Flash Builder 4:Release Notes
From Adobe Labs
| Table of contents |
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4.1 Installing Flash Builder 4 Beta 2 4.2 Installing Flex SDK 4 Beta 2 |
Overview
Welcome to the Adobe® Flash Builder™ 4 Beta 2 release!
Adobe® Flash Builder™ 4 was formerly known as the Gumbo release.
Please note: Beta 2 is an early preview of the Flash Builder 4 release. The goal of this release is to give the community an opportunity to provide feedback on the feature design and to help identify bugs and missing capabilities.
Not all of the planned features have been fully implemented, but the product is solid and nearing release quality. While we encourage you to try out the beta you should expect to find some bugs; be sure to save and back up your work often.
Please review the Known Issues list prior to using the beta.
Flash Builder 4 is Adobe's professional Flex IDE built on Eclipse. It can run either as a standalone tool or as a plug-in to an existing Eclipse installation. Flex SDK includes the Flex framework (also known as the Flex class library), Flex command-line compilers, Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) framework, Adobe AIR command-line compilers, the Flex debugger, the ASDoc utility, and the debugger version of Flash Player. Use the Flex SDK to develop, compile, and deploy Flex applications that connect to XML and SOAP web services with no additional charges or server licensing required. This release also includes Data Visualization features.
Warning: Do not install Flash Builder 4 Beta 2 on top of an existing installation of Flex Builder 3 or Flash Builder 4. In particular, do not install the plug-in version of Flash Builder 4 Beta 2 into an Eclipse installation that is already running the plug-in version of Flex Builder or Flash Builder.
What's New
Read What's new in Flash Builder 4 beta and What's new in the Flex 4 SDK beta to become acquainted with all the new features in these releases.
In addition, here are some quick highlights:
Flex SDK
New functionality in Flex 4
- A new and powerful component skinning architecture, known as “Spark”.
- An initial set of components that use the Spark architecture that can be mixed and matched with the MX components that were available in Flex 3 (please see table below for a comparison of MX and Spark components)
- Support for declarative, dynamic MXML graphics, as well as for static, optimized FXG graphics.
- A new default look (the “Spark” theme) for MX and Spark components which support a new set of styles.
- More powerful layout capabilities, including support for MXML graphic elements, improved support for rotation and other transforms, support for assignable custom layouts, and enhanced z-order management capability.
- Numerous new and/or improved effects, including support for animating MXML graphic elements, support for animating arbitrary types via custom interpolators, a more flexible easing API, and more automatic behaviors.
- 3D effect support.
- Animation of Flash filters, including Pixel Bender shaders.
- More advanced text support, based on the Flash Text Engine and the Text Layout Framework, as well as support for CFF (Compact Font Format) fonts.
- Improved compiler performance.
- New MXML language features, including the MXML 2009 namespace, and the Declarations, Library, and Definition tags.
- CSS enhancements, including support for namespaces, descendant selectors, ID selectors, multiple class selectors, and pseudo-selectors for component states.
- Enhanced syntax and other improvements to states.
- Convenient syntax for two-way databinding.
- ASDoc support for components defined in mxml files.
- Improved HTML templates, based on SWFObject.
- Hosting of SDK runtime shared libraries (RSLs) at adobe.com.
- Additional locale support for developing localized applications.
Highlight of changes from Flex 4 Beta 1 to Flex 4 Beta 2
- Improved functional parity between existing Spark and MX components
- ControlBar in Panel and Application
- Paged Data in Spark List
- Spark ButtonBar support for MX Viewstack
- Support for using Spark containers directly in MX navigators
- Additional styling capabilities in Spark components
- Additional styles for Spark components
- New Border component
- Significant renames – complete list can be found here: http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/Rename+List
- New Spark Label component – SimpleText has been replaced with a Label component
Flash Builder
New for Beta 2
- A new MX-only vs. MX+Spark library path option to support developers migrating from Flex 3 to Flex 4
- Improved code hinting in MXML to suggest recommended components
- New Create Skin workflow from Design View
- Early support for FlexUnit 4 test class generation
- Automation delegates for a subset of Spark components
- Generation of fully functional sample services for ColdFusion and PHP by introspecting a database table
- Greatly improved process for common data service tasks like configuring datatypes returned from servers
- Ability to test remote data operations from the data/services panel
- Data-centric workflow support for BlazeDS and the upcoming LCDS 3 release
New for Flash Builder 4
- A new workflow for creating data-centric applications with ColdFusion, HTTP, PHP, Java, and web services.
- Support for Flex Projects created with Flash Catalyst.
- A new Network Monitor to help diagnose traffic between client and server.
- Flex unit test integration.
- Automatic generation of accessor functions (getter and setters).
- ASDoc support to display ASDoc comments in MXML and ActionScript editors.
- Custom file template support for MXML, ActionScript, and CSS files.
- Automatic generation of event handlers.
- Debugger enhancements.
- Profiler enhancements.
- Refactoring enhancements.
- A new Adobe Flash CS4 Professional workflow for creating and editing Flash components.
- New support for implementing command line builds.
- A new user interface for importing and applying Flex themes.
- A Flex Package Explorer to replace the Flex Navigator.
Comparison of MX and Spark Components
Controls:
| MX | Spark |
|---|---|
| mx.controls.AdvancedDataGrid | none |
| mx.controls.Alert | none |
| mx.controls.Button | spark.components.Button |
| mx.controls.CheckBox | spark.components.CheckBox |
| mx.controls.ColorPicker | none |
| mx.controls.ComboBox | spark.components.DropDownList (w/o editability) |
| mx.controls.DataGrid | none |
| mx.controls.DateChooser | none |
| mx.controls.DateField | none |
| mx.controls.HorizontalList | spark.components.List (w/ HorizontalLayout) |
| mx.controls.HSlider | spark.components.HSlider |
| mx.controls.Image | spark.primitives.BitmapImage |
| mx.controls.Label | spark.components.Label |
| mx.controls.LinkButton | spark.components.Button (w/ custom skin) |
| mx.controls.List | spark.components.List |
| mx.controls.Menu | none |
| mx.controls.NumericStepper | spark.components.Spinner (no TextInput control) spark.components.NumericStepper |
| mx.controls.OLAPDataGrid | none |
| mx.controls.PopUpButton | use spark.components.PopUpAnchor |
| mx.controls.PopUpMenuButton | use spark.components.PopUpAnchor |
| mx.controls.ProgressBar | none |
| mx.controls.RadioButton | spark.components.RadioButton |
| mx.controls.RadioButtonGroup | spark.components.RadioButtonGroup |
| mx.controls.RichTextEditor | build own component |
| mx.controls.SWFLoader | none |
| mx.controls.Text | spark.components.Label |
| mx.controls.TextArea | spark.components.TextArea |
| mx.controls.TextInput | spark.components.TextInput |
| mx.controls.TileList | spark.components.List (w/ TileLayout) |
| mx.controls.Tree | none |
| mx.controls.VideoDisplay | spark.components.VideoPlayer |
| mx.controls.VSlider | spark.components.VSlider |
Additional Spark controls
- spark.components.ToggleButton
- spark.components.HScrollBar
- spark.components.VScrollBar
Layouts/Containers:
| MX | Spark |
|---|---|
| mx.core.Application | spark.components.Application |
| mx.containers.ApplicationControlBar | spark.components.ControlBarContent |
| mx.containers.Canvas | spark.components.Group spark.components.DataGroup spark.components.SkinnableContainer spark.components.SkinnableDataContainer spark.components.Border |
| mx.containers.ControlBar | spark.components.ControlBarContent |
| mx.containers.Form | none |
| mx.containers.FormHeading | spark.component.FormHeading |
| mx.containers.Grid | write custom layout |
| mx.containers.HBox | spark.components.HGroup |
| mx.containers.HDividedBox | use MX with Spark containers |
| mx.controls.HRule | spark.primitives.Line |
| mx.modules.ModuleLoader | none |
| mx.containers.Panel | spark.components.Panel |
| mx.controls.Spacer | none |
| mx.containers.Tile | spark.components.Group (w/ TileLayout) |
| mx.containers.TitleWindow | none |
| mx.containers.VBox | spark.components.VGroup |
| mx.containers.VDividedBox | use MX with Spark containers |
| mx.controls.VRule | spark.primitives.Line |
| mx.core.Window | spark.components.Window |
| mx.core.WindowedApplication | spark.components.WindowedApplication |
Additional Spark Layouts/Containers:
- spark.components.Scroller
Navigators
| MX | Spark |
|---|---|
| mx.containers.Accordion | use MX with Spark containers |
| mx.controls.ButtonBar | spark.components.ButtonBar |
| mx.controls.LinkBar | spark.components.ButtonBar (w/ custom skin) |
| mx.controls.MenuBar | none |
| mx.controls.TabBar | spark.components.ButtonBar (w/customSkin) |
| mx.containers.TabNavigator | custom Spark TabBar with MX ViewStack |
| mx.controls.ToggleButtonBar | spark.components.ButtonBar (w/ custom skin) |
| mx.containers.ViewStack | use MX with Spark containers |
Charts
| MX | Spark |
|---|---|
| mx.charts.AreaChart | none |
| mx.charts.BarChart | none |
| mx.charts.BubbleChart | none |
| mx.charts.CandlestickChart | none |
| mx.charts.ColumnChart | none |
| mx.charts.HLOCChart | none |
| mx.charts.Legend | none |
| mx.charts.LineChart | none |
| mx.charts.PieChart | none |
| mx.charts.PlotChart | none |
System requirements
Please see the system requirements information on the Flex 4 SDK and Flash Builder pages on Adobe Labs.
Installation Instructions
Installing Flash Builder 4 Beta 2
This release contains the following versions of Flash Builder:
- Stand-alone Flash Builder IDE (built on Eclipse)
- Flash Builder Eclipse Plug-in
- Adobe® Flash ™ Builder™ 4 automatically installs Flex SDK 4. It also includes Flex SDK 3.4.1.
Note: You can run Flex Builder 3 and Flash Builder 4 Beta 2 on the same system. You do not have to uninstall Flex Builder 3.
Warning: Do not install Flash Builder 4 Beta 2 on top of an existing installation of Flex Builder or Flash Builder 4. In particular, do not install the plug-in version of Flash Builder 4 Beta 2 into an Eclipse installation that is already running the plug-in version of Flex Builder Flash Builder 4. Additionally, workspaces should not be shared between installations.
Note: The Flash Builder 4 Beta allows the selection of installation in English, French, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Russian. We are still in the process of translating non-English versions, so some strings may appear in English. For this reason, we ask that you do not file linguistic bugs related to translation quality or missing translations at this time; however, we do look forward to hearing about your experience running Flash Builder on localized OSs.
Installing Flash Builder stand-alone
To install Flash Builder on Windows:
The default location of the installation directory for Flash Builder stand-alone is C:\Program Files\Adobe\Flash Builder Beta.
- Prior to installing, remove any previous versions of Flash Builder 4 (Gumbo).
- Download Flash Builder Win Stand Alone Installer (flashbuilder4_b2_win_100509.exe) from the Adobe Labs site.
- Exit all running applications.
- Open or double-click the installer executable file.
- Accept the license agreement and follow the prompts.
- Review the Release Notes.
- Start Flash Builder.
To install Flash Builder on Mac OS X:
- Prior to installing, remove any previous versions of Flash Builder 4 (Gumbo).
- Download Flash Builder Mac Stand Alone installer (flashbuilder4_b2_mac_100509.dmg) from the Adobe Labs site.
- Exit all running applications.
- Open or double-click the installer DMG file. The installer image will be mounted.
- Open or double-click the installer app to begin the Flash Builder installation process.
- Accept the license agreement and follow the prompts.
- Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
- To start Flash Builder, locate and double-click the executable file in the \Applications\Adobe Flash Builder Beta 2.
- Review the Release Notes.
Installing Flash Builder plug-in
Note: Flash Builder is only supported on Eclipse 3.4.
Warning: Do not install Flash Builder 4 Beta 2 on top of an existing installation of Flex Builder or Flash Builder 4. In particular, do not install the plug-in version of Flash Builder 4 Beta 2 into an Eclipse installation that is already running the plug-in version of Flex Builder Flash Builder 4. Additionally, workspaces should not be shared between installations.
To install the Flash Builder Eclipse plug-in on Windows:
- Prior to installing, remove any prerelease versions of Flash Builder 4 (Gumbo).
- Download Flash Builder Win Plug-in installer (flashbuilder4_b2_plugin_win_100509.exe) from the Adobe Labs site.
- Exit all running applications.
- Open or double-click the installer executable file. Accept the license agreement and follow the prompts.
- Review the Release Notes.
- Start Eclipse using its shortcut in the Start Menu.
Note: You must create a new workspace before beginning. Select File > Switch Workspace from the menu bar and enter a new folder name. If the folder doesn't exist, Eclipse creates it.
To install the Flash Builder Eclipse plug-in on Mac OS X:
- Prior to installing, remove any prerelease versions of Flash Builder 4.
- Download Flash Builder Mac Plug-in installer (flashbuilder4_b2_plugin_mac_100509.dmg) from the Adobe Labs site.
- Exit all running applications.
- Open or double-click the installer DMG file. The installer image will be mounted.
- Open or double-click the installer app to begin the Flash Builder installation process.
- Accept the license agreement and follow the prompts.
- Review the Release Notes.
- Start Eclipse.
Note: You must create a new workspace before beginning. Select File > Switch Workspace from the menu bar and enter a new folder name. If the folder doesn't exist, Eclipse creates it.
Installing Flex SDK 4 Beta 2
You can install the Flex SDK separately. The Flex SDK install, which is delivered as a ZIP file, contains the Flex framework, Adobe AIR framework, and command-line tools, such as the mxmlc command-line utility, Adobe AIR command-line utility, the ASDoc utility, the Flex command-line debugger, and the debugger version of the Flash Player.
Uninstall Current Flash Player
Prior to installing the Flex SDK, it is recommended that you also uninstall your current Flash Player and upgrade to the version provided in the SDK.
Windows—Internet Explorer
Due to security features in the Adobe Flash Player ActiveX Control, you must first remove all existing installations of Flash Player from your Windows system before installing prerelease versions of the Flash Player ActiveX Control:
- Download the Uninstaller.
- Open the Windows Command Prompt ( Run > cmd ).
- Navigate to the directory where the uninstaller was downloaded.
- Run "uninstall_flash_player.exe /clean".
Windows—Plugin-based browsers
Run the appropriate uninstaller available from this Technote.
Macintosh
Run the appropriate uninstaller available from this Technote.
Linux
Manual removal (for users who installed the plug-in via Install script):
- Delete libflashplayer.so binary and flashplayer.xpt file in directory /home/<user>/.mozilla/plugins/
RPM removal:
- As root, enter in terminal:
- # rpm -e flash-plugin
- Click Enter and follow prompts
To install the Flex SDK:
Download the Flex 4 SDK from either Adobe Labs Downloads or the Adobe Flex SDK Open Source Site.
- Create a directory to contain the Flex SDK.
- Extract the Flex SDK ZIP file to this directory. The Flex SDK contains the following directories:
- ant - Contains Flex Ant Tasks.
- asdoc - Contains helper files for the ASDoc tool that creates HTML documentation from your MXML and ActionScript source code.
- bin - Contains the mxmlc, compc, asdoc, and fdb utilities. The bin directory also contains the jvm.config file, which specifies Java settings that you can modify, if necessary.
- frameworks - Contains compiled framework classes, configuration files, and framework source code.
- lib - Contains JAR files used by the utilities.
- runtimes - Contains installers for the Adobe AIR runtime inside the air folder and installers for debug versions of Flash Player 10 inside the player folder .
- samples - Contains sample applications.
- templates - Contains HTML templates for Flash Player detection and browser integration and inside the air folder, a sample Adobe AIR application.xml file.
- Review the Release Notes.
- Ensure that Java SDK is installed on the computer and that the java_home/bin directory is defined in the system path. JDK 1.4, 1.5, or 1.6 is required. For 1.4, JDK 1.4.2_06 or later is required.
- Install the appropriate Flash Player from the install_root/runtimes/player/10/platform directory.
- (Optional) When the Flash Player installation finishes, restart your computer to ensure that the updated Flash Player browser plug-in is enabled.
Install and Configure Flex and AIR Automated Testing
To use Flex or AIR Automated Testing, you must install Flash Builder 4 Professional. You cannot use Flex Automated Testing with only the Flex 4 SDK. If you do not have a Flex Builder 3 Professional license, your test scripts are limited to 30 actions. If you exceed 30 actions in a test without the Professional license, you will receive a warning that your license is not present.
Flex and AIR Automated Testing SWC files are installed by default with Flash Builder 4. The automation swcs corresponding to Flex 4 SDK can be found in the /frameworks/libs/automation directory while as the automation swcs for Flex 3.4 SDK will be found in the Framework/libs directory. You can begin using Flex Automated Testing and build your own custom agents without any further installation.
NOTE: The automation libraries are now under the framework/libs/automation directory. In Flex4, you must add this location to the library path or include these libraries using the –include-libraries compiler option.
Use run-time automated testing (recommended) for Flex Applications
- Open a command prompt.
- Navigate to the flash_builder_root/sdks/4.0.0/templates/automation-runtimeloading-files directory.
- Execute the build.bat file. This compiles the runtimeloading.mxml file into a SWF file.
- Copy the runtimeloading.swf and RunTimeLoading.html file to your web server. Copy the Flex application that you want to test to this server as well (the application need not be compiled with automation libraries).
- Request the RunTimeLoading.html file and pass your Flex application as the automationswfurl query string parameter; for example:
http://localhost/RunTimeLoading.html?automationswfurl=MyApp.swf
Please note that run-time loading is not supported for AIR applications
Compile your applications with static automation support for Flex Applications
- Start Flash Builder.
- Create a new Flex Project.
- Select your new Flex project in the Navigator.
- Select Project > Properties > Flex Compiler.
- In the "Additional compiler arguments" field, enter the following, replacing flash_builder_root with your install directory :
-include-libraries "flash_builder_root\sdks\4.0.0\frameworks\libs\automation\automation.swc" "flash_builder_root\sdks\4.0.0\frameworks\libs\automation\automation_agent.swc" "flash_builder_root\sdks\4.0.0\frameworks\libs\automation\qtp.swc" "flash_builder_root\sdks\4.0.0\frameworks\libs\automation\automation_dmv.swc". Users interested in trying the new automation of spark components feature will also need to include"flash_builder_root\sdks\4.0.0\frameworks\libs\automation\automation_spark.swc “ - Click the OK button to save your changes and OK to close the project Properties dialog box.
- Compile your Flex application.
Examples and documentation for using custom agents can be found at Custom Agents
Spark Components made automation ready for Beta 2
- Application
- Button
- CheckBox
- Panel
- RadioButton
- ScrollBar
- TextArea
- TextInput
- VGroup
- HGroup
- RichEditableText
- Slider
- NumericStepper
Automation of these Spark Components is currently supported only for Flex Applications.
Compile your applications with static automation support for AIR Applications
- Start Flash Builder.
- Create a new AIR (desktop) Project.
- Select your new AIR project in the Navigator.
- Select Project > Properties > Flex Compiler.
- In the "Additional compiler arguments" field, enter the following, replacing flash_builder_root with your install directory :
-include-libraries "flash_builder_root\sdks\4.0.0\frameworks\libs\automation\automation.swc" "flash_builder_root\sdks\4.0.0\frameworks\libs\automation\automation_agent.swc" "flash_builder_root\sdks\4.0.0\frameworks\libs\automation\qtp_air.swc" "flash_builder_root\sdks\4.0.0\frameworks\libs\automation\automation_dmv.swc" "flash_builder_root\sdks\4.0.0\frameworks\libs\automation\automation_air.swc" - Click the OK button to save your changes and OK to close the project Properties dialog box.
- Compile your AIR application.
Flex 4 Plug-in for HP QuickTest Professional
To use Flex and AIR Automated Testing with the Flex 4 Plug-in for HP QuickTest Professional (formerly Mercury QuickTest Pro), you must perform additional steps. The rest of this section describes how to install and use the Flex 4 Plug-in for HP QuickTest Professional
Requirements for Using the QTP Plug-in
To test applications with Flex Automated Testing and the QTP agent, you must install the following:
- HP (formerly Mercury) QuickTest Professional 9.5 with Internet Explorer 6 & Internet Explorer 7
- Adobe Flex 4 Plug-in for Mercury QuickTest Pro
- Microsoft Internet Explorer, version 6 or later
- Flash Player ActiveX control, version 9.0.28.0 or higher
Installing the Plug-in
This section describes the steps necessary for a QC testing professional to configure QTP to work with Flex applications. You must install QTP and the plug-in.
To install QTP
- Install Flash Player 9 ActiveX control (9.0.28.0 ) or newer for Microsoft Internet Explorer. This is currently the only supported browser/player.
- If you are using Mercury QTP on Microsoft Windows Vista you need to turn off the User Account Control (UAC) feature. Instructions to turn off UAC are available here
- Restart your computer.
To install the Flex 4 Plug-in for Mercury QuickTest Pro
- Download the Adobe Flex 4 Plug-in for HP QuickTest Pro zip file and unzip it on the machine where you want to install the plug-in.
- Double Click on the Install_QTP_Plugin.bat.
- Restart your machine.
The plug-in installer will include the following in the installation directory:
- AIR folder which will have the AIR related dlls
- FLEX folder which will have the Flex related dlls
- Uninstall_QTP_Plugin.bat Double clicking on this bat file will uninstall the QTP Plug-in.
- ReadMe.txt file.
Using the Plug-in
You can download a demo zip. It contains a Flash movie that describes the basics of using the plug-in.Be sure to enable audio on your computer.
- Start QTP again after installing the plug-in. The Add-in Manager lists the Flex and AIR plug-in.
- Select the Flex plug-in in the Add-in Manager if you want to automate Flex applications or select the AIR Plug-in in the Add-in Manager if you want to automate AIR applications.
- Select New > Test and click the Record button.
NOTE: Flex application testing with QTP currently supports only Microsoft Internet Explorer with the ActiveX Flash Player. For more information on these tasks and using QTP to test Flex applications, see Testing with QTP. For information on the operations and properties of Flex objects in QTP, see QTP Object Type Information.
Samples for Automated Testing Sample custom agents are available at Custom Automation Agents. An application ready for testing with QTP can be found at Flexstore AT. This sample can be used to test if the QTP plugin installation was successful. An example for automating custom components can be found at Automating Custom Component.
Uninstalling
Uninstalling Flash Builder
Uninstalling Flash Builder Beta 2 on Windows:
- Select Start > Settings > Control Panel.
- Select Add or Remove Programs.
- Click the Adobe Flash Builder version to uninstall (Adobe Flash Builder Beta 2, Adobe Flash Builder Plug-in Beta 2).
- Click the Uninstall button in the uninstaller dialog box.
- Click Done.
Uninstalling Flash Builder Beta on Mac OS X:
- Go to the flash_builder_root/Uninstall Adobe Flash Builder Beta 2 folder.
- Double-click "Uninstall Adobe Flash Builder Beta 2".
- Click the Uninstall button in the uninstaller dialog box.
- Click Done.
Uninstalling Flash Builder Plug-in Beta on Windows:
- Select Start > Settings > Control Panel.
- Select Add or Remove Programs.
- Click the Adobe Flash Builder version to uninstall (Adobe Flash Builder Beta 2, Adobe Flash Builder Plug-in Beta 2).
- Click the Uninstall button in the uninstaller dialog box.
- Click Done.
Uninstalling Flash Builder Plug-in Beta on Mac OS X:
- Go to the flash_builder_root/Uninstall Adobe Flash Builder Plug in Beta 2 folder.
- Double-click "Uninstall Adobe Flash Builder Plug-in Beta 2".
- Click the Uninstall button in the uninstaller dialog box.
- Click Done.
Uninstalling Flash Player
Windows—Internet Explorer
- Download the Uninstaller
- Open the Windows Command Prompt ( Run > cmd ).
- Navigate to the directory where the uninstaller was downloaded.
- Run "Uninstall Adobe Flash Player.exe /clean."
Windows-Plugin or Macintosh
If you wish to uninstall the Windows—Plugin-based browsers or the Macintosh Flash Players included with beta 2, refer to the following this Technote.
Documentation
Documentation is available withing the Flash Builder help system or help.adobe.com. It includes:
- Adobe Flex 4 Features and Migration Guide (PDF only, not available within Flash Builder)
- Using Flash Builder 4
- Flash Builder Tutorials
- Using Adobe Flex 4
- Flex 4 Beta Language Reference (includes AIR classes). Note that these APIs are also included in the beta release of the ActionScript 3.0 Reference for the Adobe Flash Platform
- Creating Data-Driven Applications with Flex 4
Note the following:
- Flex 4 works with Adobe AIR 1.5, which is not updated for this release. For Adobe AIR documentation, see the Adobe AIR Help Resources page.
Compatibility Issues
Flash Builder
- When Flash Builder 4 Beta 2 is installed on Mac OS X 10.6.1 (snow leopard), a licensing work around is required to launch. Please see FB-22869 and kb405970 for further information.
- Flash Builder 4 Beta 2 does not support Mac PPC.
- Please see Known Issues as well.
Flex SDK
- For a list of backwards compatibility issues between Flex 3. x and Flex 4 Beta 2, please visit the Backwards Compatibility page.
Known Issues
Here are product-specific lists of known issues in the Flex 4 and Flash Builder Public beta. Flex 4 and Flash Builder use a public bug system (https://bugs.adobe.com/flex) and most bugs in these lists contain a link to more detail in this bug system. You can also use the public bug system to post bugs you find in the beta 2 release.
When using the public bug system, you should start by clicking on the Bug Standards / Community Process link to learn more about the bug system (be sure to check the section at the bottom). Then go back, register for your account and you should be able to view and define bugs.
Top Issues
- FB-23288 Package of MXML components in Library projects omitted when it's referenced from Flex project.
- FB-22869 Licensing error prevents Flash Builder from launching on OSX 10.6.1 (Snow Leopard).
Workaround After installing on 10.6.1, run the mini-installer found at Flash Builder installation folder/install.support/builder-common-mul/Setup.app
- FB-23196 Components within an imported FXPL library project cannot locate component parts
- FB-23206 generated skin cannot be found when component is in a package
- For further licensing and installation issues, please see the Flash Builder Issues
Flex SDK Issues
Please see the full list of open issues in our public bug database
The issues below are included in the bug lists mentioned above, but we have pulled them out separately for visibility's sake.
Accessibility
- Spark components are not yet accessible to screen readers.
Compiler
- SDK-23220 Compiling on Mac 10.6 (Snow Leopard) is extremely slow. Mac OS 10.6 defaults to 64-bit compilation causing mxmlc compiles to be slower than on 10.5. The workaround is to force 32-bit compilation by unzipping SDK-23220_mac.zip over the SDK, e.g. %unzip SDK-23220_mac.zip -d flex_sdk_4 where flex_sdk_4 is the directory containing the SDK. The zip file is attached to the bug.
- SDK 23336 mxml file with vector declaration fails to compile when -keep=true
DeepLinking
- SDK-16697 Deeplinking does not work when running an Application in Google Chrome.
- SDK-22941 There are some known isssues with DeepLinking and Internet Explorer 8.
Embedded Fonts
- SDK-20143 Embedded font for Halo components does not appear when in a Spark container
Effects / Transitions
- SDK-21422 Object disappears if transition is interupted
FXG
The FXG 2.0 implementation is still under development and as a result, some functionality is limited or missing. Specifically, the Beta 2 implementation of FXG contains about half of the FXG 2.0 dictated functionality (in both the runtime implementation as well as the static compilation). Work that is in includes the name changes to the TextGraphic element (now called RichText), addition of the resizeMode functionality to FXG-based bitmap fills and elements, the 'auto' blendMode functionality, etc. Work that did not make it into the Beta 2 build includes the new AIM blendModes, new AIM luminosity mask type, and some additional renames to certain elements. This work is in various state of completion in the SDK trunk for both the runtime implementation as well as the static compilation library. Since most of the larger changes are not in the Beta 2 build, and the Beta 2 functionality is functionality that existed in MXML Graphics since Beta 1, the quality is relatively stable. Bugs do continue to come in with regards to static compilation (FXGUtils), and they are getting fixed in trunk. As such, users may see rendering differences when chosing to opt in for static compilation, but that was deemed acceptable by Catalyst since static compilation was not deemed a Beta 2 requirement.
Halo Components
- Tree: SDK-15055 Horizontal text overflow in Tree when vertical scrollbar hidden, shown. Workaround: always have the vertical scrollbr shown.
IME Support
- [https://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/SDK-18244 SDK-18244] Cannot input Korean Text correctly with application in some versions of Flash Player 10
- [https://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/SDK-18444 SDK-18444] Inline input not supported in Flex text components when compiling for Flash Player 10
Spark: Application
- [https://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/SDK-17285 SDK-17285] Tabbing in IE with one Spark Button never gets focus or shows focus ring if Button is at 0,0
Spark: Button
- SDK-20270 Button with custom skin flickers mousing down after first mouse down on the Button. If some visual elements appear in smoe states and not others, you may need to add a transparent Rect to cover the entire hit area to prevent an infinite loop of state changes.
Spark ButtonBar support for Halo Viewstack
- This feature is still under development and has had a limited level of testing, However It is far enough along in the process to be usable in Beta.
Spark: ControlBar in Spark Panels and Application
- This feature is still under development and has had a limited level of testing, However It is far enough along in the process to be usable in Beta.
Spark: DropDownList
- SDK-22360 Drop-down list appears at wrong location. There is a known bug for PopUpAnchor where the popUp is displayed at the incorrect location and/or scale. This can occur if any of the PopUpAnchor's ancestors has a filter or has cacheAsBitmap turned on. This issue is due to bug FP-121.
Spark: Label
- SDK-20140 item renderer selection gets out of sync when transitions are used. This is a Flash Player bug which has the following workaroun: Set mouseChildren to false on the flight itemRenderer.
Spark: List There is limited support for paged data in Spark Lists. This feature is still under development and as a result some functionality is limited and has not yet undergone extensive testing.
- SDK-23363 List doubleClick is not working after SimpleText was changed to Label in itemRenderer
- SDK-22808 RTE when defining a layout for each state in a List skin
- SDK-22598 Text entry is limited when using a spark.list in AIR. We need to make List's keyDownHandler aware of the fact that AIR has made keyDown events cancellable while Flash Player has not. Should be fixed for the release of Flex 4 but didn't make it into Beta.
- SDK-19487 Spark List alternatingItemColors behaves differently than Halo List
Spark: SkinnableContainer
- SDK-20880 Masking a UIComponent is not currently supported
Spark: Text
TextFlows can't be shared and this scenario requires the first TextFlow in the list be shared since it is also used for by virtual layout code for measurement. Workaround: use RichEditableText instead of RichText
- SDK-23416 RTE if TextArea is used in List ItemRenderer. Workaround:
import flashx.textLayout.elements.TextFlow;
and add this to the List :
typicalItem="{(TextFlow(data[0]).deepCopy())}"
- Vertical text is not currently supported.
- SDK-20140 item renderer selection gets out of sync when transitions are used
Spark: VideoPlayer
- SDK-20944 spark.components.VideoPlayer - Removing VideoPlayer While Playing Doesn't Remove Audio
Styles
- SDK-23154 Setting backgroundColor as a global style causes Spark Button text and Spark Panel header to be the backgroundColor. Setting of backgroundColor on the global selector is not recommended.
- *Skinning and styling across modules: Problems may arise when skins and components are in different application domains (e.g., when loading multiple modules, or using runtime CSS and modules). For details, see http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/Cross+Domain+Skinning+and+Styling.
- SDK-21315 Setting global baseColor causes RTE for Air application
- [https://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/SDK-19599 SDK-19599] The spark style 'symbolColor' doesn't work in the Spark skin of some of our Halo Components like Menu, Tree, DateChooser and DataGrid
Themes
- Flex 4 ships with a new default ‘Spark’ theme. If you compile a Flex 3 application in Flex 4, regardless of the namespace used, you will see visual differences in your Application. The Spark theme does not support the majority of styles supported by Flex 3’s ‘Halo’ theme. The Spark theme will only globally support the styles: color, symbolColor, contentBackgroundColor, focusColor, rollOverColor, selectionColor and baseColor. To restore the Halo look from Flex 3, you can either compile your Application with the –compatibility-version=3.0 flag or compile in the Halo theme using the –theme compiler argument. (e.g. -theme=<SDK_Dir>/frameworks/themes/Halo/halo.swc).
- SDK-23050 backgroundImage is not supported with Spark skins theme
- SDK-23401 Using Aeon Graphical theme with Datagrid causes an RTE. Workaround: define a headerBackgroundSkin for the grid locally:
headerBackgroundSkin: ClassReference("mx.skins.halo.DataGridHeaderBackgroundSkin");
Flash Builder Issues
Please see the full list of open issues in our public bug database
Installation
- Prior to installing the beta 2 build, please uninstall earlier previous versions of FB4 (e.g., the MAX Preview, i11.5, or i12). This will clear the default workspace caches.
- Please run the installer logged in as a user with machine Admin rights. This applies for both Mac and Win.
- FB-17730 In some cases, when Flash Builder Plug-in is installed to a folder whose name contains double-byte characters, some FB features are not available.
Workaround
- If you’re using your own copy of Eclipse, enable Classic Update in Eclipse Preferences > General > Capabilities > Classic Update.
- The copy of Eclipse bundled with FB4 Plug-in doesn’t include the Classic Update option in Preferences, so it needs to be enabled:
- In the default workspace (/yourUserName/Documents/Adobe Flash Builder Plug-in Beta 2/), locate the following file: /.metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.core.runtime/.settings/org.eclipse.ui.workbench.prefs
- At the end of that file, add the following line: UIActivities.org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.sdk.classicUpdate=true
- Add FB4 as a product extension, using these steps:
- Invoke Help > Software Updates... > Manage Configuration
- Add an extension folder, pointed to the FB4 Plug-in subfolder named eclipse.
- FB-19868 The Mac OS X version of the Flash Builder Beta plug-in does not work with the Cocoa version of Eclipse 3.5. You will need the Carbon version.
To install the Carbon version, go to Eclipse downloads, click the Eclipse 3.5 link, then scroll down the page to locate the Mac OS X Carbon installer.
Licensing
- FB-22869 Licensing error prevents Flash Builder from launching on OSX 10.6.1 (Snow Leopard).
Workaround After installing on 10.6.1, run the mini-installer found at Flash Builder installation folder/install.support/builder-common-mul/Setup.app
- General OS X license errors - The same solution described above is also useful as a general solution to license errors on OS X (Leopard and )Snow Leopard).
- General Windows license errors - The general solution for a wide-range of license problems on Windows is to run License Recovery Tool which can be found in your installation directory at: Flash Builder installation folder\install.support\LicenseRecovery\LicenseRecover.exe
- Further solutions to generic License Errors on launch, not corrected by the tools described above can be found in KB405970.
Debug / Run
- FB-11595 Flash player SecurityError warning when you run a new or recently imported project.
WorkaroundDesign View
- Windows, exit the browser before starting your debugging session.
- OS X, exit all running browsers (Safari, Firefox, etc).
- FB-15811 Embedded assets aren’t recompiled if they haven't changed since the last time you launched Flex Builder
- FB-22318 DV turns black after the ApplicationSkin is generated
- FB-21967 flex3 states: a component added to a different state starts to appear in dv after switching between two states a few times in state panel
- FB-21502 In Design View, user frequently gets stuck in resize mode -- can't stop resize from following cursor
- FB-20478 adding scaleGrid on Group hangs DV
- FB-23127 Applying Aeon Graphical theme makes Design view blank when Datagrid in app
- CSS Design View is no longer available for Flex SDK 4 projects.
- FB-23003 Incorrect Script block insert location when inserting inside an inline component.
- FB-20922 Code folding causes code hints popup to hide randomly.
- FB-19854 No import statement added to a class after its superclass has been moved.
- FB-20121 Code hints can cause selection to change.
- FB-23019 Text selection sometimes changes unexpectedly pasting and quickly dragging cursor up.
- FB-23246 DCD code gen does not work properly with external src paths.
- FB-23034 Improper error message shown in Error view of FB if we refresh the Implict service imported in FB and RDS declaration in web.xml in commented
- FB-17063 Compilation error in generated code if Entity contains a property called 'id'
- FB-22023 Unable to invoke an operation belonging to a service whose entity has circular reference to another entity
- FB-20615 [MAC only] Zend install dialog not shown while generating sample from DB
- FB‐19046 PHP Introspector can fail when authentication is enabled on the web server (like IIS)
- FB‐19657 optional arguments not displayed after introspection
- FB-22973 When “Underline” is deselected, there is a invalid value “normal” in the generated code
- FB-23117 : Configure Return type and Test Operation do not work with ADO.NET data services
- FB-20504 [Intermittent] FB crashes while doing BindToData on DG\charts
- FB-23189: Drag and drop of an operatiion that has parameter on RichEditableText does not bind it
- FB-16779 Flash Player error may occur when debugging in Google Chrome
- FB-22887 Unable to run empty FU1 test suites.
- FB-23242 Installing ColdFusion Builder into Flash Builder uninstalls Flash Debug Player.
- FB-23181 Commandline build doesn't work with Standalone Aptana + plugin FB: sharing Eclipse.
- FB-23018 With IBM RAD, profile get socket closed error.
- FB-19703 Unable to install Flash Builder plug-in properly into Zend Studio 6.1.2. standalone.
The recommended workaround is to install the Flash Builder plug-in into the All-In-One Eclipse PDT + Zend Debugger Plug-in (http://www.zend.com/en/community/pdt). An alternate workaround is to rename Zend Studio's “dropins” folder to “links” and restart Zend.
Miscellaneous issues
- FB-16144 Build times can be long for projects containing many modules.
- FB-23211 SDK 3.4.1 only supports en and jp locales
- FB-23196 Components within an imported FXPL library project cannot locate component parts
- FB-23213 FXP import wizard does not dismiss after importing view src zip file
Network Monitor
- FB-22693 Hex view does not show the AMF data completely
- FB-23087 Response is not parsed correctly and no respond body is shown in network monitor for the paged response data
- FB-23191 Some AMF data is not parsed correctly by network monitor
Package Explorer
- FB-23265 Pasting packages in package explorer causes IllegalArgumentException
Profiler
- FB-20924 Profile External Application does not work with Standalone Player on Mac
Project
- FB-23288 Package of MXML components in Library projects omitted when it's referenced from Flex project.
Skinning
- FB-23196 Components within an imported FXPL library project cannot locate component parts
- FB-23206 generated skin cannot be found when component is in a package
- FB-22536 Spark Border 'create skin from copy' generates MXML file that contains ActionScript class definition
Flex Automation
- FLEXENT-792 Very low level of control on the pointing hand movements if you use object spy and move over Flex components in an Air application.
- FLEXENT-1066 Typing a large text in Spark TextArea having a number of enter keys does not get replayed correctly.
- FLEXENT-1080 mx Application click not getting recorded
