- Flex overview
- Adobe Flex Builder 3
- Free Adobe Flex 3 SDK
- Advanced Flex data services
- Advanced data visualization
- Open Source Flex 3 SDK
Flex overview
Flex is a free, open source framework for building highly interactive, expressive web applications that deploy consistently on all major browsers, desktops, and operating systems. It provides a modern, standards-based language and programming model that supports common design patterns. MXML, a declarative XML-based language, is used to describe UI layout and behaviors, and ActionScript™ 3, a powerful object-oriented programming language, is used to create client logic. Flex also includes a rich component library with more than 100 proven, extensible UI components for creating rich Internet applications (RIAs), as well as an interactive Flex application debugger.
RIAs created with Flex can run in the browser using Adobe Flash® Player software or on the desktop on Adobe AIR™, the cross-operating system runtime. This enables Flex applications to run consistently across all major browsers and on the desktop. And using AIR, Flex applications can now access local data and system resources on the desktop. Both Flash Player and Adobe AIR are available as a free download on Adobe.com.
You can accelerate application development with Adobe Flex® Builder™ 3 software, a highly productive, Eclipse™ based development environment, and AdobeLive Cycle® Data Services software, a set of advanced data services that can be used in Flex development. Both of these products are available for purchase.
ADOBE FLEX BUILDER 3
Adobe Flex Builder 3 accelerates Flex application development. It is an Eclipse based development tool enabling intelligent coding, interactive step-through debugging, and visual design of the user interface layout, appearance, and behavior of RIAs. Flex Builder 3 includes the complete Flex framework, including compilers, a component library, and debuggers.
Flex Builder 3 is available in Standard and Professional editions. Both editions allow import of assets from Adobe Creative Suite® 3 software, making it easy for designers and developers to work together. Flex Builder 3 Professional further adds powerful data visualization capabilities, the new Advanced Datagrid, memory and performance profilers, and support for automated functional testing for developing business-critical applications.
- Learn more about Flex Builder 3 features
- See what's new in Flex Builder 3
- Explore the Flex designer/developer workflow
FREE ADOBE FLEX 3 SDK
You can get the complete Flex framework separately from Flex Builder 3 by downloading the Free Adobe Flex 3 SDK. Developers can create complete RIAs using only the Free Adobe Flex 3 SDK. The Flex SDK is also available as open source in the Open Source Flex SDK project.
ADVANCED FLEX DATA SERVICES
Adobe LiveCycle Data Services ES provides a comprehensive set of data-enabling features for using data in RIAs. It enables RIAs to talk to back-end data and business logic in a faster, more efficient operating model. LiveCycle Data Services ES also enables seamless integration with LiveCycle ES business processes and document services.
BlazeDS is a free, open source project providing Flex Remoting and Messaging to all developers. Flex Remoting provides a binary, serialized data transport format called Action Message Format (AMF) to provide a fast, efficient means of transporting data to your RIA, which accelerates application performance. Flex Remoting also makes it fast and easy for developers to connect to back-end business logic and data. Flex Messaging adds real-time data push and publish/subscribe, both powerful capabilities now made easy. Using BlazeDS, you can start using these powerful Java™ server integration features for free, and then subscribe to LiveCycle Data Services, Community Edition for certified builds and support, or upgrade to the full LiveCycle Data Services ES edition for a complete server solution.
ADVANCED DATA VISUALIZATION
ILOG Elixir provides graphical data-display components to further enhance Adobe Flex 3 and Adobe AIR rich Internet applications. ILOG Elixir helps turn raw data into clear, actionable information through a highly graphical and interactive user experience. Components include 3D charts, gauges and dials, maps of the world, radar charts, Gantt charts, treemaps, and org charts.
