Macromedia Flex is a powerful platform that offers the ability to create Rich Internet Applications (RIAs). Misusing this power can result in areas of poor performance. Flex is like any other programming model because certain coding practices can be detrimental to the overall performance of your client application. This article describes some of the MXML coding practices that affect application performance on the client side and demonstrates simple techniques that will enhance the performance of your Flex application. More specifically, this article explores how to do the following tasks:

• Decrease startup time
• Take advantage of deferred instantiation to improve performance
• Play complex effects smoothly
• Use dynamically repeating controls for better performance
• Improve performance of charting components
• Leverage Runtime Shared Libraries (RSLs) for performance gains
• Performance test your own Flex application

Note that the tips suggested in this article do not apply to all Flex applications. It is important to analyze the structure of your own application and modify the suggestions to tailor them to your needs. For ongoing coding and conceptual help, you can use the Flex support forums and Flex Developer Center.

Note also that this is the first part in a two-part article. The second part of this article, Flex Application Performance: Tips and Techniques for Improving Server-Side Performance, discusses the server-side enhancements and deployment options that you can use to improve the performance of your Flex application.

Requirements

To make the most of this article, you need the following:

• Familiarity with Macromedia Flex and J2EE application servers (JRun, IBM Websphere, or BEA Weblogic)
• Some experience building Flex applications. (Ideally, you should have built at least one simple Flex application. If you haven't, see Creating Your First Flex Application.)

Macromedia Flex

Learn more about Macromedia Flex.

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PDF Version of the Article

• White Paper: Flex Application Performance: Tips and Techniques for Improving Client Application and Server Performance (PDF, 587K)
  (This white paper combines the client application and server articles as one document.)

Feedback and Support

We have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article and all code included. Feedback for this article and all Flex performance issues is always appreciated. To submit feedback, please email us.

Detailed Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Architecting Flex Applications That Perform Well
• A Note About Flash Players
• Using Layouts, Hierarchy, and Containment Properly
  • Avoid Nesting Containers Many Levels Deep
  • Absolute Positioning and Sizing
  • Use Grid Containers Wisely
  • Examples of Common Container Redundancies to Avoid
• Using Deferred Instantiation to Improve Perceived Performance
  • Navigators Have Built-In Deferred Instantiation
  • Progressive Layout—Queued Creation of Components
• Handling Large Data Sets
• Playing Complex Effects Smoothly
• Achieving Great Performance with Runtime Styles
• Using Dynamically Repeating Controls for Better Performance
• Using the HorizontalList and TileList Controls
• Improving Repeater Performance
• Improving Performance of Charting Components
• Performance Tuning and Profiling Your Own Flex Application
  • Using Runtime Shared Libraries
  • Using the ActionScript Profiler
  • Calculating the Application Initialization Time
  • Using getTimer() to Time Component and Data Gestures
• Support and Feedback

 

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