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Posts Tagged ‘Flex Builder’

CFUnited has lots of Flex Training Sessions

One of my CFUnited sessions:
AIR: Building Desktop Applications with Flex 3 – http://cfunited.com/2009/topics/235

Here is a little Q&A about CFUnited and me.

1. Have you spoken at CFUnited in the past?  What would you tell someone who hasn’t been to CFUnited before?

Yes, I have spoken at CFUnited in the past. And I’d have to equate it to seeing your favorite band in a small venue. Same great talent, but not nearly as crowded allowing you to easily network with so many very talented people.

2. Why should people attend your session(s)?

If you have been wondering about, thinking about or just plain curious about Adobe AIR, my session will clear the air… uh, no pun intended.

3. Do you have any projects in the works that you will be revealing at CFUnited?

I have been doing quite a bit in the mobile space, actually more of an add-on to some of our AIR development projects. So look forward  to ways to take your application to iPhone, Symbian and Android.

4. Besides your topic, what other sessions are you looking forward to?

I know I’ll get in trouble for this, but its not the sessions to which I really look forward. Its the one on one conversations that I’ll have with people from all over that help me solve problems and come up with new ideas. That is what I’m looking forward to. Oh and the sessions help me identify who I’d like to meet.

5. Where can people find you at CFUnited?  (At the bar, networking, working, in your room, etc.)

Networking.

6. What’s the latest news with you? Has anything changed since last CFUnited?

Since On3 is all about helping organizations grow their own Flex developers, we have opened a new training center in Denver, CO.

7. When you are not working what do you like to do in your free time?

Mountain Bike in the Spring thru Fall, Ski during the Winter

Unemployed? Learn Flex!

Adobe Flex Builder 3 software is currently available for free for software developers who are affected by the current economic condition and are currently unemployed.

https://freeriatools.adobe.com/learnflex/

Of course there are three restrictions. You must attest that you are:

  1. Unemployed
  2. Using it for personal use
  3. Not using it for commercial or production use

UPDATE: The program was suspended, the last I looked, due to the high volume of applicants. But keep checking. You never know.

Flex Builder 2 Tips & Tricks

Copy a line:
Place the cursor on desired line or select multiple lines.
Press and hold the Ctrl + Alt keys. Use the up/down arrow keys to duplicate line(s).

Move a line:
Place the cursor on the desired line or select multiple lines.
Press and hold the Alt key. Use the up/down arrow keys to move the line(s).

Delete a line:
Place the cursor on the desired line or select multiple lines.
Press the Ctrl + D.

Indent Text:
 Place the cursor on the desired line or select multiple lines.
Press the Tab key to increase the indent.
Press and hold the Shift key. Use the Tab key to decrease the indent.

Code Complete:
If you are in a tag and just want a list of it”s properties. Press the Ctrl and SpaceBar.
If you start typing, AS or MXML, and press the Ctrl and SpaceBar it will complete the property/method if there are no other possible matches otherwise you get a list.
From the list, use the up/down arrows to highlight an item and the Enter to insert the item.

Insert Comment Block:
Select text and press Ctrl + Shift + C. (good for both AS and MXML)

Insert an ASDoc Comment:
Place the cursor where you would like to place a comment and press Crtl + Shift + D.

And for those of us that are annoyed by import lists that are out of order:
Press Crtl + Shift + O to organize the imports in an AS file in case sensitive order.

Code Navigation:
Below the Navigator View on the left-hand side is the Outline View. From here you can quickly jump to tags in the current file. Type a letter and it will jump through those tags that are visible.
Double click on a component in the outline and it will open that file.
Hold the Ctrl and mouse around an AS or MXML file. Notice that many things turn into hyperlinks that will take you to the source for that item. i.e. Ctrl + click a component to open the component file, Ctrl + click a variable or a method, etc…

Switching Between Open Files:
Press and hold the Alt key while pressing the left or right arrow key.

Switching Between Views:
Press and hold the Ctrl key while pressing the F7 key.

Uppercase/Lowercase:
Converting selected text to lowercase or uppercase press Ctrl + Shift + Y or Ctrl + Shift + X respectively.

Brace Highlighting:
Place the cursor after either the open or close to see the opposite one highlighted.

Top 10 Reasons to Get Flex Builder 3

If I were to create a Top 10 List, which I don”t, this would definitely be my list for “Why you have to upgrade to Flex Builder 3.” I actually got this list from Ted Patrick and enhanced it a little.

Top 10 List:

  1. With the new code model, search, refactoring, auto-complete you will code 3X faster
  2. The application Profiler will allow you to see and tune memory and performancern
    • You will learn so much about coding in AS3 from this it”s unreal
  3. Compiles faster!
  4. Maintain projects across SDKs, 2.01, 3.0, and onward (YES!!!)
  5. You will be able to build AIR applications and debug them seamlesslyrn
    • Easily turn Flex applications into Desktop applications
  6. You will be able to work with Web Services (SOAP) using strong typing
  7. Get new advanced data visualization components (AdvancedDataGrid, TreeDataGrid) and hierarchical data providers
    • Components that we had to build in the past
  8. Enhanced design view for pixel perfect layout and advanced constraintsrn
    • Coders, don”t knock this. Try it out and you”ll see the benefits real quick
  9. Skinning and styling from Illustrator, Fireworks, Flash, PhotoShoprn
    • This is awesome!! Quickly and easily bring comps in directly from the design tools
  10. Seamless support for Flex Framework Caching RSLs ( smaller FX swf files )

    11. Now if that”s not convincing enough, you don”t know Flex!