XIFF - XMPP Implementation For Flash

XIFF - XMPP Implementation For Flash

Released this week, the XIFF framework provides components and libraries for Flash developers to utilize XMPP, or as its more commenly known - Jabber for real-time applications.

As amazing as Flash Communication Server is, its high price tag often stands as a significant barrier for those trying to build communications applications on a limited budget. It often leads to searching for alternative solutions, like those provided by Colin Moock's Unity server.

The XIFF project, headed by Sean Voisen, provides another approach.

XIFF stands for XMPP Implementation for Flash, and it's a framework that allows developers to rapidly build Flash applications that communicate using Jabber messaging systems. Jabber is an XML-based messaging system that uses XMPP, the eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol. And because there are free, open-source Jabber servers, the cost to entry is relatively low. The current XIFF framework includes a library and series of components for building chat applications, with additional features like full instant messaging planned for the future.

XIFF Component Set is licensed for US $89 per developer license, and volumed licensed for 5 developers for US $269. The package is available for free for non-commercial use.

The components include

• Connection Manager: Connects to and manages incoming data from an XMPP/Jabber server.
• Conference Manager: Connects to the conferencing (chat) capabilities of an XMPP/Jabber server.
• Conference: A simple chat interface with alert sound support and timestamping capabilities.
• Conference Users: Lists the current users of a chat room.
• Debug Monitor: The standard XIFF debug monitor for displaying incoming and outgoing XML data.

XIFF Library is a set of Flash Actionscript classes that makes connecting to and interpreting data from an XMPP server a breeze. Its available for free and released as open source under GPL.

The library includes:

• XIFFConnection: Connects to servers, broadcasts incoming data, sends outgoing data.
• XIFFIQ: A wrapper for IQ (info-query) data.
• XIFFMessage: A wrapper for message data.
• XIFFPresence: A wrapper for presence data.