Developing Flex 4 Components: Using ActionScript & MXML to Extend Flex and AIR Applications, Rough Cuts
- By Mike E. Jones
- Published Apr 22, 2009 by Addison-Wesley Professional. Part of the Developer's Library series.
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Description
- Copyright 2011
- Dimensions: 7 X 9
- Pages: 400
- Edition: 1st
- Rough Cuts
- ISBN-10: 0-321-60459-8
- ISBN-13: 978-0-321-60459-0
With the advent of Flex, Adobe provided a more application orientated framework that allows the production of rich, more immersive solutions that provide real user benefits beyond just “looking cool”. To aid developers in producing this new breed of applications, Adobe structured the Flex framework around a component metaphor making them quick to implement. However the process by which you can produce your own components for the Flex (and AIR) framework is inexplicably shrouded in mystery for no apparent reason.
While this book could be picked up by any user of Flash or Flex who have some ActionScript or MXML experience. It is orientated toward developers who have a good to advanced understanding of the Flex framework and ActionScript 3.0, and are comfortable writing code as part of their day-to-day work. This isn't an introductory level book for developers and designers coming to Flex from a Flash background where they have limited or no exposure to ActionScript as they will likely find most of the concepts discussed of an advanced nature.
Sample Content
Table of Contents
Preface xvii
PART I: OVERVIEW AND INSTALLATION
Chapter 1 Getting Started 3
Flex 3
What Is Flex? 4
Flex SDK 4
Flex Development Versus Flash Authoring 5
Flash Builder Has No Drawing Tools or Timeline 5
Flex SWFs Are Massive 6
Flash Builder Has No Symbol Library 6
Flash Builder 6
What Does This Actually Mean to You? 7
Wrapping the Flex SDK 7
Installing Flash Builder 7
Downloading Flash Builder 8
Starting the Installation of Flash Builder 8
Launching Flash Builder 12
Creating Your First Project 12
Summary 16
Chapter 2 The Flex 4 Components 17
Components: A Potted History 17
Using Flex Components 19
Component Family Tree 20
Control Components 23
Navigator Components 31
Layout Components 34
Charting Components 37
AIR-Specific Components 37
Summary 39
Chapter 3 Anatomy of a Component 41
Component Life Cycle 41
Understanding the Structure 43
Component Constructor 44
Inherit, Composite, or Rolling Your Own 51
UIComponent 51
Something for Nothing 52
UIComponent for MXML 53
IMXMLObject 55
Template Components 56
Deferring Instantiation 56
Summary 60
PART II: DEVELOPING COMPONENTS
Chapter 4 Creating Your First Component 63
MyFirstComponent 63
Creating the Class 65
Core Component Methods &n
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