ADOBE® FLEX® BUILDER™ 3: USING ADOBE FLEX BUILDER 3

ADOBE FLEX BUILDER 3

Using Adobe Flex Builder 3

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Build basics

MXML and ActionScript 3.0 are compiled languages. Unlike interpreted languages such as JavaScript that can be

immediately executed by their run-time environments, MXML and ActionScript 3.0 must be converted into a

compiled format before they can be executed by Flash Player. This process, along with the generation of related

output files, is called building.

Flex Builder automatically builds your projects whenever a file in your project is changed and saved. While you have

the option of building your applications manually, this should not be necessary; however, understanding the build

process and the output files that are generated will help you to diagnose and repair project configuration problems

that may arise.

Flex projects Source files and embedded assets (such as images) are compiled into a single output format

called SWF, which is a file that can be run directly in the stand-alone Flash Player or in a web browser through

an HTML wrapper file that is also generated by the build. These files are generated into the project’s output folder

(by default, this is named bin but you can name it anything you like).

LiveCycle Data Services ES projects When using LiveCycle Data Services ES you have the option of creating

projects that are compiled on the server. When the MXML application file is first accessed (through a web

browser), it is compiled into a SWF file.

Note: Even though you can configure LiveCycle Data Services ES projects to be compiled on the server, Flex Builder

compiles these projects as you develop your applications so that the compiler can validate code syntax and display

error messages. These projects have no output folder option and Flex Builder does not generate output files.

ActionScript 3.0 projects Like Flex projects, ActionScript 3.0 projects compile source files and embedded

assets into a SWF file.

Flex library projects For library projects, source files are components and related resources. When library

projects are built, a SWC file is generated into the output folder. A SWF file is archived into a SWC file containing

components, resources, and a catalog.xml file that is the manifest of the elements contained within the SWF file.

Automatic builds

In the stand-alone configuration of Flex Builder, your applications are built automatically. In the plug-in configu-

ration, you must select the Build Automatically option. While you have the option to build your applications

manually, as mentioned above, this should not be necessary. Turning off automatic builds also prevents the compiler

from identifying syntax errors and displaying warning and error messages as you enter code. In other words, you will

not get any feedback in the Problems view until the project is compiled; therefore, it is best to set Flex Builder to build

automatically.

Advanced project build options

With the advanced build options, you can control the timing and scope of your builds. For example, you can build a

single project, all projects in the workspace, or create a working set (a collection) of projects to build. All build

commands are accessible from the Project menu, as shown in the following example. For more information, see

“Advanced build options” on page 128.