Using mx:RemoteObject with web2py's @service.amfrpc decorator.

Question

I am using web2py (v1.63) and Flex 3. web2py v1.61 introduced the @service decorators, which allow you to tag a controller function with @service.amfrpc. You can then call that function remotely using http://..../app/default/call/amfrpc/[function]. See http://www.web2py.com/examples/default/tools#services. Does anybody have an example of how you would set up a Flex 3 to call a function like this? Here is what I have tried so far:

<mx:RemoteObject id="myRemote" destination="amfrpc" source="amfrpc"
    endpoint="http://{mysite}/{myapp}/default/call/amfrpc/"&gt;
    <mx:method name="getContacts"
        result="show_results(event)"
        fault="on_fault(event)" />
</mx:RemoteObject>

In my scenario, what should be the value of the destination and source attributes? I have read a couple of articles on non-web2py implementations, such as http://corlan.org/2008/10/10/flex-and-php-remoting-with-amfphp/, but they use a .../gateway.php file instead of having a URI that maps directly to the function.

Alternatively, I have been able to use flash.net.NetConnection to successfully call my remote function, but most of the documentation I have found considers this to be the old, pre-Flex 3 way of doing AMF. See http://pyamf.org/wiki/HelloWorld/Flex. Here is the NetConnection code:

gateway = new NetConnection();
gateway.connect("http://{mysite}/{myapp}/default/call/amfrpc/");
resp = new Responder(show_results, on_fault);
gateway.call("getContacts", resp);

-Rob

Answer 1

I have not found a way to use a RemoteObject with the @service.amfrpc decorator. However, I can use the older ActionScript code using a NetConnection (similar to what I posted originally) and pair that with a @service.amfrpc function on the web2py side. This seems to work fine. The one thing that you would want to change in the NetConnection code I shared originally, is adding an event listener for connection status. You can add more listeners if you feel the need, but I found that NetStatusEvent was a must. This status will be fired if the server is not responding. You connection set up would look like:

gateway = new NetConnection();
gateway.addEventListener(NetStatusEvent.NET_STATUS, gateway_status);
gateway.connect("http://127.0.0.1:8000/robs_amf/default/call/amfrpc/");
resp = new Responder(show_results, on_fault);
gateway.call("getContacts", resp);

-Rob