On 09.11.21, In Flex is a programming framework which can be used to develop RIAs or rich internet applications for the web. This unique programming framework makes it easier for developers to develop RIA based web applications faster which otherwise would be taking lot of time. Flex is the ideal choice for developing web applications that needs to be interactive and leverage the resources on the client side.
Many useful web applications are being developed with flex. The interactiveness and flexibility it offers for a web application makes it dearer for developers to choose this framework. With this powerful framework, developers are finding it easy to create and maintain complex web applications.
MXML and Action Script
The core of Flex consists of its own proprietary language called MXML language. Programming in flex means using MXML language to create controls on the canvas and actionscript for coding. Knowledge in Action script is required to program flex after acquiring a knowledge in flex basic concepts. Flex Builder is an IDE which is a commercial development tool for developing flex applications. Alternative to Flex Builder is Eclipse, an open source development IDE. Being an open source product, Flex sdk can be downloaded for free and can be used with Eclipse after installing flex SDK and integrate it with eclipse.
What happens when we compile a flex application from its source? When flex is compiled, an html and swf are created in the bin folder which can be easily deployed on a web server. When developing with flex browser compatibility and other issues related to javascript are things of past because the entire application will reside in a compiled swf which uses flash player that is available in almost all web browsers or can be downloaded as a plugin.
Database Programming with Flex
You can also create database applications with flex. For database connectivity however you have to depend on any server side scripting language such as php or asp.net to extract data from the database to feed flex controls. Flex can also be used for developing desktop applications which can also easily interact with the Internet. Sqllite can be used along with flex directly to create a database on the client side. This is a very helpful feature when you are developing AIR packages which are designed to work as desktop applications.
MVC Architecture
When developing large applications, it is good to follow MVC or Model View Controller architecture. This will enable reuse of code by splitting them into different layers and ensures scalability. There are several libraries available which makes it possible to leverage from MVC architecture. Caringorm is the most popular library developers are commonly using with Flex builder to benefit from this architecture. After adding the library file swc file for the Caringorm, you can start coding.
2 Responses
As web applications is undergoing a sea of changes every day, flex is contributing a lot in making web applications more user friendly and interactive.
The best part of flex I liked is its flexibility. The developed applications can be easily deployed. No browser compatibility issues. It is definitely a better choice for interactive web application development.