Flex! A Tool for developing web for future generations…

This article expresses purely my views on Adobe Flex, its history, working process, associated technologies, examples, and many more. It would be very helpful in knowing the successive progress of Flex from when Macromedia launched Flex Data Services (an SDK, an Integrated Development Environment, and a Java EE integration application) to Flex 4.

Adobe Flex Introduction

Flex is an open source software development kit (SDK) for developing highly user engaging applications and rich internet applications (RIAs) for flash platform. The days have gone when ActionScript programmer used to be in nightmares and developed many small programs after a very hard work. Flex and its integrated tools as known as Flex Frameworks have made it easier. So, Flex is like dream comes true for any ActionScript programmer or developer. As Flex provides Component Oriented Programming Model to the developers, so that they can create rich web applications just with dragging and dropping components from the respective library. It also provides an intuitive and flexible environment to the programmer for fast debugging and network problems monitoring. Flex is a framework that follows MXML (Magic Extensible Markup Language), ActionScript 3.0, CSS, almost all the available data services and server side scripting languages. Flex is component centric interface, it enables to use many pre-programmed components to assemble applications and also you can extend base components for the customized user interactions.

History of Flex

Flex formerly know as Flex Builder IDE was a production of Macromedia Inc. Macromedia has launched it first version 1.0 and 1.5 in mid of 2004-2005. After undertaking by Adobe, Adobe has launched its new versions (2.0, 3.0, and 4.0) with some advanced improvements. And adobe has changed its name from Flex Builder IDE to Flex. Flex was the first Macromedia product to be re-branded under the Adobe name.

Versions of Flex

Macromedia Flex Server 1.0 and 1.5

Macromedia targeted the enterprise application development

market with its initial releases of Flex 1.0 and 1.5. This IDE was deployed with the Java EE application server compiled MXML and ActionScript on-the-fly into Flash applications.

Adobe Flex 2

Adobe launched Flex 2 with some significant changes in the licensing model. This version was containing new command line compilers. It also made available to download free of cost. all the class library files of user interface components and utilities. The newer version of Flex Builder was based on the open source Eclipse model. There were two versions of it, Standard and Professional. Professional version users had some advanced features as Flex Charting Components and Data Visualization Services. Enterprise-oriented services remained available through Flex Data Services 2. Unlike Flex 1.0 and 1.5, Flex Data Services are not required for the deployment of Flex applications.

Adobe Flex 3 and 3.5

Adobe released the first beta of Flex 3 which excludes the Flex Builder IDE and the LiveCycle Data Services, codenamed Moxie, in June 2007. This version was integrated with the new versions of Adobe's Creative Suite products, support for AIR, and the addition of profiling and refactoring tools to the Flex Builder IDE. Adobe released three more beta versions of the Flex 3 with some rich features. In 2009, Adobe released version 3.5 of the Flex SDK. This version lead the way to the ActionScript 3.0, Adobe Flash Catalyst and many more programs to use in this IDE with greater flexibility.

Adobe Flash Builder and Flex 4

Finally, Adobe released it latest version of Flex 4.0 (code named Gumbo) on March 22, 2010 from its bouquet. The Flex 4 development environment is called Adobe Flash Builder, formerly known as Adobe Flex Builder. This version of Builder was plugged with the features like Testing tools, Memory and performance profilers, An automated testing harness to connect to all the leading testing tools, Flex Unit support, command-line build capability, and The new Network Monitor etc. Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) Development process in Flex Here I am just briefing out the whole process step by step, which I follows when work on Flex. As every application has its own way to accomplish projects, Flex projects need to be fallen according to the following steps:

• Build an user interface using a set of pre-programmed components
• Change the appearance of the interface using styles and themes
• Establish data connections
• Modify database using forms or DataGrid
• Add Charts and Graphs
• Add dynamic behavior
• Define and connect to data services as needed
• Test and debug code
• Deploy application to the Web Server

Pre-requisite to join this course:

Flex is a framework. It means there are many technologies and important tools to know them well. Being a professional Flex Instructor in ADMEC since 2007, I would recommend flex to those who are very comfortable with ActionScript3.0, XML, and have working experience on server side or development technologies earlier. I have been working as a web designer and ActionScript programmer since 2002 to till date. My previous experience always helps when I work on Flex 4.

In my past few years teaching experience I faced many students from India and abroad without having any programming background and they successfully completed the course. Was it a miracle---- NO!! It’s the matter of experience. I made easy everything; I suggested good course contents to become a successful Flex Programmer. So, don’t afraid, if you have planned to learn, come to us we will make your dream comes true.

Technologies, Terms, and Tools related with Adobe Flex

Technologies, Terms, and Tools related with Flex Here you can read Flex- and Flash Builder- associated technologies and tools that you should know about before you start working on Flex application. Here’s a quick run down of the tools, technologies, and terms that you’ll encounter as you explore Flex.

Adobe Flash Platform

The synonym of entire adobe technologies and applications is ‘Adobe Flash Platform’. You can create and develop applications using adobe family in the form of SWF file.

Flash Platform Runtimes

Adobe Runtimes help to render and play SWF files generated from Adobe Flash Platform technologies and tools. Adobe Flash Player works on browsers while Adobe AIR works outside the browsers.

Adobe Flash Player

Adobe Flash Player is a browser plug-in or Active X control with a rich object model and rendering engine that allows developers to include highly expressive and interactive content in web applications. As I discussed earlier, it is an only means to play SWF files on browsers. It is free of cost available from Adobe to download.

Adobe AIR

Adobe AIR is a cross-operating-system runtime and set of tools that allow developers to deploy HTML, Ajax, and Flash Platform applications (SWF files) to the desktop.

Flash Platform Tools

Adobe offers many tools for creating SWF files, including Flash Builder (formerly Flex Builder), Flash Catalyst, and Flash Professional. Each tool caters to different developer and designer skill sets.

Adobe Flash Builder

I would like to compare this tool with the Adobe Dreamweaver, as we use Dreamweaver to create and develop XHTML based projects in the same way Adobe Flash Builder is an Eclipse-based development tool targeted at developers. With this IDE, you use the Flex framework to create SWF files.

Adobe Flash Catalyst

This software increases the speed of the Flex Framework Production. Adobe Flash Catalyst is a new professional interaction design tool for rapidly creating expressive interfaces and interactive content without writing code. Designers use Flash Catalyst to create the functional user experience and provide the project file to developers who use Flash Builder to add functionality and integrate with servers and services.

Adobe Flash Professional

Adobe Flash Professional CS5 is the industry standard for interactive authoring and delivery of immersive experiences that present consistently across personal computers, mobile devices, and screens of virtually any size and resolution.

Flash Platform Languages

Flex Application uses two languages mainly; MXML and ActionScript. ActionScript is an inheritance-based object-oriented scripting language based on the ECMAScript standard. The latest version, ActionScript 3.0, is based on ECMA-262 4th edition. This version of ActionScript provides cleaner way to code and very fast rendering of the SWF files.

MXML is a convenience language; it provides an alternate way to generate ActionScript using a declarative tag-based XML syntax. When you compile an application, the MXML is parsed and converted to ActionScript in memory and then the ActionScript is compiled into your SWF.

Server and Server-Side Technologies

Adobe has provided a number of technologies to establish communication between server-side and flex applications. I am give overview of the some very popular technologies below:

Flex remote procedure calls

Flex applications can communicate with backend servers using either direct socket connections or, more commonly, through HTTP. You can make HTTP requests (to JSP or XML files, RESTful web services, or other server files that return text over HTTP), web service requests (to web services that return SOAP-formatted text over HTTP), or Flash Remoting requests (to methods of server-side classes that return binary AMF over HTTP). When possible, it is advisable to use Flash Remoting, because its binary data transfer format allows applications to load data up to 10 times faster than with the more verbose, text-based formats such as XML, JSON, or SOAP.

Flex Remoting

Flash Remoting MX is a combination of client- and server-side functionality that together provides a call-and-response model for accessing server-side objects from Flash Platform applications as if they were local objects.

BlazeDS

You can choose from several different server-side Flash Remoting implementations for Java servers. BlazeDS is a free, open source implementation created by Adobe that provides server-side Java remoting as well as a web messaging technology to push data in real time to Flex applications.

Adobe LiveCycle Data Services

Adobe LiveCycle Data Services is a superset of BlazeDS that provides a complete data infrastructure for enterprise Flex applications. In addition to providing the remoting and messaging services available with BlazeDS, it also provides a data management service that can reduce development and maintenance costs for real-time, data-centric applications.

Flash Platform Services

Instead of hosting and managing your own data messaging service, you can also use the Collaboration service, which provides real-time collaboration features, including chat, audio, and video. The Collaboration service is one of the Adobe Flash Platform Services, which also include the Distribution service (for distributing, promoting, tracking, and monetizing applications on social networks, mobile devices, and desktops) and the Social service (for integrating with multiple social networks, including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Yahoo!, Google, and AOL, using a single ActionScript API).

Examples of Flex projects

You can use Flex to build anything from multimedia-rich consumer experiences to functional line-of-business applications that run behind the firewall or as a standalone version of the same. You can use Flex to deliver an entire application experience, or you can embed Flex-based components and widgets within existing HTML websites, including enterprise portals or social networking sites such as Facebook.

Here I am providing a quick round up of some real-world applications to illustrate a feel of experiences which can be developed in Flex using all the above discussed technologies and tools.

• Product Configuration
• Consumer Application
• Media and Publishing
• Education
• Social Networking
• Business Productivity
• Data Visualization
• Financial Services

You can find some examples below of Flex on these brands’ sites:

• youTube
• SoniEricsson
• Yahoo! Messanger for the Web
• BBC iPlayer
• Mint.com
• miniusa.com
• fiat.com
• timesreader.nytimes.com
• tweetdeck.com
• acrobat.com
• universalmind.com

Summary:

Flex is an open source component based object oriented framework. Where we can develop, run, add databases, debug and deploy to the server after creating a bytecode or SWF file. These files can work on all types of operating systems and out of operating systems also with the help of Adobe AIR, a standalone player form adobe.