where is the flex library file exist swc - apache-flex

can any one help me that where is the SWC or run time library for the flex controls exist in the system?
Or can we provide our own library by using the controls in the dir
C:\Program Files\Adobe\flex_sdk_3.2\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx

It is not very obvious what are you trying to ask but I'll try to guess :)
So the SWC with Flex controls is located here {Flex.SDK.root}/frameworks/libs/framework.swc and the corresponding RSLs are located here {Flex.SDK.root}/frameworks/rsls.
What about providing your own library to replace Flex controls I think it is not the right way. The best practice is not modify Flex SDK installation to have possibility to build your project on every computer with different environments (on a different developers computers or on client site).
And you should take in mind there are 4 standard ways to use code in Flash application:
Compile your code into SWF.
Use Runtime Shared Library aka RSL (which is SWF too).
Use SWZ which is signed and can be cached by Flash Player.
Use modules which are SWFs.
None of these ways doesn't suppose using Flex SDK in runtime. Flex SDK is being used only in process of building of your application.
So the best way to use some custom controls is to build them with your application using one of the ways I described above (excluding SWZ's which can be produced only by Adobe).
Just leave Flex SDK installation without changes and place classes/SWCs with custom controls in your project's classpath.
Hope this helps.

Related

Customize Adobe File

I have a problem with my Flex Builder Plug-in.
I'm using the Flex Builder 3 Plug-in in my Flex application (in Eclipse).
Now I want to customize the MessageResponder.as File in the Plug-In. I found the ActionScript File without any problems, but the point is, that my changes doesn't cause anything because the file is allready compiled. (That's my guess)
Now my question:
How can I compile the file after editing it? Is there a possibility at all?
Thanks for your help!!
What you want to do is called "Monkey Patching." What you need to do is create your own version of the file in the same package location, and yours will be used in preference to the one from the swc.
The MessageResponder.as class is a file in the Flex Framework. You can modify it if you want, and--in essence--create your own version of the Flex SDK. However, you will most likely have to re-buld the entire framework for this to work. You're best bet for doing this is to get the source for the most current Apache Flex SDK; modify your class and then build the framework from scratch. After that you can use the Flash Builder "multi-SDK feature" to use your modified SDK in a Flex Project.
I'm not sure if Flex Builder 3.x supports multiple SDKs.
This may be a time consuming process. The alternative is to extend the MessageResponder and add your changes. Then you'll have to make sure that your new MessageResponder class is used instead of the old MessageResponder class. This could difficult due to many private methods used in the Flex Framework.

Upgrading Flash AS3 project to CS5 and using Flash Builder 4 as IDE

I have been working for quite some time with the Flex Builder (3) as the development IDE,
and used Flash CS3 to compile my flp file (all the actionscript I wrote in the Flex Builder).
I don't use any of the Flex components. Pure AS3 and FLA for symbols.
I want to upgrade to CS5, and I read that there is a new Flash builder IDE so I thought I'll give it a try. But In the Flash builder I see that they have tighten the Flex SDK relation (which is kinda stupid since they change the name from Flex to Flash?) so I am a bit stuck with how to migrate my project.
Furthermore, is there a way to download the Flash 10 compiler/SDK or whatever to make it compile from the Flash builder, and not use Flash CS5 for it?
Thanks a lot.
Chen
You can create pure AS3 projects with the FlashBuilder IDE without worrying about the Flex framework. Simply create a new Actionscript project. You can then compile your project in FlashBuilder and strictly use CS5 for your graphic assets.
In order to migrate your project , you only need to add your classes folder to your project source library.
With Flash CS5 , export a SWC and add it to the project's library path. All this is accessible via your project Properties.
From that point on, you should be able to access both your project classes and your symbols by declaring your variables with the relevant classes.
Edit
Start simply, first create a new Actionscript project in FlashBuilder.
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/flashbuilder/using/WS6f97d7caa66ef6eb1e63e3d11b6c4d0d21-7ff7.html
After you successfully created a project and tested it, you can then add the code from Login.swf.
If you've been using a Document Class, you could create an instance of that class and add it to the stage, you could also simply copy the code in your Main class.
If Login.swf doesn't use any graphical assets, you should be good to go, without the need to load any SWCs.
You could also refactor your code so that each concern is encapsulated within its own class. For instance, if Login.swf serves as user login and loads a bunch of SWFs, it may be a good idea to create a Login class and an AssetsLoader class.

Compiling with Flex4 SDK

I'm trying to compile an existing Flex3 project with the Flex4 SDK. I'm getting this error:
Warning: This compilation unit did not have a factoryClass specified in Frame metadata to load the configured runtime shared libraries. To compile without runtime shared libraries either set the -static-link-runtime-shared-libraries option to true or remove the -runtime-shared-libraries option.
The resulting file is roughly the same as my old Flex3 compiled .swf file. Playing the resulting .swf file in the Flash Player also gives the following errors:
An Actionscript error ocurred: VerifyError: Error #1014: Class spark.core::SpriteVisualElement could not be found
If I set the compiler attribute static-link-runtime-shared-libraries to true, then the error disappears and all is well. However, the size of the resulting .SWF is a couple of 100K's bigger. And that's not what I want.
I don't fully understand the concept of runtime shared libraries, but it seems that with the option to statically link them set to true, the libraries are included in the .swf. However, I like to exclude them from the .swf and only load the needed library at runtime, as my project seemed to do with Flex3 (I didn't know that by the way).
If I understand correctly, playerglobal.swc should hold all the necessary code for the external libraries that my .swf has to load. Do Flex4 compiled files need more libraries? Should I do something with the factoryClass in the Frame metadata tag?
I think my question boils down to this: How do I compile a Flex4 .swf that is the same size as my previous Flex3 compiled .swf?
You have to add [Frame(factoryClass="path.to.your.preloader")] to the main class (the one you set in the compiler options).
Flex3 did not use rsls by default but you could enable them. Flex4 rsls are enabled by default, see: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/flex/using/WS2db454920e96a9e51e63e3d11c0bf69084-7add.html
The concept of runtime shared libraries is: splitting of a part of your application that is (re)used by other apps as well, thereby only requiring the user to download it once. This won't save anything on the first download but will save on later downloads. You could possibly make your own rsl, but it's mostly the ones provided by adobe that are meant to make the difference: Since 'everybody' will use them there will be a bit chance the library you need is already present on the user's system, thereby speeding up the download-time of your app.
playerglobal.swc never contained any flex framework classes, most of them are in flex.swc and framework.swc (a standard flex 3 project also includes rpc.swc and utilities.swc - I didn't check but these probably contain some flex parts as well)
Looks like you might have project migration problems. You might want to read up on the process on:
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flex/articles/flexbuilder3_to_flashbuilder4.html
It's a really good article with overview of different possibilities for migration, depending on the amount of Flex4 stuff you want to use.

Best way to organize a Flex application for compile performance?

I'm preparing to reorganize & refactory a Flash Builder application. The goals of the reorg are 1.) keep compile times for the part of the project I'm working on as fast as possible, 2.) keep the unrelated parts separate for code reuse. Goal #1 trumps goal #2 if there's a trade-off.
Currently, the app has assets in one project, core functionality AS3 in another project, and the MXML in a third project that links to the other two.
Would moving resources/code into swc libraries help compile time? What about compiling assets into an swf and embedding that into the main application? Any other techniques?
We had the same problem, application compile time was more than 1 minute.
Here is our solution:
There is a Core Library that contains class Core with static properties like: Core.resourceManager:IResourceManager, Core.stringManager:IStringManager, etc.
Main application project includes Core Library and provides implementation for all Core.someProp. This can be done via some hidden method like Core.setImpelentation().
There are unlimited number of Modules that use Core Library to contribute their display / logic to the application. Important:
Each Module is a separate Flash Builder project
Module link Core Library as external (it's included in Main App)
Module has XML-file that describes it, example it's name and icon in application control bar. It allows not to load all modules at start.
User should be able to choose which modules he would like to use. This will also help you in development.
You can optionally create Lib Library and include in it all classes that are common between modules and can be implemented using Core Library.
The result is incredible - you application becomes low-coupled, open/compile time decreases, APIs become more clear. Profit!
Modules are definitely the way to go here, as Maxim has described. Further to his advice, which is all solid, here's some other tips:
Extract styles out to a separate project, and compile the .css to a SWF. Load the SWF at runtime.
Structure your packages by business function first, MVC role second,
Eg: Rather than com.myapp.model.userconfig.UserOptions, use com.myapp.userconfig.model.UserOptions. Enforce that packages can only reference their siblings, or com.myapp.core.*.
This way, each package is a self contained module, which only references itself, or the core library.
Consider the Hellfire Compiler, which can farm your compilation over several CPU's in parallel
If not already, consider moving to the Flex 4 SDK, which has several compiler performance improvements, especially around compiling multiple SWC's.

How to get a Flex project to load a plugin at runtime?

I'm looking to have a couple of plugins in a Flex project I'm working on. I know I can load a SWF using the SWFLoader, but I thought in Flex3 you can now have Runtime Shared Libraries or something. Does anyone have any good documentation on loading a plugin at runtime? Ideally I'd like to be able to load a plugin from a URL, then execute some code from within the plugin (e.g. add a control to the page).
You can use either Modules or RSL.
RSLs have the advantage of getting cached by flash rather than the browser so they stick around longer.
Modules are easier to create and use. I have used modules and had issues with modules failing to load (code needs to handle that case). I haven't tried RSLs yet.
Here is some documentation on creating RSLs http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/Flex_3:Feature_Introductions:Flex_3_RSLs
Note that, currently, loaded RSLs must be compiled against the very same version of the Flex framework.. if you plan for a "binary" plugin system, probably you want to wait for the Marshall plan feature to be implemented, in the next Flex version.
If you want to try a new and alternative approach, this is a application core framework modelled after java OSGi: http://www.potomacframework.org/
I haven't tried it myself, but it looks really cool!

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