var myFlashvar:String = FlashVars.parameters["myFlashvar"];

or you can access the flashvar values this way.

var myFlashvar:String = FlashVars.parameters.myFlashvar;

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Well, the Principles of User Interface Design are intended to improve the quality of user interface design. And this has nothing to do whether you are an expert programmer, hardcore developer, famous designer and etc.

This article is merely to share with you all out there that trying to develop or design something for client or end-users. Consider yourself by following at least 1 or 2 of this principles as helping mankind. Well enough chatter, and let us begin..

The principles of UI I was yapping about are as follows :-

• The Structure principle: Design should organize the user interface purposefully, in meaningful and useful ways based on clear, consistent models that are apparent and recognizable to users, putting related things together and separating unrelated things, differentiating dissimilar things and making similar things resemble one another. The structure principle is concerned with overall user interface architecture. E.g. UI consistency, distinctive buttons, most active or used buttons are place nearer to the mouse and etc.
   
• The Simplicity principle: The design should make simple, common tasks easy, communicating clearly and simply in the user’s own language, and providing good shortcuts that are meaningfully related to longer procedures. E.g. one click at a iconic big button that instructs the computer to performs multiple complex tasks.
   
• The Visibility principle: The design should make all needed options and materials for a given task visible without distracting the user with extraneous or redundant information. Good designs don’t overwhelm users with alternatives or confuse with unneeded information. E.g. introducing subtle indicator prior to user action / response is a good sign on visibility (tool tip or mouse indicator) or clearly distinguish the click-able stuff and disabled stuff.
  
• The Feedback principle: The design should keep users informed of actions or interpretations, changes of state or condition, and errors or exceptions that are relevant and of interest to the user through clear, concise, and unambiguous language familiar to users. E.g. message or indicator that appears to reinforce the action committed, for example, message of showing records are deleted.
• The Tolerance principle: The design should be flexible and tolerant, reducing the cost of mistakes and misuse by allowing undoing and redoing, while also preventing errors wherever possible by tolerating varied inputs and sequences and by interpreting all reasonable actions. E.g. double verifying orders for something that is irreversible is a good idea to have. For example, This will delete all your save files, Proceed ?
• The Reuse principle: The design should reuse internal and external components and behaviors, maintaining consistency with purpose rather than merely arbitrary consistency, thus reducing the need for users to rethink and remember. E.g. reusing of same submit and cancel button that appears consistently at the same spot is good idea of reuse principle.

Last but not least, like all the robotic /computer laws. There are two laws that applies in user interface design because, we are making something to be used on a computer:- 

First Law :-

A computer shall not harm your work or, through inactivity, allow your work to come to harm.

Example, of 1st Law Violation
Imagine, a worker accidentally deleted entire database record of all citizens of the country in the immigration dept, just with one click. Resulting, him being fired and traumatize for live because, the developer that develop the system didn’t cater for tolerance.

Second Law :-

A computer shall not waste your time or require you to do more work than is strictly necessary.

Example, of 2nd Law Violation
No indication of the server is busy, makes the player go wondering what has happened to his PC assuming it’s hang / crashed. He/she spends hours diagnosing the problem or restarted the PC innocently. Again this is because, the developer didn’t cater for feedback and visibility or auto-assumed this is a designers fault.

 

I really hope this article will enlighten you that such precaution step do exist in our development / design life cycle and should not be ignored just like that. Happy New Year from IGS and good luck in your projects!

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What are DLL files?

To understand DLL errors, it is essential to know what DLL files are and why are they required on a Windows computer. DLL is the acronym for Dynamic Link Library. These files are used in Windows to save program codes that can be dynamically loaded in the system memory when a particular program on your computer wants to use it. These files can be shared among multiple applications and thus help in the efficient use of system resources.

What causes DLL errors?

There are several DLL files on a single Windows computer. Out of which, some like mfc80.dll and shtml.dll are usually shipped with Windows, while others like wmp.dll (Winamp) are copied when you install additional programs on your PC. The following are some of the common reason for these errors:

• One or more DLL files are overwritten by older or incompatible versions.
• A required DLL files gets deleted from the computer.
• A buggy program or device driver is installed on the system.
• Your computer is infected by a malware.
• Windows registry is damaged or comprises invalid entries.

How to resolve DLL issues

There are some tasks that you may do when DLL errors occur. Here, are some of the initial steps that may perform:

1. Restart your PC. If the error has occurred due to a temporary condition restarting may resolve the issue.
2. Restore file if deleted by mistake. Check your Recycle Bin and if you find the file there, restore it to resolve the error.
3. Reverse the action that started the error. For instance, if errors follow a software/driver installation or uninstallation, undo the action to try and resolve the error.
4. Perform system restore. This will roll back system files and settings to a previous time when you know that your PC was not showing any errors.
5. Update your PC software. This will help you ensure that the system is free from outdated files and folders.
6. Scan your PC for malware infections. Scan with robust antivirus and antispyware tools to ensure that your system is free from malware infections.
7. Scan and repair registry issues. Use a trustworthy registry tool to perform a thorough registry scan and fix any errors that are detected.

A little understanding of computer errors may not only help you save time and money spent on getting the issues fixed, but will also give you confidence in combating these errors when they occur.

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The huge amount of hard disk space that comes with new PCs today is quite similar to large closets. Initially, both look big, however, both fill up much sooner than expected. Also, if you don’t maintain or clean them on a regular basis, it takes a lot of time to find what you are looking for. In order to bring back the order, you need to be careful with what you are putting in and remember to keep things in an arranged manner.

Another important ritual is to get rid of things that were precious to you sometime back but that you do not require anymore. During the cleaning process you may be surprised to find a few things that were unintentionally put there and had been occupying valuable space. These are usually spyware and adware programs that install on your PC without your knowledge. To get rid of these programs, you need to uninstall them from your computer. The following are some of the top advantages of uninstalling these programs:

1. You will have more space available for important things.
2. Your computer will be less burdened as more resources will be available for processing.
3. The chances of errors will decrease with fewer programs.
4. You will be able to get rid of malware programs that have secretly entered in your PC with the intent of causing damage.

Let’s now have a look at the top tips to uninstall unwanted programs and achieve all these advantages:

• Inbuilt Uninstaller: Most software programs come with their own uninstaller option. It is recommended that you use this option while uninstalling a program.  To do this, in Windows XP PC, go to the Start menu, then click on All Programs menu option, spot the program you want to remove, and then from the program sub-menu select the Uninstall option if it is provided. This will initialize the uninstall process.

• Windows Add or Remove Program utility: In case the program you want to remove does not come with an uninstall option, you can use the windows Add or Remove Programs utility. To open this utility go to Start menu and click on Control Panel. Here, select the Add or Remove Program option. This will display a list of programs that are currently installed on your PC. Select the programs you want to remove one-by-one and then click on the Change/Remove or Remove button. This is an effective method that you can use to remove Yahoo toolbar and other similar programs that do not provide an uninstall option in the Start menu.

• Third-Party Uninstaller: There are some software programs, such as Norton Internet Security tool that are really hard to remove from your system. This is because these programs are notorious for adding a large number of files and registry entries to your computer. These programs do not get completely uninstalled even if you use any of the above two options. To uninstall Norton Internet Security other such large programs, you may use the uninstaller tools provided to specifically remove these programs on the manufacturer’s website. In case an uninstaller is not available, you may choose to use an efficient third-party program uninstaller tool to do the job for you.

• Upgrading or Manual Deletion:  Some programs cannot be removed by using the conventional methods of uninstalling a program. For example, many users look for methods on how to uninstall DirectX 9 from their computer. To uninstall DirectX and other similar programs that do not feature in uninstall programs list, you need to manually delete them from the registry. You may also choose to update these programs to a more current version.

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Malware refers to any piece of code that tries to enter your PC without your consent and causes damage to it or steals your personal information.

Malware can be categorized into two main categories:

- Virus: These include all kinds of computer viruses, worms, and Trojans
- Spyware: These include spy software, adware, and criminal ware.

While the former spread fast and are transmitted through one computer to other, the latter are confined usually to the computer in which spyware has entered.

A recent study found that over 86% of computers are inadequately protected from malware threats, while half of users perceived that they were well-protected. This overconfidence stems from ignorance about the threat perception of malware and most users are not aware of the problem until it is too late. Some of the symptoms that may give you a warning signal about the presence of malware is if your computer is slow or if your computer freezes randomly. It is recommended that you follow the tips given below to protect your PC from Malware:

1. Use a reliable anti-virus properly: While most of you probably have anti-virus software installed on your system, you may not be aware of its capabilities. It is critical that you choose your anti-virus very carefully after consulting with experts and reading the reviews. Once you select the anti-virus and install it, you must be sure to:
   • Enable real-time protection to ensure no malware infiltrates your PC.
   • Perform a complete system scan every few days.
   • Always remember to update the virus definitions to ensure total protection from a new virus.
2. Follow Safe Computing: You must take all precautions while using your computer, especially while using the Internet. You must be sceptical of all unknown emails as well as attachments and never open them before scanning. You must also never visit or download software from suspicious websites.
3. Update your Operating System regularly: Microsoft Windows is a robust operating system but it is not perfect. Microsoft releases updates on a regular basis to plug any loopholes in its security that may serve as an entry point for various malware. Ensuring regular system updates also makes the defence of your PC stronger and less prone to malware attacks. You can update your Windows operating system easily by using the Windows Update feature.
4. Use a good anti-spyware: Did you know that almost all PCs that have an internet connection are likely to have spyware on them. These spyware programs, such as Limewire, can  add a lot of entries to your registry and can cause a lot of damage to your system. If you are wondering how to uninstall Limewire, you need to equip your computer with a reliable anti-spyware tool and it will get rid of all kinds of spyware including Limewire. You may also choose to use a good registry tool to clean up any spyware entries added deep within the registry tree.

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