Learning Flex 3

Chapter 2. SETTING UP YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Adobe Flex 3 is free, and you can use any editor you like to develop with it. Your code is going to be just some text files that you can edit in any text editor, and you’ll be able to compile the files with the free Flex compiler. That said, when getting to know Flex, Adobe’s Flex Builder is indispensable. Not only is it the premier editor for Flex code, making it easy to get accustomed to what’s available, but it will also seamlessly compile and organize your code for you. I’ve been developing in Flex since the technology was introduced, and although I’ve used other editors in the past, I continue to use Flex Builder in my daily work. So, the goal of this book will be introducing you to developing in Flex with Flex Builder.

If you don’t have Flex yet, it’s easy to download from Adobe at www.adobe.com/products/flex. If you prefer to use your own editor and compile via the command line or other alternatives, you can download just the Flex SDK. I recommend you grab a copy of Flex Builder, because Adobe will give you 30 days to try it with no limits. (Well, they’ll put a watermark in any chart you create, but besides that, no features are taken away.) You have a couple of options when buying or downloading Flex Builder, which I’ll discuss in the later section "Flex Flavors.”

Using Alternatives to Flex Builder

If your copy of Flex Builder has expired, if you can’t install it, or if you’re just being stubborn, any text editor will work in its stead. ...