Getting Started with Flex 4

Copyright......Page 4
Table of Contents......Page 7
Who Should Read This Book......Page 9
How This Book Is Organized......Page 10
Using Code Examples......Page 11
How to Contact Us......Page 12
Acknowledgments......Page 13
First Things First—What Is Flex?......Page 15
How Does Flex Work?......Page 16
What Can You Do with Flex?......Page 17
Product Configuration......Page 18
Consumer Applications......Page 19
Media and Publishing......Page 20
Education......Page 21
Social Networking......Page 22
Business Productivity......Page 23
Data Visualization......Page 24
Financial Services......Page 25
Adobe Flash Player......Page 26
Adobe AIR......Page 27
Adobe Flash Professional......Page 28
Servers and Server-Side Technologies......Page 29
BlazeDS......Page 30
Adobe LiveCycle Data Services......Page 31
Flash Platform Services......Page 32
Build the User Interface......Page 33
Step 1: Install the Test Drive Server Files......Page 34
Step 2: Create a New Flex Project......Page 37
Step 3: Use Design Mode to Add Components and Set Properties......Page 40
Step 5: Browse the Application......Page 42
Step 1: Create a Flex Data Service......Page 44
Step 2: Connect the getEmployees() Service Operation to the DataGrid......Page 46
Step 3: Look at the Generated Code in Your MXML File......Page 48
Step 4: Configure DataGrid Columns and Run the Application......Page 50
Step 1: Create Employees and Departments States......Page 53
Step 2: Retrieve and Display Department Data in the Departments DataGrid......Page 55
Step 4: Change a Property or Style Value in All States......Page 56
Step 5: Create a New EmployeeDetails State......Page 57
Step 6: Add Objects to Specific States......Page 60
Step 1: Generate an Event Handler......Page 64
Step 2: Change to the Departments State on a Button click Event......Page 65
Step 3: Change to the Employees State on a Button click Event......Page 66
Step 5: Clear the TextInput Component on a focusIn Event......Page 67
Step 6: Load New Data on a click Event......Page 69
Step 7: Use Conditional Logic to Retrieve All or Only Some Records......Page 70
Step 8: Modify Object Styles on a click Event......Page 71
Step 2: Create an Input Form......Page 75
Step 3: Use the employee Object Instead of employee2......Page 78
Step 4: Modify the Form Layout......Page 79
Step 6: Submit Data to the Server......Page 80
Step 7: Update the Local Data......Page 82
Step 8: Select and Show the New Record in the DataGrid......Page 84
Step 1: Create a New EmployeeUpdate State......Page 88
Step 2: Switch States When the Update Button Is Clicked......Page 89
Step 3: Submit Changes to the Server......Page 90
Step 4: After the Update, Switch to the EmployeeDetails State......Page 91
Step 2: Generate an itemEditEnd Event Handler for the DataGrid......Page 94
Step 3: Update employee with the New Value......Page 96
Step 2: Update the Local Data......Page 98
Step 1: Test a Service Operation That Returns Data......Page 101
Step 3: Test a Service Operation That Requires a Complex Input Parameter......Page 103
Step 4: Configure the createEmployee() Operation Return Type......Page 105
Step 5: Test the createEmployee() Operation Again......Page 106
Step 1: Enable the Network Monitor......Page 107
Step 3: View Network Traffic Data for Additional Operations......Page 109
Step 1: Trace Employee-Related Variables......Page 111
Step 3: Stop the Debugger and Switch Perspectives......Page 112
Step 5: Trace the Value of the Edited DataGrid Cell......Page 113
Step 1: Add a Breakpoint......Page 115
Step 3: Look at the Inherited Properties of the event Object......Page 116
Step 4: Step into Your Code......Page 118
Step 6: Step Through Code and Watch the Expression Change Value......Page 119
Step 1: Create a Release Build......Page 121
Step 1: Look at the html-template Files......Page 123
Step 2: Open TestDrive.html......Page 124
Step 3: Look at the bin-release Files......Page 127
Step 4: Change the Project Settings So History Files Are Not Generated......Page 130
Step 1: In Flash Builder, browse the generated EmployeeService file......Page 131
Step 2: Open the generated Flash Remoting files......Page 132
ColdFusion......Page 133
Step 2: Open the services-config.xml file......Page 134
Step 4: In Flash Builder, browse the generated EmployeeService file......Page 135
Step 1: Locate the required BlazeDS files......Page 136
Step 4: In Flash Builder, browse the generated EmployeeService file......Page 139
Use Styling......Page 141
Step 1: Create a Stylesheet and a CSS Global Selector......Page 142
Step 2: Create a CSS Type Selector......Page 143
Step 3: Modify a CSS Selector......Page 145
Step 4: Create a CSS Pseudoselector......Page 146
Step 5: Create a CSS Class Selector......Page 147
Step 6: Assign a CSS Class Selector to Another Component......Page 148
Step 8: Create a CSS ID Selector......Page 149
Step 9: Set the Application Background Color......Page 150
Step 1: Create a New Button Skin File......Page 152
Step 2: Review the Skin Class......Page 154
Step 3: Place the Label Inside a Group Container with HorizontalLayout......Page 155
Step 4: Add a BitmapImage Component......Page 156
Step 1: Create a New Button Skin File......Page 159
Step 4: Add the Graphics to the Skin......Page 160
Step 2: Specify the Data for the Chart......Page 165
Step 3: Configure Your Application Such That States Are Switched When the Chart Data Button Is Clicked......Page 167
Step 4: Display Chart Labels and Data Tips......Page 168
Step 5: Delete the Legend......Page 170
Step 2: Configure Your Application Such That States Are Switched When a Department Slice Is Clicked on the Pie Chart......Page 171
Step 3: Create the ColumnChart dataProvider......Page 172
Step 4: Specify the Data to Chart......Page 173
Step 5: Specify Axis Types and Titles......Page 174
Step 6: Add a Second Series and Show Data Tips......Page 175
Step 7: Display the Selected Department Name in the Axis Title......Page 177
Step 8: Animate the Data Change......Page 178
Step 1: Set Chart Fill Colors......Page 180
Step 2: Set a Column Fill Color Dynamically......Page 181
Step 4: Make the Axis Titles Bold......Page 183
Step 5: Set Axis and Tick Colors......Page 184
Step 6: Format Axis Labels as Currencies......Page 185
Step 7: Format Data Tips......Page 187
Online Resources for Getting Started......Page 193
Community Links and Resources......Page 194
Newsletters......Page 196
Books......Page 197
Index......Page 199