Tuesday, August 5, 2008

FLEX FAQ'S

Getting started
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What do I need to start building Flex applications today?
A:The fastest, easiest way to get started is to use Flex Builder 3. Flex Builder 3 has an integrated set of getting started capabilities that will guide you through your first Flex application. Alternatively, you can download the Free Adobe Flex 3 SDK, which includes the Flex framework, compilers, and debuggers, enabling you to develop Flex applications using an IDE of your choice.
Do I need to install the Flex 3 SDK if I use Flex Builder 3?
A:No. When you install Flex Builder 3, you automatically get the Flex 3 SDK and everything you need to start building Flex applications without installing the Flex 3 SDK.

Can I build and deploy Flex applications for free?
A:Yes. There are no deployment licensing costs associated with Flex. Using only the Free Adobe Flex 3 SDK, you can build and deploy Flex applications for free. For a more productive development experience you may also want to use Flex Builder 3, which is available starting at US$249. You can try Flex Builder 3 Professional for 60 days at no charge. Using open source BlazeDS, you can leverage high-speed, binary data transfer and real-time data push.

Do I have to use Flex Builder 3 to build Flex applications?
A: No, you can build Flex applications using only the Free Flex 3 SDK or the Open Source Flex SDK. However, most developers will find it more productive to use Flex Builder 3 to design and create their applications.
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Licensing and pricing
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Can I get a trial version of Flex Builder 3?
A:Yes, you can download a 60-day trial version of Flex Builder 3 Professional and start building applications today. At the end of the 60-day trial, you can purchase a license and obtain a serial number to continue using Flex Builder.

What languages and operating systems does Flex 3 support?
A:Flex Builder 3 is available in English and Japanese. Flex Builder 3 runs on Microsoft® Windows® and Mac OS X and will soon be available for Linux®. For detailed information, see the Flex Builder 3 system requirements.
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Free Flex Builder Pro for education
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Can education customers including students, faculty and staff get Flex Builder for free?
A:Flex Builder 3 Professional is free for all eligible education customers. Students, faculty and staff can get serial numbers to activate downloadable trial versions by registering on the registration site. During registration, you will be prompted to upload a copy of your student, faculty ID or employee ID, or you can upload a letter on institutional letterhead proving your current affiliation with an educational institution. Once validated, you will be e-mailed a free educational serial number for Flex Builder 3 Professional. It may take up to two weeks after the request for you to receive the serial numbers.

How do students, faculty and staff prove eligibility?
A: One of the following documents must be uploaded during registration to prove eligibility:

A valid student ID showing current enrollment
A valid faculty ID showing current employment
A valid employee ID showing current employment
A letter on an educational institution letterhead stating that the individual is either a current student or a faculty member of the institution
A scanned copy of any of these documents should be uploaded on the Flex Registration site. The scanned copy should be formatted as a GIF or PDF file.

How can I get multiple Flex Builder licenses for use in a student lab?
A: If you are a faculty or staff member and you want to get Flex Builder for multiple machines in your lab, you can request up to 30 serial numbers in a single request on the registration site. If you need more than 30 serial numbers, you should submit multiple requests.
Can education customers still purchase a boxed copy of Flex Builder 3 Professional for education?
A:No, Flex Builder 3 Professional for education is no longer available as a boxed copy.
Is maintenance included with the free Flex Builder 3 Professional licenses?
A:No, Platinum Maintenance and Support or upgrade plan is only available for purchase for customers who have purchased a full license of Flex Builder 3 Professional.
If I have purchased Flex Builder with Platinum Maintenance and Support, am I eligible to renew my Platinum Maintenance and Support to continue to receive M&S benefits?
A: Yes. Your renewal terms allow you to continue to renew Platinum Maintenance and Support based on your initial purchase. Platinum Support is not sold separately.
What support options are available for purchase if I am not eligible to purchase or renew Platinum M&S or do not want maintenance? Flex installation support is available for free. For technical support beyond installation issues, both developer and technical support is available for purchase. These plans include single incident and annual unlimited incident support. Additional information is available at www.adobe.com/support/programs or www.adobe.com/uk/support/programs/.

Is support included with my free Flex Builder Professional 3.0 licenses? A:Complimentary installation support is available. Developer or Technical Support plans for issues beyond installation support are available for purchase. Additional information is available at www.adobe.com/support/programs or www.adobe.com/uk/support/programs/.
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Flex and Flash
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How is Flex different from Flash?
A:Both Flash and Flex applications are rendered in the browser using Flash Player and on the desktop using the Adobe AIR runtime.

Flash is the leading authoring tool for web developers, multimedia professionals, animators, and videographers who want to create interactive content.

Developers may find it difficult to use the Flash tool to create applications. Flex provides developers who know traditional programming technologies like Java, PHP, Ajax, and .NET with an easy-to-learn application framework to create RIAs. In addition, developers can embed Flash elements inside a Flex application. Using the Flex Component Kit for Flash, Flash developers can create customer Flex components.

Which version of Flash Player do Flex 3 applications require?
A:Applications developed with Flex 2 or Flex 3 require Flash Player 9. Upgrading to Flash Player 9 Update 3 enables applications to leverage the Flex Framework Caching feature in Flash Player, accelerating application load time.

Can I create content in Flash and use it in Flex?
A: Yes, developers using Flex Builder 3 can easily import custom Flex components developed using the Flex Component Kit for Flash with Flash CS3 Professional.

How do I debug Flex applications on Linux?
A:The Flex 3 SDK includes the latest version of the Debug Flash Player for Linux along with a command-line debugger. You may also download the alpha of Flex Builder for Linux from Adobe Labs.
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Flex and Ajax
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Can I use Flex with Ajax?
A:Yes. Flex 3 and Ajax technology continue to complement each other well, and the included FABridge helps you integrate rich Flex components with Ajax applications. The FABridge is a small, unobtrusive library of code included in the Free Flex 3 SDK that you can insert into a Flex application, a Flex component, or an empty SWF file to expose it to scripting in the browser. You can learn more about the FABridge and integration with Ajax in the Flex documentation.

What capabilities can Flex add to Ajax?
A:Flash and Flex technology can augment Ajax to overcome chronic browser limitations in offline data access, audio/video, vector graphics, high-performance data exchange, and message-based publish/subscribe applications. In addition, LiveCycle Data Services ES lets you connect both Flex and Ajax based RIAs with LiveCycle document and process services for richer interfaces that smoothly integrate with business processes.

Can I use BlazeDS or LiveCycle Data Services ES with Ajax?
A: Ajax Data Services, available with LiveCycle Data Services ES, brings synchronous publish/subscribe messaging, cross-domain data access, advanced data management, and offline data access to Ajax-style applications. BlazeDS can also be used with Ajax applications using Flash Player as an interface.
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LiveCycle Data Services ES
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What is LiveCycle Data Services ES?
A:LiveCycle Data Services ES (formerly Flex Data Services) enables you to:

Easily integrate RIAs with LiveCycle document and process services
Create data-intensive RIAs with less code, less risk, and accelerated time to market thanks to an innovative client-server programming model
Enable offline Adobe AIR and real-time data streaming applications to be built in a scalable and reliable manner with robust publish and subscribe messaging
Integrate RIAs with existing applications, back-end data, and J2EE infrastructure
Generate PDF documents based on preauthored templates from RIAs that include graphical assets, such as graphs and charts.

Where can I go to learn more about LiveCycle Data Services ES?
A:To learn more about LiveCycle Data Services ES and the benefits of building Flex applications that seamlessly integrate with other LiveCycle ES solution components to create groundbreaking customer engagement applications, visit the LiveCycle Data Services ES page.
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Flex 3
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What's new in Flex 3?
A:The following outlines many of the leading new features in Flex Builder 3:

Adobe AIR integration The Adobe AIR runtime extends applications to the desktop, creating new opportunities for more engaging, high-performance rich Internet applications. Flex Builder 3 provides the fastest way to create AIR applications. The Flex framework provides native support for the new AIR APIs, and Flex Builder provides all the tools necessary to build, debug, package and sign applications built on Adobe AIR.
Code refactoring The new Flex Builder refactoring engine allows developers to quickly navigate through code or to quickly restructure code by renaming all references to a class, method, or variable.
Powerful testing tools (Professional edition only) The Flex Builder memory and performance profilers enable developers to improve application performance by providing tools to monitor and analyze memory consumption and CPU cycles. Support for automated functional testing tools such as Mercury Quick Test Pro is also now included in Adobe Flex Builder 3 Professional.
SWF file size reduction Greatly reduce the size of your Flex application SWF files. In addition to bytecode optimizations in the Flex 3 compiler, a new persistent framework caching feature in Flash Player allows the Flex framework to be cached the first time any Flex application is used, so it is ready for reuse with other Flex applications regardless of the domain they come from. This cache is unrelated to the browser cache, so once the Flex framework has been downloaded it will continue to be available to any Flex application.
Flex 2 and 3 SDK support Flex Builder 3 can create applications based on either the Flex 2 SDK or the Flex 3 SDK, enabling developers to leverage many of the great new Flex Builder 3 capabilities while maintaining Flex 2 applications.
Improved data visualization components (Professional edition only) Enhance data visualization capabilities with the new Advanced DataGrid. Flex Builder 3 Professional also includes improved rendering options as well as new support for grouping and summarization. Charts have also been enhanced with new interaction support, a drawing API, and support for multiple axes.
Improved skinning and styling workflow Leverage new Flex Builder 3 import wizards to import assets from Adobe Creative Suite 3 components and incorporate them into skins in Flex applications. Design view within Flex Builder 3 has also been enhanced to support rendering of skins and styles, allowing designers and developers to update properties and visualize how they affect each skin without rebuilding the application.
Improved project workflows Use new Adobe Flex Builder 3 project wizards to support the most common back ends. New project wizards make it fast and easy to get started, whether you are using ColdFusion, PHP, Java or ASP.NET. Workflow for developers using Adobe LiveCycle Data Services is improved too. Improved project portability support enables developers to share projects and settings more easily.
Easy integration with Creative Suite 3 Use the new Flex Component Kit for Flash CS3 Professional to create interactive, animated content in Flash that can be exported as a Flex component. Flash developers can create custom skins, containers, and more. Leverage the new Flex Design Extensions for Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Fireworks to make assets easily consumed by Flex.
Web service introspection Flex Builder 3 can now retrieve a WSDL and generate ActionScript proxies to make calls and serialize/deserialize strongly typed objects. New code hinting is available for making web service calls and dealing with responses.
CSS Design view Interactively set and preview CSS values, on any of your components in Flex Builder design view.
Flex Remoting and Messaging Flex Remoting and Messaging are both now available to all developers through the BlazeDS open source project. Developers can now start using these powerful Java server integration features for free, then subscribe to the LiveCycle Data Services Community Edition for certified builds and support, or upgrade to the full LiveCycle Data Services Enterprise edition for a complete server solution.

Where can I download the Flex Builder 3 trial?
A:You can download the Flex Builder 3 trial from the Flex trial download page.
If I am currently running Flex Builder on Windows, can I trade in my Windows product for a Mac product? Flex Builder 3 is now a multiplatform product, enabling you to use the same serial number for both Windows and Mac OS X. If you need either the Mac OS X or Windows installer, you can visit the Adobe trial download center and download both installers. Simply enter your Flex Builder 3 serial number when you run the installer.

Can I include the Free Adobe Flex 3 SDK as part of my own application?
A:Yes. The Free Adobe Flex 3 SDK provides a Java API that allows you to call the compiler directly from your code instead of needing to call the command-line tools. You may redistribute the Free Adobe Flex SDK with your application provided you have signed a free redistribution agreement (expected in March 2008).

How do I get the Flex Automated Testing package needed to use Mercury Quick Test Pro for functional testing?
A:Flex automated testing support is now included as a feature of Flex Builder 3 Professional. In Flex 2, this feature was available only with the purchase of Flex Data Services or LiveCycle Data Services ES.
Where can I learn more about the Open Source Flex SDK?
A:Visit opensource.adobe.com/flex to get all the details on the Open Source Flex SDK project.

FLEX FAQ'S

FAQGeneral questions
Getting started
Licensing and pricing
Free Flex Builder Pro for education
Flex and Flash
Flex and Ajax
LiveCycle Data Services ES
Flex 3
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Learn all about the Open Source Flex SDK in a separate FAQ.

General questions
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What is Adobe® Flex® 3?
A:Adobe Flex 3 is Adobe's development of a free open source framework for building expressive web applications that deploy consistently on all major browsers, desktops, and operating systems. It provides a modern, standards-based language and programming model that supports common design patterns and includes an Eclipse™ based development environment; advanced data services; and a fast, enterprise-class client runtime based on ubiquitous Adobe Flash® Player software. Flex enables enterprises to create highly interactive, expressive applications that dramatically enhance the user experience, increasing customer satisfaction and user productivity.
What kinds of applications can be built with Flex 3?
A:You can use Flex 3 to create a wide range of highly interactive, expressive applications. For example, a data visualization application built in Flex can pull data from multiple back-end sources and display it visually. Business users can drill down into the data for deeper insight and even change the data and have it automatically updated on the back end. A product configuration application can help customers navigate the process of selecting or customizing products online. A self-service application can guide customers through an address change or help employees complete an otherwise complicated, multiple-step benefits enrollment process.
What software do I need to build Flex applications?
A:You can create and deploy Flex applications using only the Open Source Flex 3 SDK or the Free Adobe Flex 3 SDK. For a more productive development experience, you can use Adobe Flex Builder™ 3 software, a powerful, Eclipse based IDE available as a licensed product. For a more productive, higher performing approach to connecting Flex applications to back-end services, you can use BlazeDS, a free, open source Java™ solution. BlazeDS includes both Flex Remoting, which provides binary, serialized data transport, and Flex messaging services, offering real-time data push.
How do I learn Flex?
A:There are many ways you can learn and get started using Flex. You can learn on your own using the many resources in the Adobe Developer Connection or the Flex getting started wiki. There are many books and online instructional courses available through Adobe partners. You can attend an eSeminar to get an overview or participate in a formal, instructor-led course offered by an Adobe training partner either on-site or off-site.
What is Flex Builder 3?
A: Adobe Flex Builder 3 is an Eclipse based development tool enabling intelligent coding, interactive step-through debugging, and visual design of user interface layout, appearance, and behavior of rich Internet applications (RIAs). You can import assets from Adobe Creative Suite® 3 software into Flex Builder 3, making it easy for designers and developers to work together. Flex Builder is licensed on a per-seat developer basis and is available starting at US$249. You can download a 60-day free trial of Flex Builder to get started.
What is the difference between Flex Builder 3 Standard and Flex Builder 3 Professional?
A:Adobe Flex Builder 3 Standard
Adobe Flex Builder 3 Standard is a productive, Eclipse based development tool enabling intelligent coding, interactive step-through debugging, and visual design of user interface layout, appearance, and behavior of RIAs. Key features include:

Powerful coding tools Take advantage of editors for MXML, ActionScript™, and CSS; syntax coloring; statement completion; code collapse; interactive step-through debugging; and more.
Rich visual layout Visually design and preview user interface layout, appearance, and behavior using a rich library of built-in or custom components.
Integrated media Seamlessly integrate media into applications.
Integration with Creative Suite 3 New Flex Skin Design extensions for Adobe Flash, Illustrator®, Photoshop®, and Fireworks® software make it fast and easy to import ready-to-use creative assets directly into Flex.
Adobe Flex Builder 3 Professional
Use Adobe Flex Builder 3 Professional to create business-critical applications. It offers all of the powerful features included in Flex Builder 3 Standard, plus:

Powerful testing tools Memory and performance profilers help investigate memory use and analyze where applications are spending time. Use automated functional testing support for regression testing.
Interactive data visualization Create data dashboards and interactive data analysis by simply dragging and dropping a chart type and linking it to a data source using the Flex charting library.
What is BlazeDS?
A:BlazeDS enables developers to easily connect to back-end distributed data and push data in real time to Adobe Flex and Adobe AIR applications for more responsive RIA experiences. Previously available only as part of Adobe LiveCycle® Data Services ES software, the technologies included in BlazeDS and the Action Message Format (AMF) protocol specification are being contributed to open source under the Lesser General Public License (LGPL) v3.
Will Adobe provide enterprise support for BlazeDS?
Yes, enterprise support for BlazeDS will be available via subscription offerings, similar to those offered by companies that have built business models around open source software. Subscriptions will include access to trusted, certified builds, patches, warranties, and enterprise support for business-critical applications. See the BlazeDS FAQ for complete details.

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Adobe Flex :: Rich Internet Applications
Adobe ::
2007 Amgen Tour of California TourTracker 2.0 :: More info
Adobe ::
Dashboard :: Sales data analysis :: More info
Adobe ::
FlexStore :: More info
Adobe ::
Hybrid Store :: Flex working with HTML :: More info
Adobe ::
Photo Viewer :: More info
Adobe ::
Restaurant Finder :: More info
Fauxto :: Photoshop-like image editor
Alex Styler ::
Flex, Yahoo! Maps & RSS Feeds :: See the day's earthquakes, and more!
Amit Gupta ::
E41ST :: Amazon/Library mashup :: More info
Andrew Muller ::
Video Show & Snapp App :: More info
Andrew Trice ::
Census Data Mashup :: More info
Andrew Wason ::
MotionBox :: Video sharing
Ben Robinson ::
CFMonitor
Bill Brittain ::
Is2 Quickbooks Web Client :: More info
Christophe Coenraets ::
Flex and JMS: Portfolio Viewer :: More info
Christophe Coenraets ::
Google Maps Collaboration using Flex, Flash Media Server and AJAX
Coker Isaac, James Mark, William Ukoh :: Premeet Collaborative Portal :: An interactive RIA developed to foster collaboration and break-the-ice between conference attendees before the actual physical meeting
Daniel Hai ::
Onyx :: Video Mixer :: More info
DAD.be ::
Belgecom TV
Darin Kohles ::
Diamond Selector
Darron Schall ::
Just Freakin' Cool :: Commodore 64 emulator
David Brannan ::
Exam Professor
Digital Positions ::
Mednikow.com :: Online jewelery store :: More info
Ely Greenfield ::
Flickr Roulette :: More info
Erik Loehfelm ::
Haworth Product Catalog
EyeJot ::
Video Messaging Service :: More info
Fairfax Business Media ::
AFR Access :: Investment tool for Australian Financial Review
Fidelity ::
Trading Knowledge Center :: More info
Flip.com :: A social networking site that allows users to create "personal pages where you can post pictures, upload video or audio and even draw or write stuff"
FTDG & StarNetSys ::
Dow Jones Averages Interactive Learning Center
Gary Gilbert ::
Photo Album
Graham Weldon ::
Weather Information Service :: More info
Hilary Bridel ::
Australian Weather Observations :: More info
in2M ::
Mvelopes :: Personal budgeting
James Ward ::
Flex Paint
Joe Berkovitz ::
ReviewTube :: YouTube videos with time-bases captions - "a graffiti wall for YouTube" :: More info :: Source code
Joh. Enschedé ::
Amsterdam Airport Noise Monitoring System :: More info
John Grden ::
Xray Flash Debugger :: Start this test swf 1st :: More info
Josh Tynjala ::
MXNA Dashboard :: More info
Kevin Ewoldt ::
Quik-Schema Data Modeler
Kevin Kazmierczak ::
SQLAdmin :: Open source on SourceForge
Laura Arguella ::
ToDo List :: More info
Matthew Bergsma ::
FlexPM :: Project management :: More info
MediaCatalyst :: Sony Ericsson :: Phone Store
Mindomo ::
Mind Mapping
Mingjie Zhu ::
Jawbreaker Game
Nahuel Forenda :: HomeLocator :: More info
Nationwide ::
Savings & Investment Navigator
Renaun Erickson ::
Flex Search Mashup :: More info
Richard Brownell ::
A Short RPG Adventure
Rick Englert ::
PicFindr :: Find copyleft picts :: More info
ScrapBlog
Simon Barber :: MXNA Viewer
Stanley Marrder ::
Xotel Frontdest :: Hotel reservation app
Ted Patrick ::
TagTV :: Dev time = 8 hours
Thomas Gonzalez ::
BrightPoint Dashboard :: Sales & profit analysis :: More info
Tim McLeod & Kevin Harris ::
Lesson Builder :: More info
Tim Scollick ::
Flickr / YouTube Tag Search
Tony Kirman ::
I-Ching
Trenitalia ::
Real-Time Italian Train Info
Yahoo :: Yahoo Maps
Zilun Gong :: Country Finder