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Flex 4
Flex 4
Flex 4 has shipped! It is has 3 primary themes:
- Design in Mind: provide a framework meant for continuous collaboration between designer and developer.
- Developer Productivity: improve compiler performance and add productivity enhancements to language features like data binding
- Framework Evolution: take advantage of new Flash Player capabilities and add features required by common use-cases
Next steps
- Read about What's new in Flex 4.
- Watch David Wadhwani, VP and GM of the Flash Platform Business Unit, talk about Flex 4 and Flash Builder 4.
- Try out Flex In A Week, an online tutorial to teach you about all of the features of Flex 4.
- Try out Testdrive, an online resource that gets you up to speed regarding the new features in Flash Builder 4 and Flex 4.
- Check out Tour de Flex, a learning resource that helps you explore the new capabilities of Flex 4.
- Read a guide discussing the differences between Flex 3 and Flex 4.
- View and comment on the Flex 4 SDK Specifications.
- Submit a feature request for Flex.
- Submit a bug, usability issue or minor enhancement for Flex.
Get information about Flex 4 features straight from the development team! Here are several technical articles by Flex SDK Team Members:
- Learn about Spark Component and Skinning Architecture.
- Learn about Skinning in Flex 4.
- Learn about Layouts in Flex 4.
- Read about the new Effects Engine Part 1 and Part 2.
Builds
Download builds of Flex 4 from here
Milestones
Milestone | Date
Product Defined | July 2008
MAX Preview | November 5, 2008
Beta 1 | June 1, 2009
Beta 2 | September 22, 2009
Final 4.0 | March 21, 2010
Bugs for the upcoming Flex 4 milestones
Open Iteration Meetings
Iteration | Date | Slides | Recording|
11 | 02/10/09 | here | here
12 | 03/24/09 | here | here
15/16 | 08/18/09 | here | here|
Documents and Specifications
Flex 4 Architecture Whitepaper: start here for the stimulating broad overview of the new Spark component and skinning architecture.
Feature Specifications
FXG 1.0
Flex 4 Skinning (including SkinnableComponent)
Flex 4 DOM Tree API
MXML 2009
Enhanced States Syntax
CSS Advanced Selectors
Layout
Viewport
Application
Scroller
ScrollBar
Range (Updated 1/08/10)
TrackBase (Updated 1/18/10)
Slider (Updated 1/18/10)
Spinner (Updated 1/19/10)
NumericStepper (Updated 1/19/10)
ASDoc in MXML
Two-way Data Binding
Pixel Bender Integration
Arbitrary Type Interpolation
New Effects for Components and Graphics
3D Effects Support
Effect Interruption and Reversal
Shader Based Bitmap Effects
Notes on Compiler Performance Improvements
Spark DropDownList (added 3/25/09)
Flex Component Kit for Flash (added 3/25/09)
Virtualization (added 3/30/09)
CSS Namespaces Support (added 4/01/09)
MXML Vector Support (added 5/04/09)
Spark WindowedApplication (added 5/07/09)
Spark Window (added 5/11/09)
Spark Horizontal and Vertical Layout (added 5/26/09)
Spark Basic Layout (added 5/26/09)
Spark TileLayout (added 5/31/09)
Spark Group (added 5/26/09)
Spark DataGroup (added 5/26/09)
Spark SkinnableContainer (added 5/26/09)
Spark SkinnableDataContainer (added 5/26/09)
Spark VideoPlayer (added 5/26/09)
IGraphicElement (added 5/28/09)
Spark Text Primitives (Label, RichText, and RichEditableText) (Updated 09/03/09)
Spark TextInput and TextArea (Updated 5/31/09)
Spark PopUpAnchor (Added 5/31/09)
Spark List (Added 5/31/09)
Styling Gumbo Components (Added 4/6/09)
More Styles for Spark Skins (Added 8/10/09)
Linking RSLs by Default (Added 8/24/09)
Spark BorderContainer (Added 8/27/09)
Per-Module Style Management (Added 09/04/09)
FTE and TLF text in MX components (Added 09/08/09)
Runtime Design Layers (Added 09/18/09)
Spark TileGroup (Added 9/30/09)
Halo Navigators and Spark Containers (Added 9/30/09)
Spark ComboBox (Added 10/02/09)
Accessibility for Spark Components (Added 10/24/09; under construction)
Compiler Errors for Other Theme's Styles (Added 10/28/09)
ControlBars in Spark Panels (Added 10/29/09)
Spark TitleWindow (Added 11/3/09)
FXG 2.0 Specification (Added 11/05/09)
AsyncListView Specification (Added 11/06/09)
List DragDrop Specification (Added 11/09/09)
Halo ViewStack and Spark ButtonBar Specification (Added 11/10/09)
Compatibility Mode SWC Policy (Mini Specification) (Added 11/15/09)
Spark ItemRenderers for MX DataGrid, Tree, AdvancedDataGrid (MXItemRenderer) Specification (Added 12/09/09)
Layout Mirroring (Added 2/19/10)
Architecture Review Board (ARB) Issues
Debug Builds of SDK
a href="Gumbo%20Namespaces">Namespaces for Spark, Halo, and MXML 2009
Shorthand Syntax for Parameterized Layouts
Changes to Style Syntax
Transform Point vs Registration Point
Item Renderer Contract
Label as Optional Part for Button
Scale9 in FXG
Default Blend Modes
Conventions for Bound Properties
Font Embedding
Simple or Complex Content Values
Halo Navigators with Spark Content
Cross Domain Skinning and Styling (updated 2/26/2009)
Group Scale Grid (added 2/23/09)
Dropping the Fx Prefix (added 3/2/09)
Verbose Path Syntax (added 03/16/09)
Removing fxComponent (added 03/19/09)
Required vs. Optional Parts (added 03/20/09)
Cooperative Subtree Layout (added 03/26/09)
Styling Component Parts (added 04/02/09)
Font Embedding Reprise (added 04/08/09)
Halo Style Metadata (added 04/10/09)
SDK Property Metadata (added 04/30/09)
button navigation and declarative states (added 05/1/09)
Pattern for Exposing Component Behaviors (updated 01/19/10)
Change and Changing Events (added 6/1/09)
Skin Part Types (added 6/1/09)
States as a language tag (Added 6/17/09)
a href="id%20property%20in%20MXML%202009">id property in MXML 2009 (Added 6/22/09) (Reverted 12/14/09)
Spark Text Primitives Decision (Added 09/03/09)
Item Renderer Changes (Added 10/28/09)
Flex 4 Documentation
ASDoc for Flex 4
Backwards Compatibility from Flex 3 to Flex 4
Flex 4 View States
Using Effects
New Flex 4 Effects
ASDoc with Support for MXML files
Flex 4 Application Container
Flex 4 Containers and Item Renderers
Flex 4 List-Based Controls
Creating Flex 4 Components in ActionScript
Related
Wiki: 3D Effects Support
Wiki: ASDoc in MXML
Wiki: Accessibility for Spark Components
Wiki: Arbitrary Type Interpolation
Wiki: AsyncListView Specification
Wiki: CSS Namespaces Support
Wiki: Change and Changing Events
Wiki: Changes to Style Syntax
Wiki: Compatibility Mode SWC Policy (Mini Specification)
Wiki: ControlBars in Spark Panels
Wiki: Conventions for Bound Properties
Wiki: Cooperative Subtree Layout
Wiki: Cross Domain Skinning and Styling
Wiki: Debug Builds of SDK
Wiki: Default Blend Modes
Wiki: Download Flex 4
Wiki: Dropping the Fx Prefix
Wiki: Effect Interruption and Reversal
Wiki: Enhanced States Syntax
Wiki: FTE and TLF text in MX components
Wiki: FXG 2.0 Specification
Wiki: Flex 4 Themes
Wiki: Flex Component Kit for Flash
Wiki: Flex SDK
Wiki: Font Embedding Reprise
Wiki: Group Scale Grid
Wiki: Gumbo Component Architecture
Wiki: Gumbo DOM Tree API
Wiki: Gumbo Font Embedding
Wiki: Gumbo Updated Item Renderer
Wiki: Halo Containers with Spark Content
Wiki: Halo Navigators and Spark Containers
Wiki: Halo Style Metadata
Wiki: Halo ViewStack and Spark ButtonBar Specification
Wiki: IGraphicElement
Wiki: Item Renderer Changes
Wiki: Label as Optional Part for Button
Wiki: Layout Mirroring
Wiki: Linking RSLs by Default
Wiki: List DragDrop Specification
Wiki: MXML 2009
Wiki: MXML Vector Support
Wiki: More Styles for Spark Skins
Wiki: New Effects for Components and Graphics
Wiki: Notes on Compiler Performance Improvements
Wiki: Pattern for Exposing Component Behaviors
Wiki: Per-Module Style Management
Wiki: Pixel Bender Integration
Wiki: PopUpAnchor Spec
Wiki: Removing fxComponent from Skin
Wiki: Runtime Design Layers
Wiki: SDK Property Metadata
Wiki: Scale9 in FXG
Wiki: Shader Based Bitmap Effects
Wiki: Shorthand Syntax for Parameterized Layouts
Wiki: Simple or Complex Content Values
Wiki: Skin Part Types
Wiki: Spark Application
Wiki: Spark Basic Layout
Wiki: Spark BorderContainer
Wiki: Spark ComboBox
Wiki: Spark DataGroup
Wiki: Spark DropDownList
Wiki: Spark Group
Wiki: Spark Horizontal and Vertical Layout
Wiki: Spark Layout
Wiki: Spark List
Wiki: Spark NumericStepper
Wiki: Spark Range
Wiki: Spark ScrollBar
Wiki: Spark Scroller
Wiki: Spark SkinnableContainer
Wiki: Spark SkinnableDataContainer
Wiki: Spark Skinning
Wiki: Spark Slider
Wiki: Spark Spinner
Wiki: Spark Text Primitives Decision
Wiki: Spark Text Primitives
Wiki: Spark TextInput and TextArea
Wiki: Spark TileGroup
Wiki: Spark TileLayout
Wiki: Spark TitleWindow
Wiki: Spark TrackBase
Wiki: Spark VideoPlayer
Wiki: Spark Viewport
Wiki: Spark Virtualization
Wiki: Spark WindowedApplication
Wiki: States as a language tag
Wiki: Styling Component Parts
Wiki: Styling Gumbo Components
Wiki: Transform Point vs Registration Point
Wiki: Two-way Data Binding
Wiki: Verbose Path Syntax
Wiki: button navigation and declarative states
