Adobe Flex Frequently Asked Questions

What is Adobe Flex 3?
What kinds of applications can be built with Flex 3?
What software do I need to build Flex user interface applications?
What do I need to start building Flex applications today?
How is Flex different from Flash?
Can I create content in Flash and use it in Flex?
Can I use Flex with AJAX?
What capabilities can Flex add to AJAX?

Q. What is Adobe Flex 3?

A. Adobe® Flex™ 3 is Adobe’s development of a free open source framework for building expressive Web applications that deploy consistently on all major browsers, desktops and operating systems. It provides a modern, standards-based language and programming model that supports common design patterns and includes an Eclipse™-based development environment; advanced data services; and a fast, enterprise-class client runtime based on ubiquitous Adobe Flash® Player software. Flex enables enterprises to create highly interactive, expressive applications that dramatically enhance the user experience, increasing customer satisfaction and user productivity.

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Q. What kinds of applications can be built with Flex 3?

A. You can use Flex 3 to create a wide range of highly interactive, expressive applications. For example, a data visualization application built in Flex can pull data from multiple back-end sources and display it visually. Business users can drill down into the data for deeper insight and even change the data and have it automatically updated on the back end. A product configuration application can help customers navigate the process of selecting or customizing products online. A self-service application can guide customers through an address change or help employees complete an otherwise complicated, multiple-step benefits enrollment process.

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Q. What software do I need to build Flex user interface applications?

A. You can create and deploy Flex applications using only the Open Source Flex 3 SDK or the Free Adobe® Flex™ 3 SDK. For a more productive development experience, you can use Adobe® Flex™ Builder™ 3 software, a powerful, Eclipse based IDE available as a licensed product. For a more productive, higher performing approach to connecting Flex applications to back-end services, you can use BlazeDS, a free, open source Java™ solution. BlazeDS includes both Flex Remoting, which provides binary, serialized data transport and Flex messaging services, offering real-time data push.

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Q. What do I need to start building Flex applications today?

A. The fastest, easiest way to get started is to use Flex Builder 3. Flex Builder 3 has an integrated set of getting started capabilities that will guide you through your first Flex application. Alternatively, you can download the Free Adobe® Flex™ 3 SDK, which includes the Flex framework, compilers and debuggers, enabling you to develop Flex applications using an IDE of your choice.

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Q. How is Flex different from Flash?

A. Both Flash and Flex applications are rendered in the browser using Flash Player and on the desktop using the Adobe AIR™ runtime. Flash is the leading authoring tool for web developers, multimedia professionals, animators and videographers who want to create interactive content. Developers may find it difficult to use the Flash tool to create applications. Flex provides developers who know traditional programming technologies like Java, PHP, AJAX and .NET with an easy-to-learn application framework to create RIAs. In addition, developers can embed Flash elements inside a Flex application. Using the Flex Component Kit for Flash, Flash developers can create customer Flex components.

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Q. Can I create content in Flash and use it in Flex?

A. Yes, developers using Flex Builder 3 can easily import custom Flex components developed using the Flex Component Kit for Flash with Flash CS3 Professional.

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Q. Can I use Flex with AJAX?

A. Yes. Flex 3 and AJAX technology continue to complement each other well, and the included FABridge helps you integrate rich Flex components with AJAX applications. The FABridge is a small, unobtrusive library of code included in the Free Flex 3 SDK that you can insert into a Flex application, a Flex component, or an empty SWF file to expose it to scripting in the browser.

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Q. What capabilities can Flex add to AJAX?

A. Flash and Flex technology can augment AJAX to overcome chronic browser limitations in offline data access, audio/video, vector graphics, high-performance data exchange and message-based publish/subscribe applications. In addition, LiveCycle Data Services ES lets you connect both Flex- and AJAX-based RIAs with LiveCycle document and process services for richer interfaces that smoothly integrate with business processes.

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For additional information, visit Adobe’s Flex FAQ

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