Apache Flex: July 2009

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Introducing Flash/Flex Builder

Featured Video on Flash Builder
Visit the link below to view featured videos on Adobe Flash Builder
http://tv.adobe.com/product/flash-builder/?source=EWUMA

Intoducing Flash Builder

Introduction to Flex Builder 3

More DIY videos at 5min.com

Preparing Adobe Flex Development Environment (Part 2), updated

Image by TuttleTree via Flickr

Download Adobe Flash Builder (its a pretty big download of around 300 MB, please feel free to read ahead while download is progressing)

- Flash Builder 4 is available for Windows and Macintosh platform.

- During installation you will be required to close your browser(s) so that the installer can upgrade your version of Flash Player to the debugger version so that you can use the full debugging capabilities built into Flash Builder.

You can also install Adobe Flash Builder as a plugin over an existing Eclipse installation, while doing so it is recommended that you edit the eclipse.ini file for your Eclipse instance, so that it includes the following settings:

-vmargs -Xms256m -Xmx512m -XX:MaxPermSize=256m -XX:PermSize=64m

Highlights of Adobe Flash Builder 4.5:

“Adobe Flash Builder 4.5 can be used to Build for Android™, BlackBerry® Tablet OS, and iOS mobile platforms using a common code base”.

Based on an Eclipse™ Plaform
Rapid development of expressive mobile, web, and desktop applications
Support for ActionScript®
Building applications using open source Flex framework.
Supports for mobile application development and testing.
Development of applications using common code base to build apps for Android™, BlackBerry® Tablet OS, and iOS mobile platforms while sharing code from web applications.

Tips

You can install a copy of Flash Builder 4 standalone with Flex Builder 2 or 3 installations on the same machine, it will not interfere with each other.
Workspaces created in Flex Builder 2 or Flex Builder 3 are not supported by Flash Builder 4.
You can import existing Flex Builder projects in Flash Builder 4, but a project modified by Flash Builder 4 will no longer open in Flex Builder 3 or Flex Builder 2.

Adobe updates Flash Builder, Flex; unveils LiveCycle-CQ integration (infoworld.com)

Getting Started With Flex SDK

Flex architecture contains following components:

•Adobe Flex Builder

•Adobe Live Cycle Data Services ES

•Adobe Flex Charting

•Adobe Flex SDK

Flex SDK is a free tool containing the following components:

Command line compiler
Debugger

the following link provides step-by-step instructions for creating an Adobe AIR applications using Flex SDK
Creating your first application using Flex SDK

Getting Started With Adobe Flex

Below is my presentation about Apache Flex overview which covers high level details about what is Flex, its architecture, benefits ...

Apache Flex: Overview from Tarun Telang

Flex can be applied for the following solutions:

•Business systems/Applications

•Standalone custom solutions

•Network, communication and other interactive solutions

•Video and audio messaging solutions/ Collaboration Tools

•CRM and ERP systems

How to create an Application with Adobe Flex

The video below show how to use Flex Builder 3 and walks you true creating a new Flex Builder project demonstrating new functionality available in this release.

More DIY videos at 5min.com

Preparing Adobe Flex Development Environment (Part 1), updated.

Image via Wikipedia

Development Tools Overview

Adobe Flash® Builder™ (formerly Flex Builder) - Eclipse™ based Integrated Development Environment (IDE) designed to help software developers build rich Internet applications (RIAs) using the open source Flex framework (including both web and Adobe AIR base desktop applicaitons).While Flex applications can be built using only the free open source framework, developers can use Adobe® Flash® Builder™ software to dramatically accelerate development. It provides useful features for a developer to perform design, development, and debugging of applications in effective manner.
Adobe Flex SDK - The Adobe Flex® SDK provides the core Flex compilers, Flex framework component library and debugger. Using only the free SDK and an IDE of your choice, you can build and deploy rich Flex applications. (If you are using Flash Builder 4, the SDK is already included.). This is the link to Download Flex 4 SDK.
Adobe Flash Catalyst™ (codenamed "Thermo") - Flash Catalyst is a new professional interaction design tool for rapidly creating user interfaces without coding. Sales of this product has ended in April 2012. Flash Catalyst is no longer be available in future versions of Adobe Creative Suite® software. Adobe recommends interaction designers to consider Creative Suite 6 Master Collection, which is now a professional creative tools to create interactive ubiquitous apps (with reach vitually universal reach).
Slider: Flex Mobile Framework - A mobile version of the Flex framework which will enable Flex developers to build mobile applications for smartphones and other high-end mobile devices.

The following video provided a brief introduction to of Flex Builder 3 ?

Also Check the following resources for alternate Development Environments for Flex

Interested in AIR and Flex? (blogs.adobe.com)
Flex 4 beta in a week
Zend Integrates with Adobe Flash Builder 4 for Rapid Development of Rich Internet Applications Based on Adobe Flash Platform and PHP (prweb.com)
Flex SDK 4.6 (ravigeek.wordpress.com)
Flex 4.6 SDK gets last non-Apache release (h-online.com)
Life After Adobe Flash Builder(drdobbs.com)

Getting Inspired & Exploring the possibilities of Adobe Flex, updated

English: Differentiation of Java technologies ...

Image via Wikipedia

Now its time to browse some Rich Internet Applications (RIA) built in Adobe Flex.

Rich Internet Applications are web applications that works like full fledged desktop applications.

They can be delivered to the user through a site specific browser either through a plug in or virtual machines.

A site-specific browser (SSB) is a software application that is dedicated to accessing pages from a single source (site) on a computer network such as the Internet or a private intranet. SSBs typically simplify the more complex functions of a web browser by excluding the menus, toolbars and browser chrome associated with functions that are external to the workings of a single site. These applications can be started by using mostly a desktop icon using the favicon.^[1]

Examples of site-specific browser

Mozilla Prism - https://mozillalabs.com/en-US/prism/
Robin Web Browser - http://raven.io/
Fluid App - http://fluidapp.com/

RIAs let you perform in-line editing, drag and drop items or otherwise interact directly with elements.
Popular browser based RIAs include Flickr, Google Maps, and eBay.

Why Adobe Flex ?

Flex is a highly productive, free open source framework for building and maintaining expressive web applications that deploy consistently on all major browsers, desktops, and operating systems.

Flex applications can be built using Flex SDK or Adobe Flex Builder 3. It is basically a collection of technologies developed by Adobe which can be used for the development of cross platform Rich Internet Applications (RIA).

Flex applications can be delivered on the web via the Flash Player or to the desktop via Adobe AIR

Flex requires server-side technologies like Java, SAP NetWeaver, ASP.NET or PHP to provide it with real-time data.

Adobe Flex is used across broad variety of industries and use cases.

Flex showcase which is a Flex application letting you browse and search for publicly available Flex applications. Many companies are developing Flex RIAs for internal applications.

Feel free to explore different the Flex showcase on your own, this will provides you with good inspiration and great ideas, and will lets you see what Adobe Flex is capable of.

1. Adobe Flex Showcase
2. Adobe AIR Application Showcase

Flex development can be beneficial not only to developers but also to end-users. Due to Flex programming model you can get scalable and reliable solutions. Even these solutions can be re-designed whenever needed.

Please click the link below to get Tour de Flex application which provides over 600 running samples with source code!

"Tour de Flex" and "Tour de Flex Mobile" - provides collection of Flex applications showcasing the capabilities of the technology for web/desktop and mobile application development respectively.

Related articles

Preparing your Runtime enviroment, updated

The so-called “Pepper” implementation of Flash Player provides a layer between the plugin and browser that abstracts away differences between browser and operating system implementations. It is an API Co-developed by Google and Adobe for hosting plugins within the browser.
1) Version Test for Flash Player
2) Installing the latest Flash Player Google Chrome browser includes Adobe® Flash® Player built-in. Google Chrome will automatically update when new versions of Flash Player are available.
3) Installing Adobe AIR
4) Flash Player Version Penetration - check this link if you are wondering which version of Flash Player would be best for you.

Watch the video below to Learn about Flash Player Integration and Support

More DIY videos at 5min.com

Introduction to Adobe AIR

More DIY videos at 5min.com

FlexJS - An introduction from OmPrakash Muppirala

Introduction to Adobe Flash Player and take a Flex Test Drive, updated

The following are three main Rich Internet Applications technologies from Adobe:

To begin learning about Flash Player start reading with What is micromedia flash player (wiki.answers.com)

Flash Platform is used to build

Enterprise applicaitons
SasS (Software as a Service)
Consumer applications,
Rich media applications,
Video applications (e.g. YouTube),
Social applications
Games

Note: Adobe has abandoned developing Flash for mobile device.

To know about the current version of Flash Player visit the URL: https://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

Flex Test Drive: Build an application in an hour

Remark: You should be able to upgrade the Flex SDK without having to get your clients upgrade their Flash Player unless during major releases, to bring some predictability and allows developers to plan their upgrade cycles.

Adobe Advances Graphic Tech with CrossBridge(gautiertalksopentech.wordpress.com) - Flash C++ compiler (FlasCC), previously known as project Alchemy.

Flex Development Without IDE(radhedubey.wordpress.com) - Getting to know the basics with Flex Development without an IDE

Introducing the Flash Platform Evangelist Kit (blogs.adobe.com) - Find answers to key points raised by executives, technology decision makers, and customers.

Important BlackBerry Tablet OS Update: Includes Fix for Adobe Flash Player (blogs.blackberry.com) - Does anybody now care about BlacBerry Tablet OS and its Flash Player ? If yes then read this blog.

Photon - A Flash Player and Browser for Android - viewing Flash enabled web sites (those not yet migrated to HTML5) in Android.

Adobe Flash Player for Android is not available anymore at the Play Store.

Apache Flex Overview, updated

crazy with the books (Photo credit: leff)

What is Flex?

Flex is a highly productive, free open source framework that provides enterprise-level components for Flash Platform for designing, building and maintaining expressive mobile, web and desktop applications that deploy consistently on all major devices, browsers, desktops, and operating systems.

Flex allows you to build web and mobile applications that share a common code base, reducing the time and cost of application creation and longer term maintenance.

Flex Overview

Adobe has donated the Flex SDK to Apache Software foundation. [Adobe Donating Flex to Open Source Foundation (infoq.com)]

Flex 3 Getting Started - Animated Overview on Adobe Learning Resource

Flex 4 Getting Started - Getting Started page for Flex 4 (current release) on the Flex Developer Center.

What is Adobe Flash Builder ?

Adobe^® Flash^® Builder^™ 4.5 software (formerly Adobe Flex^® Builder^™) is an Eclipse^™ based development tool for rapidly building expressive applications for the following platforms:

mobile,
web, and
desktop

using the following technologies:

ActionScript^® and MXML
the open source Flex framework.

Adobe Flash Builder 4.5 introduces new support for mobile application development and testing that enables use of a common code base to build apps for the following platforms:

Android^™,
BlackBerry^® Tablet OS, and
iOS mobile platforms

while sharing code from web applications. It includes support for the following features:

intelligent coding,
interactive step-though debugging,
application profiling, and
visual design of the user interface layout.

Can I learn Apache Flex (previously Adobe Flex) ?

Below are the Prerequisites for learning Adobe Flex includes basic understanding of following topics:

Basic understanding of any programming Language ( for e.g. C#, Java, C / C++ etc..)
HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language)
XML (eXtensible Markup Language)
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
Exposure to any server side technology (like ColdFusion, Java Servlet/JavaServer Pages, PHP, .NET) is recommended but not necessary.

Which languages does Flex Framework supports ?

A Flex application consists primarily of code written in two different languages

ActionScript - a fully object oriented, strictly typed, ECMA Script language. It is is used for describing the event handlers and custom application logic.
MXML - an XML based markup language. It is used to provide description of the appearance and components that make up the application.

What is Flash Catalyst ?

An additional product Adobe® Flash® Catalyst™ (code-named Thermo) a professional interaction design tool for designers to create complex RIA user interfaces and interactions by using a visual editor which will create Flex application code that the designer and developer can share. Adobe Flash Catalyst is a tool for rapidly creating user interfaces without coding.

Future of Flash Catalyst & Flash Builders

Following the decision of Flex moving to the Apache Foundation, that Flash Catalyst will be discontinued. Flash Builder will also have features the following features removed in future:

Design View,
Data Centric Development (DCD)
and Flash Catalyst workflows.

Adobe has stopped sales and development of Flash Catalyst tool, Adobe is now focusing mainly on creating tools for native applications using AIR and HTML5 for e.g.

Adobe Muse (http://muse.adobe.com)
Adobe & HTML (http://html.adobe.com/)

As an alternate to Flash Catalyst it is recommended to use Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection. (refer http://www.adobe.com/in/products/flashcatalyst.html for details)

Further Reading:

Future of Flash and Flex
Life After Adobe Flash Builder(drdobbs.com) - Developing Flex with using Microsoft's Visual Studios IDE

Learning Resources:

Flex 3 LiveDocs - Flex Help Documentation
Tour de Flex - A desktop application for exploring Flex capabilities
Flex Developer Center - collection of resources on flex
flex.apache.org - Apache Flex website
Flex Showcase - list of desktop and mobile applications written in Flex
Flex Cookbook - collection of solution to common problems

Apache Flex

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Introducing Flash/Flex Builder

Preparing Adobe Flex Development Environment (Part 2), updated

Tips

Related Articles

Getting Started With Flex SDK

Getting Started With Adobe Flex

Flex can be applied for the following solutions:

•Business systems/Applications

•Standalone custom solutions

•Network, communication and other interactive solutions

•Video and audio messaging solutions/ Collaboration Tools

•CRM and ERP systems

How to create an Application with Adobe Flex

The video below show how to use Flex Builder 3 and walks you true creating a new Flex Builder project demonstrating new functionality available in this release.

Related articles

Preparing Adobe Flex Development Environment (Part 1), updated.

Development Tools Overview