know it really helps us that we can deliver projects that have smaller file size, lower memory requirements and that run faster than developers stuck with v2.
Sorry for your troubles!
Thank you so much for the quick reply 🙂 I’ll be checking back to see if you get any answer on releasing the code and/or my support request.
Meanwhile, could you just add a quick sample on how to use the TabBox?
– How to add tabs?
– How to assign content to each tab?
– How to change tabs by clicking an item from another component?
Thank you so much Grant,
moca
[quote from post Sep 2, 05 by Grant]Beyond the above advantages, these components are backed by a creative and committed company (*two of them really – gskinner.com will continue to work closely with Metaliq*)[/quote from the post Sep 2, 05 by Grant]
[quote from comment January 22 by Grant]I’m sorry that you’re having a hard time with a product *that was previously associated with my company.*[/quote from comment January 22 by Grant]
Grant, I can understand that you are unhappy because the support doesn’t turn out the way you expected, why do you put all the blame outside yourself and gskinner.com? After all, (1) it is you who has chosen metaliq to be responsible for the documentation/support, (2) gskinner.com works together with metaliq on the comps (see 1st quote) and (3) you are the chief architect of metaliq!
Perhaps you are personally not involved with the documentation/support, but ihmo you take too little responsability if you keep saying ‘I’ll contact Metaliq’.
Regards, Ronald
Ronald,
I appreciate your in-depth review of my business relationships, but I assure you that it isn’t quite so simplistic. I will try to get things resolved for licensees, because I want developers to have a positive experience with a product that has my name so intimately connected to it, but I do not make the end decisions on these matters.
Time to ask Metaliq for a refund.
Grant, I have been trying to figure out how to get the RowRenderer to work, and the information provided on Metaliq is too limited to make any sense. Is there anyway you could provide some sample scripts? Thanks!
we’ve bought a couple of licenses for the mcom components.
to keep it short: we’ve been working months to getting some issues solved and we’re constantly having to e-mail for answers. metaliqs response time is appalling. theres is still no solution. there are a lot of other details we need to know but the whole process so far is discouraging.
Releasing these components open source would have been great.
Damnit, I’ve been waiting and waiting to get proper documentation for the mCom components.
Let’s be serious here, I feel like I got ripped off.
This is really frustrating as I know the components deliver the goods, but the lack of documentation makes it nothing more but a guessing game.
Sorry guys, I don’t pay that kind of money to get halfway done products.
Me and a few friends are now considerating legal actions against Metaliq. I really hope this documentation thing gets done soon.
I know this doesn’t help you much, but in the past few days I’ve been talking with Metaliq about what needs to get done to resolve some of these issues, and it sounds like some steps are going to be taken to resolve many (all?) of these concerns. I’m hoping they make an announcement to all registered users in the very near future as to their plans in this regard. I’ve also forwarded these latest comments to Metaliq.
I know it’s not what you want to hear, but please do keep emailing Metaliq with your requests, and feel free to keep bugging us (gskinner.com) – we’re really proud of the components technically, and genuinely want purchasers of mCOM to be able to utilize them in their own projects as well as we have in ours.
I’m not sure what else I can say at the moment, but I will post back here as soon as I have any news.
Best regards,
Grant.
Thanks for you quick reply Grant. We will wait a few weeks more, but I really hope it gets done quickly.
We plan to use your components on the cbc (well it’s radio-canada here) web site if we get proper documentation in time.
Thanks for your work. And responsiveness. It calmed us down just a small little tad.
However, we do need a few hints in order to get that show on the road. I will try monday to get some info from Metaliq on how to properly deal with listbased mCom comps.
Best regards,
A little less frustrated Eric.
This seems like a very simple situation to solve. ALL METALIQ HAS TO DO is release the source for the demo on this page http://metaliq.com/mCOM/.
am i wrong? i think we’re all smart enough to follow source code without docs.
A client insisted upon my using 3rd party components, and we chose mCom because of its heritage. I had an incredible amount of trouble with it, and neither of my 2 trouble tickets was ever responded to (it has been about 2 weeks).
I have recommended that they get a refund. I spent less time making my own form widgets for this project than I did fighting with mCom. It’s just not ready, or not documented well enough to help people get through it.
I feel left out high and dry too… I’m using mCom in very high-profile projects that millions of people see and after the months without any documentation to show for it, I’ve a lot of excusing to do as we maintain our apps and it we have hit huge delays trying to decipher the mCom component set – to the point where it’s obvious we would have been better off extending v2.
So with that I’m taking the blame and transitioning back to the v2 components… Release the source, please. This has gone beyond all of our patience 🙁
Is there any way to make these MTASC friendly?
I just created a documentation group on Google Groups for the mCom component. Lets all use it as a repository for examples and experiences with how to the mCom components.
Tony, thanks for creating the group. I think the ultimate responsibility goes to the company that owns the product. They have been misleading their customers and releasing substandard products, and I wonder if anyone has complained it to Better Business Bureau. Due to lacking of proper documentation, my $399 purchase has so far not been utilized at any project.
Does anyone happen to have a good experiment with RowRenderer? I have not been successful with it to allow a custom grid going.
Glen, anyway you could shed some light over this subject?
In lieu of anything official thus far from Metaliq, we are going to try to monitor the google group, and answer the questions we can easily. I’ll see if I can get one of my developers to post a rowrenderer example there in the next day or so.
Grant.
Grant, thanks for the response. I just checked Metaliq’s site, and I couldn’t find the sample. Please advise!
Promise after promise about updating the documentations, providing samples and stuff like that. All we got was still what appeared September 2005. All promises and hypes but no actions, are there luckier ones out there?
http://67.104.17.194/complaint/view/57077332/c/47x9hr
Consumer’s Original Complaint :
Total: $299.00 USD
Item/Product Name: mCOM
Forum of upset customers:
http://www.gskinner.com/blog/archives/2005/09/mcom_glic_compo.html
The documentation and API spec for this product is so minimal that it makes using these components impossible.
I open two support tickets, Ticket id: 132 & 133, with no responses. I called twice and was told I would receive a call back and never did.
Consumer’s Desired Resolution:
I believe Metaliq needs to make appropriate documentation for this product and I personally want my money returned.
BBB Processing
(Most recent activity listed first)
06/13/2006 OttO EMAIL Forward Business Response to Consumer
06/12/2006 WEB BBB RECEIVE BUSINESS RESPONSE : From the Master End User License Agreement, which all customers must agree to before purchasing the mCOM product:
THE FEE FOR THE PRODUCT BY METALIQ IS NON-REFUNDABLE.
in addition,
Section 7, Paragraph (a)
METALIQ PROVIDES NO REMEDIES OR WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, FOR THE PRODUCT, AND THE PRODUCT IS PROVIDED “AS IS”.
from Section 8. EXCLUSIVE REMEDY:
Provided that any non-compliance with the above warranty is reported in writing to Metaliq no more than ninety (90) days following delivery to you, Metaliq will use reasonable commercial efforts to supply you with a replacement copy of the Software that substantially conforms to the documentation, provide a replacement for defective media, or refund to you your purchase price for the Product, at its option.
**Please note: 90 DAYS
Purchase date 9/2/2005
Case opened 5/31/2006
I think, Shannon, you are out of line for posting the above comment on this Blog.
Firstly your BBB complaint is against Metaliq, not Grant. Secondly this is a cross-post … you posted this on Flashcoders. Tsk Tsk.
The documentation for mCom makes it clear that the components echo the API calls for MM V2 components … you only need to hit F1 to have ample documentation. Therefore your argument that lack of documentation makes the components unusable is weak. If you are in any way a competant actionscript programmer, you should have little trouble using these components.
I had my employer purchase the components last fall and I have delivered several high profile projects since. The applications look great! I have successfuly implemented custom rowrenderers using the list box component … which worked quite nicely. I have reskinned a component. They work great.
I agree Metaliq’s own documentation is inadequate. I agree that Metaliq’s technical support is poor. There are, in fact, a few cases where the api for mCom and the V2 componets differ in an unfortunate way. And I wish the dataGrid cells were editable.
If there is any way I can help getting the components work, you may email me:
randy at spintechnologies dot com
Cheers,
Randy Troppmann
Randy – thank you for your comments, it’s appreciated, this is admittedly a somewhat awkward position to be in.
Shannon – I definitely don’t think it was wrong of you to take action as you saw fit. I also don’t have any problem with you sharing your course with other developers. I agree with Randy that I’m not quite sure this is the venue for it, but somehow this entry has turned into a bit of a forum for these posts, and I’m certainly not going to censor it.
People with complaints are (understandably) more outspoken. We have had a lot of positive feedback on the technical aspects of the components, but that has obviously been marred by the support / documentation frustrations a large number of users have been experiencing.
There are a lot of fairly knowledgeable mCOM users out there, and we are happy to try to help any community efforts to support / document the components (though I am well aware that shouldn’t be the responsibility of the community). We’ve been trying to keep an eye on the google group Tony created to help out where we can.
Sorry for your troubles (seems like I’ve said that a lot in this thread) 🙁
Grant,
Please can you advise how I can skin the List part of the comboBox.
I have the updated documentation which only describes limited usage, the skinning is on Metaliq’s site but I can’t seem to get the List to skin when in the comboBox
Regards Neil
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