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Getting Started with Flex 3
™

SECOND EDITION

Java Threads Getting Started with Flex 3
™

™

Pocket Reference

Scott Guelich, Shishir Gundavaram Jack Herrington and Emily Kim and Gunther Birznieks
with Albert Finney
translated by Hans Zimmerman

Beijing • Cambridge • Farnham • Köln • Sebastopol • Taipei • Tokyo

Getting Started with Flex 3
™

by Jack Herrington and EmilyKim Copyright © 2008 Jack Herrington and Emily Kim. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada. Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472. O’Reilly books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. Online editions are also available for most titles (http://safari.oreil ly.com). For more information, contact ourcorporate/institutional sales department: (800) 998-9938 or corporate@oreilly.com.

Editor: Steve Weiss Copy Editor: Audrey Doyle Proofreader: Carol Marti Indexer: Joe Wizda Cover Designer: Karen Montgomery Illustrators: Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read Printing History:
June 2008: First Edition

The O'Reilly logo is a registered trademark of O'Reilly Media, Inc. The Pocket Reference/Pocket Guide seriesdesignations, Flex, and the image of the Brittle Star, and related trade dress, are trademarks of O'Reilly Media, Inc. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

ISBN: 978-0-596-52064-9 [T] 1213663276

Adobe DeveloperLibrary, a copublishing partnership between O’Reilly Media Inc., and Adobe Systems, Inc., is the authoritative resource for developers using Adobe technologies. These comprehensive resources offer learning solutions to help developers create cutting-edge interactive web applications that can reach virtually anyone on any platform. With top-quality books and innovative online resources covering thelatest tools for rich-Internet application development, the Adobe Developer Library delivers expert training straight from the source. Topics include ActionScript, Adobe Flex®, Adobe Flash®, and Adobe Acrobat®. Get the latest news about books, online resources, and more at http://adobedeveloperlibrary.com.

Contents

Preface Chapter 1: Installing Flex Builder 3 Installing the IDE Having SomeImage Fun Chapter 2: Flex in Action E-Commerce Online Applications Multimedia Plug-ins and Widgets Dashboards Desktop Applications What Will You Do? Chapter 3: Flex 101: Step by Step A Flickr Viewer Chapter 4: Flex Controls and Layout The Application Container The Box Class The Canvas Container (Absolute Positioning) The Canvas Container (Relative Positioning)

xi 1 1 2 7 7 9 11 12 15 16 18 19 2037 37 39 41 42
vii

The Form Container Combined Layouts The Panel Container Controls Data Grids Tabs and Accordions Menus Divider Boxes CSS Filters and Effects Chapter 5: Working with the Server POSTing to the Server with Flex Using the HTTPService Tag Going on from Here Chapter 6: More Flex Applications A Runner’s Calculator A Simple Image Viewer Drag-and-Drop States and Transitions CreatingBetter Movies Chapter 7: Advanced Flex Controls ILOG Elixir Advanced Flash Components The FlexLib Project Distortion Effects SpringGraph Chapter 8: Flex for Widgets Slide Show Widget
viii | Table of Contents

44 46 48 50 51 55 58 60 61 65 67 69 70 77 79 79 83 86 88 95 101 101 104 105 105 106 109 109

Chat Widget Chapter 9: Flex on AIR Creating an AIR Version of the Runner’s Calculator Chapter10: Resources for Flex Developers Flex Websites Blogs and Sites The Flex Cookbook Community Resources Books Index

114 119 119 123 123 123 124 125 125 127

Table of Contents | ix

Preface

How many times have you gotten an idea for a killer application in your mind, only to have the implementation fail when the framework you use bogs you down in the detail work? I know I certainly...