Introduction to Adobe Flex 3

What is Adobe Flex ?

       Adobe Flex is a software development kit (SDK) released by Adobe Systems for the development and deployment of cross-platform rich Internet applications based on the Adobe Flash platform. Flex applications can be written using Adobe Flex Builder or by using the freely available Flex compiler from Adobe.


       Flex support two language :

             1. MXML
             2. Action Script.

What is MXML ?


      MXML is an XML mark-up language that you use to layout user-interface components. We can also use MXML to declaratively define non-visual aspects of an application, such as access to data sources on the server and data bindings between user-interface components and data sources on the server.

      MXML provides tags that define user interfaces like as HTML, but it's more structured tag than HTML. MXML has tags for complex component such as data grid, Tree View, Tab Navigator, Accordion, and Menu, as well as non-visual components that provide Web service connections, Data Binding, and Animation effects.


What is Action Script?

          ActionScript is an object-oriented programming language which you use to write programmatic logic for responding to both user-initiated and system-initiated events at runtime. All the Components has Events.

Advantages :

         1. One of the biggest differences between MXML and HTML is that MXML defined applications are compiled into SWF files and rendered by Macromedia Flash Player, providing a richer and more dynamic user interface than page-based HTML applications do.

         2. Define an application interface using a set of pre-defined components (forms, buttons, and so on).
         3. Arrange components into a user interface design.
         4. Use styles and themes to define the visual design.
         5. Interact with HTTP Services(web Services).
         6. Build the source code into an .SWF file that runs in the Flash Player.
       

Some Sample Sites.

         SCB ATM & Bank location.


          Siblu

         Harley-Davidson Bike

         Photon infotech


Downloads

         Adobe Flex 3 Trial

IDE Screen Shot:

In next article we will discuss about, How to create a Flex Web Application.

Thank You.