The Flex 2 product line enables developers to build rich, engaging web-based applications based on the ubiquitous Macromedia Flash runtime from Adobe and includes a complete solution for building Rich Internet Applications. Macromedia (now Adobe) originally coined the phrase Rich Internet Application (RIA) to describe a trend in the web development community toward building more engaging web experiences using Flash and HTML.

The first generation of RIAs combined graphic-rich user interface controls that reduced or eliminated page refreshes. They have since evolved into sophisticated desktop-like applications that integrate rich data visualization components, such as data grids and graphical charts, multimedia audio and video, collaborative features like whiteboards and cobrowsing experiences, and real-time data push. As the complexity of such applications increased, so too did the cost of building and maintaining RIAs. Adobe responded to this need with Flex, which has become the industry-leading RIA development solution.

Developers are a major focus of the Flex 2 release. To ensure that we take the product in a direction that meets your needs, the Flex team is excited to announce the public beta release of the Flex 2product line. If you're not already familiar with Flex 2, you can find a complete overview in the David Wadhwani's article, Flex 2: Enabling the Next Generation of Rich Internet Applications. Read on to learn more about changes since the release of Flex 2 alpha 1.

The beta 1 release includes updated installers for Flex Builder 2, Flex Charting 2, Flex Framework 2, and Flash Player 9. In addition, Flex Enterprise Services 2 is now available for the first time. The following outlines what is new in the Flex 2 Beta 1 release.

Flex Enterprise Services 2

New in the Beta 1 release, Flex Enterprise Services 2 introduces a more productive way to build data-intensive Flex applications. It enables new capabilities such as real-time server push, occasional connectivity, and collaborative applications. With built-in support for publish/subscribe messaging and a new data services programming model, Flex Enterprise Services provides the following server-side data management channels:

• RPC Services provide traditional Flash Remoting RPC-style service invocation and managed proxying for HTTP and web service requests.
• Message Services enable applications using publish/subscribe messaging, collaboration, and real-time data push.
• Data Services enable you to more productively build applications that incorporate features such as data synchronization, transactional control and conflict management, automatic paging for large data sets, and support for application clustering.

Flex Framework 2

Flex Framework 2 beta 1 now includes an updated version of the Flex application framework as well as the Flex 2 compiler. The following are new or updated features in this release:

• Inline MXML item renderers
• Support for multiple layout models in Application and Panel
• Center-relative anchors
• Support for XML data in list-based components
• Support for pending data in list-based components
• Tree support for hierarchical collections
• Ongoing improvements to the effects infrastructure
• Transitions
• Resource bundle SWCs
• Support for publishing applications with view source enabled

Flex Builder 2

Flex Builder 2 beta 1 includes the following updates:

• Flex Enterprise Services support
  Flex Builder now supports Flex Enterprise Services. You can create Flex server projects that can be compiled and run on the server.

• Code editing enhancements

  • Content Assist: Display only relevant code hints. For example, when you enter a Canvas tag, the code hint list contains only those tags that can you can add to the Canvas tag.
  • Code Collapse: Collapse and expand multiple-line code blocks to help you navigate, view, and manage complex code documents.
  • Auto import classes: Use Content Assist in the MXML and ActionScript editors to automatically import the packages in which classes are located into the document.
  • Comments: Quickly add a new comment to your code or select existing lines of code and convert them into a comment block.

• MXML editor Design mode enhancements

  • Expanded mode: View nested containers in expanded mode, and clearly see and select any container component in your application.
  • Component snapping: Visually drag a component in a container that has absolute positioning to make the component snap into place depending on where you drop it, relative to existing components.
  • Centered constraints: In a constraint-based layout, use the new horizontalCenter and verticalCenter constraint properties to center components easily.
  • In-place label editing: Directly edit a component's label text by double-clicking the component in Design mode.
  • Application sizing: Control the size of the application in Design mode. For example, you can view the application at a size of 1024 x 768 pixels, 800 x 600 pixels, and so on.

• Debugging enhancements

  • Variable filters: Filter out static variables, constants, qualified names, and so on with the new filters in the Variables view.
  • Variable debugging: Expose the underlying XML of E4X (ECMAScript for XML) variables to simplify debugging of these variables.
• HTML wrapper templates and Flash Player detection
  Flex Builder provides more options for generating and modifying HTML wrapper files and detecting Flash Player versions.
• History management
  Flex Builder includes an option for enabling history management, which gives Flash application developers the ability to support the browser's Back and Forward buttons.
• Project support for folders in the class path
  When you add folders to a project's class path, they are shown in the project as linked resource folders. By adding external class resources to the class path, you also enable Content Assist to provide you with code hints for those classes.
• MXML and ActionScript Outline view
  The Eclipse Outline view provides you with a structured view that you can use to scan and navigate your code quickly. The Quick Outline view is also displayed in a pop-up window within the editor itself, not as a separate view—which you can use to navigate and inspect your code easily.
• View source
  When your applications are ready to be released, you have the option of allowing your users to view your application's source code. Like HTML, users can access and view the source in a web browser. You also have the option of including a downloadable ZIP file that contains all the source code, or elements of it, that you can make public. Allowing source viewing is a convenient way to share code with other Flex and ActionScript 3.0 developers.
• Library projects
  You can now use Flex Builder to create code library (SWC) and runtime shared library (RSL) projects. Both are used to distribute reusable code.
• Context-sensitive language reference
  The Flex 2 ActionScript and MXML Language Reference is integrated into the MXML and ActionScript editors. You can quickly review the reference Help for an MXML tag or property, class, or other Flex Framework element by pressing F1 while writing code.
• Extensibility API
  Now you can extend Flex Builder by accessing properties and methods exposed through the Extensibility API, provided in JavaDoc format.

Flex Charting Components 2

The updated version of Flex Charting Components 2 includes bug fixes and the following new functionality:

• Support for the Date/Time and Logarithmic axis types
• Exploding pie charts
• Improved stacking and clustering of data with bar set, column set, and area set
• Multiple data tips

Where to Go from Here

For more information on the Flex 2 beta 1 and to download the Flex 2 beta, visit Adobe Labs.

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