Apache Flex – application framework

Last Updated on April 27, 2023

Apache Flex (formerly Adobe Flex) is an open source framework for the development and deployment of cross-platform rich Internet applications based on the Adobe Flash platform.

Flex seeks to minimize the animation metaphor by offering a workflow and programming model that is familiar to application programmers. It uses MXML, an XML-based declarative markup language to build and design graphic user interfaces. Interactivity is achieved via ActionScript, a scripting language based on the ECMAScript standard. The Flex SDK comes with a set of more than 100 user interface components including buttons, list boxes, trees, data grids, several text controls, and various layout containers.

The Open Source Flex SDK contains most of the components of the Apache Flex SDK (for example, the compilers, framework, and debuggers) but does not include anything that is not released under an open source license such as the Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtimes, the advanced font encoding libraries, Flash Builder 4 IDE, or Adobe LiveCycle Data Services, the latter two being paid-for software.

Rich Internet Applications created with Flex can run in the browser using Adobe Flash Player software or outside the browser on Adobe AIR.

Features include:

• Rich user experience.
• Cross-platform, accessible applications.
• Skinning and component architecture called Spark:
  • Flexible layout model.
  • Full support for 2D rotations and scale.
  • Ability to apply the new 3D capabilities of Flash Player 10 to any component after layout.
  • Animation engine with auto-reversing of transitions, Pixel Bender filters applied as effects, transformations in all three planes, and complex keyframe-based animations.
• Interactive Flex application debugger.
• Open source, standards-based framework.
• Advanced data services.
• Scalability.
• Full Support for Adobe Flash Player 10 and above.
• Full support for Adobe AIR runtime.
• Integration with Adobe Flash Catalyst.
• Adobe Creative Suite 4 integration.
• Support for FXG, the new interchange format for the Flash Platform.
• Flash Builder 4 IDE (known as Gumbo), a productive, Eclipse based development environment (commercial).
• Adobe LiveCycle Data Services software, a set of advanced data services that can be used in Flex development (commercial).

Website:
Support:
Developer: Adobe Systems
License: Mozilla Public License 1.1

Return to Rich Internet Application Frameworks Home Page

Apache Flex is written in ActionScript and Java. Learn Java with our recommended free books and free tutorials.

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