Professional Adobe® Flex® 3

Chapter 72. Using the Flex Profiler

In the last chapter, you learned how to debug your Flex applications using the Flex Builder 3 Debugging perspective. This chapter builds on your application analysis toolset by discussing the Flex Builder 3 Profiling perspective that is only available in the Professional version of Flex Builder 3. The items that will be discussed are:

• Profiling basics

• Flex Builder 3 Profiling

• The Profiler in action

• Creating your own Profiler

Overview

The majority of this book discusses the tools and techniques that you need to build Flex 3 applications. However, as a developer it is your responsibility to try and build applications that make the best use of system resources and end-user attention spans. Here are some common situations that come up after a successful launch:

• The client is upset at the amount of system memory the application uses.

• The client is upset because the application doesn't run fast enough.

With the right knowledge coupled with the Flex Builder 3 Profiler, you will be able to deal with these situations.

Before You Get Started

The Flex Builder 3 Profiler is only available in the Professional version of Flex Builder 3. In other words, copies of Flex Builder 3 Standard will not have the Flex Profiler, a.k.a. the Flex Builder 3 Profiling perspective. If you're not planning to purchase Flex Builder 3 Professional, then you're welcome to skip to the next chapter.

It's worth noting that support for the Flex Builder 3 Profiler didn't exist in the Flash Debug ...