Flash® Builder™ 4 and Flex® 4 Bible

Chapter 6. Debugging Flex Applications

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Understanding debugging basics

• Starting a debugging session

• Using the trace() function

• Using the Logging API

• Creating self-logging components

• Using breakpoints

• Setting breakpoint properties

• Inspecting data

• Profiling Flex applications

• Inspecting network traffic with the Network Monitor

Flash Builder includes powerful tools that enable you to easily debug and fine-tune your applications. Of course, software without bugs is a mythical beast — at least at the beginning of a software development project. In many cases, the question of whether you complete your application within the time you originally estimate depends on how quickly you can find and fix an application's defects, or bugs.

As with many good integrated development environments, Flash Builder includes a variety of tools to help you find and fix an application's issues and understand what's happening inside the application at runtime, including these tools:

• The trace() function. Sends runtime messages to the Flash Builder console and other logging targets.

• The <s:TraceTarget/> tag. Defines runtime tracing for network communications.

• Breakpoints. Suspends an application's execution and enables you to inspect its internal state at runtime.

• Variable and expression tools. Displays the value of various ActionScript expressions while an application is suspended in a breakpoint.

• Profiling tools. Enables you to see what's happening at runtime in terms of performance and memory usage.

• Network ...