Developing Flex 4 Components: Using ActionScript & MXML to Extend Flex and AIR Applications (Developer's Library) - Softcover

Jones, Mike E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 032160413X ISBN 13: 9780321604132

Publisher: Addison Wesley, 2011

Synopsis

The first book to completely demystify leading-edge component

development with the Adobe Flex 3 platform

° How to build components for Flex and AIR applications using ActionScript 3.0 and

Adobe's powerful MXML user interface markup language

° Covers expert techniques most books ignore, including component metadata, error

handling, documentation, and creating Flex components in Flash using the Flex

Component Kit

° By Mike Jones, world-renowned Flex development consultant and speaker

Summary

Adobe Flex 3 offers a powerful new framework that web developers can use to

quickly produce richer, more immersive, higher-value solutions. To help

developers build the most powerful next-generation web applications, Adobe

structured the Flex framework around components, and allowed developers to

extend Flex's capabilities with their own components. However, few Flex

developers know how to create these custom components. Developing Flex

Components is the first book to completely demystify that process.

Renowned Flex developer and speaker Mike Jones begins by presenting a quick

overview of Flex and Flex Builder aimed at ActionScript 3.0 Flash developers.

Jones explains the anatomy of a Flex component, including both visual and

non-visual components, and introduces the components that come with the

Flex framework. Next, one step at a time, he walks through building new Flex

components that leverage the platform's powerful capabilities and can be

incorporated into both Flex and AIR applications. Jones covers topics that are

rarely addressed in Flex books, including component metadata, events and

error handling, data binding, skinning, styling, and creating Flex components in

Flash using the Flex Component Kit. He also presents a full chapter on writing

and maintaining component documentation, as well as an appendix of

additional resources for Flex component developers.

 

About this title

Product Description

Developing Flex 4 Components The first book to completely demystify leading-edge component development with the Adobe Flex 3 platform - How to build components for Flex and AIR applications using ActionScript 3.0 and Adobe's powerful MXML user interface markup language - Covers expert techniques most books ignore, including component metadata, error handling, documentation, and creating Flex components in Flash using the... Full description

From the Back Cover

The Complete Insider’s Guide to Building State-of-the-Art Components with Adobe’s Flex 4 Platform

 

“So many Flex books gloss over the details of component development, or focus just on MXML. Mike Jones has bucked tradition and written a book that can actually help beginning as well as experienced Flex developers. Mike covers topics that are not found in other books. This book is not on my shelf, it’s on my desk next to my keyboard.”

--Adrian Pomilio, UX Developer, Railinc Corp., Cary NC

 

“Finally, a book that covers Flex components from the ground up. I’ve been working with Flex for several years, but I have to admit that I’ve never quite grasped component development fully, let alone their styling, packaging, and distribution. Thanks for this book, Mike; it was long overdue!”

--Stefan Richter, Editor, FlashComGuru.com; Founder, muchosmedia ltd

 

Using Adobe’s Flex 4 framework, developers can build rich, immersive solutions more easily and quickly than ever. Much of Flex 4’s remarkable power is based on its component-based approach. Adobe provides many components “out of the box,” but you can accomplish even more by building your own. In Developing Flex 4 Components, world-renowned Flex and Flash developer Mike Jones thoroughly demystifies all facets of Flex component development, showing how to quickly create and deliver high-value components to the widest possible audience.

 

Jones introduces the Flex 4 component architecture, reviews its built-in components, and shows how they can be extended or incorporated into new components. Next, he walks through developing components from scratch, covering issues ranging from events to skinning. Finally, he turns to distribution, introducing best practices for everything from integration to documentation.

 

Jones draws on nearly 15 years’ experience developing with Flex and Flash. You’ll find extensive sample code, plus dozens of practical tips that are available nowhere else. After reading this book, you’ll be able to

 

·  Set up your Flex and Flash Builder development environment

·  Understand key differences between Flex 3 and Flex 4 component frameworks

·  Learn how Flex components are typically structured, developed, and rendered

·  Leverage ActionScript and MXML to quickly create components

·  Implement view states, transitions, effects, and events

·  Manipulate and store complex data collections

·  Use Flex 4’s FXG and MXMLG to support skinning and styling

·  Create components with Flash Professional CS5’s drawing tools

·  Integrate components with Flash Builder

·  Package components for easy distribution with or without source code

·  Streamline implementation with manifests, design view extensions, and metadata

 

If you’re an experienced Flash, Flex, or AIR developer, this book will help you create any component you can imagine--and deliver solutions others can only dream about.

 

Edition details

• Publisher: Addison Wesley
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 032160413X
• ISBN 13: 9780321604132
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336