The free Adobe® Flex™ 2 SDK includes the technologies developers need to start building effective Flex applications today.
MXML is the language that developers use to define the interface of an application. ActionScript 3.0 is the language that defines the application's logic.
Flex comes with a set of predefined class library and application services that give developers a head start. These services include the layout and display system that manages the application interface layout, data binding, the style system that manages the look and feel of all user interface(UI) components, drag-and-drop management, and the effects and animation system that manages motion and transitions.
Components, including UI controls and layout containers, provide a huge productivity boost. From simple buttons, checkboxes, and radio buttons to complex data grids, combo boxes, and rich text editors, the component library includes all of the UI controls that developers need. The library comes with a selection of visually stunning skins that can further be restyled or reskinned to match specific requirements for an application's look and feel. The containers provided with the Flex framework let developers design complex, adaptive layouts with ease.
The compiler is the heart of Flex framework. It takes MXML files and compiles them with all associated ActionScript files and other resources to build an application. Because the compiler is provided either as a standalone utility or in Adobe Flex Builder™, developers can choose to develop in the Eclipse™ based Flex Builder IDE or in a different IDE of their choice.
