Flash Builder 4 and Flex 4

Data-centric development

Introspect Java™, PHP, Adobe ColdFusion®, REST, and SOAP services to display methods and properties in the new Data/Service Explorer. Bind methods to UI components using a simple drag-and-drop approach.
Integration with Adobe Flash Catalyst

Import Flex Projects (FXPs) created using Adobe Flash Catalyst™ software, saving time and improving the quality of the user experience. FXPs contain functional UI elements, including MXML, ActionScript® language coding, component skins, and graphical assets, enabling developers to focus on core application logic.

Network Monitor

Generate a detailed audit trail of all data passed between the local Flex application and the back end, assisting with debugging and performance tuning.

Command line build (Premium edition only)

Use the new command line build capability to automate your build process.

Flex unit testing integration (Premium edition only)

Automate functional testing using the Flex unit testing framework.
Automatic generation of common code

Automatically generate code for accessor functions (getters and setters) and event handlers to speed up development of commonly used functions.

Code refactoring enhanced

Quickly navigate through code or restructure it by renaming all references to a class, method, or variable. Flash Builder 4 adds move refactoring. Rich visual layout enhanced

Visually design and preview user interface layout, appearance, and behavior using a rich library of built-in components. Extend the built-in Flex framework components or create new ones as needed.

Debugger improvements enhanced

Set conditional breakpoints, evaluate expressions, and set watchpoints on variables to halt execution on value change. Use the Expressions view to watch variables selected in the Variables view and to add/evaluate watch expressions. Break out of a loop during a debugging session using run to line.

Read more.

What’s new in Flex 4.

Multi touch development with Flex

flex-mojos.

It is basically a collection of maven plugins to allow maven to compile, optimize, test Flex SWF, Flex SWC, Air SWF and Air SWC.

Major features:

* SWF, SWC, AIR and Flex versions;
* RSL and caching framework support;
* Modules support;
* full cover to MXMLC and COMPC options;
* flex 3;
* use FLEX-OEM-COMPILER, means it faster, uses less memory, no need of references to local drive;
* flex unit support;
* asdoc support;
* no setup needed, no environment variables, no changes at flex-configs.xml, no needs to point your pom to any absolute path. Just maven life style.
* compatible with several unit testing frameworks: FlexUnit, FUnit, asUnit and AdvancedFlex
* library otimization
* html-wrappers generation
* code generation using GAS3

More info:

>flex-mojos.

>It is basically a collection of maven plugins to allow maven to compile, optimize, test Flex SWF, Flex SWC, Air SWF and Air SWC.

Major features:

* SWF, SWC, AIR and Flex versions;
* RSL and caching framework support;
* Modules support;
* full cover to MXMLC and COMPC options;
* flex 3;
* use FLEX-OEM-COMPILER, means it faster, uses less memory, no need of references to local drive;
* flex unit support;
* asdoc support;
* no setup needed, no environment variables, no changes at flex-configs.xml, no needs to point your pom to any absolute path. Just maven life style.
* compatible with several unit testing frameworks: FlexUnit, FUnit, asUnit and AdvancedFlex
* library otimization
* html-wrappers generation
* code generation using GAS3

More info:

>BugQuash – help fix Flex

>The first official Flex BugQuash will occur Saturday , March 28th, from 10am-8pm PST. What’s a BugQuash you ask? A mighty gathering of coding heroes from great to small coming together to fix as many bugs to the Flex SDK as possible in one day. The event is sponsored by Adobe but driven by the open-source Flex SDK community.

BugQuash – help fix Flex

The first official Flex BugQuash will occur Saturday , March 28th, from 10am-8pm PST. What’s a BugQuash you ask? A mighty gathering of coding heroes from great to small coming together to fix as many bugs to the Flex SDK as possible in one day. The event is sponsored by Adobe but driven by the open-source Flex SDK community.

Importing REST web services in ActionScript with Flex Builder 4

Among the many Flex Builder 4 new features there is the possibility to import REST web services into ActionScript classes, in the same way that the previous builder allowed to import SOAP web services. It can import from XML as well as from JSON data. This new feature can obviously be used to import into ActionScript any kind of services that dynamically generate XML or JSON content.

Read more:

>Importing REST web services in ActionScript with Flex Builder 4

>Among the many Flex Builder 4 new features there is the possibility to import REST web services into ActionScript classes, in the same way that the previous builder allowed to import SOAP web services. It can import from XML as well as from JSON data. This new feature can obviously be used to import into ActionScript any kind of services that dynamically generate XML or JSON content.

Read more:

Cocomo.

Codename “Cocomo” is a Platform as a Service that allows Flex developers to easily add real-time social capabilities into their RIA (rich Internet applications). Comprised of both Flex-based client components and a hosted services infrastructure, Cocomo allows you to build real-time, multi-user applications with Flex in less time than ever before.
Read more:

>Cocomo.

>Codename “Cocomo” is a Platform as a Service that allows Flex developers to easily add real-time social capabilities into their RIA (rich Internet applications). Comprised of both Flex-based client components and a hosted services infrastructure, Cocomo allows you to build real-time, multi-user applications with Flex in less time than ever before.
Read more: