Getting started with a new technology can sometimes take lots of time and effort. Fortunately, if you are already dealing with Adobe Flex, then AIR is just a few steps away. If you are new to both Flex and AIR, a great way to get started is by building a simple RSS feed reader or some other type of simple widget that makes use of the httpservice component in Adobe Flex. There are quite a few free tutorials on the web that will easily show you how to build a simple application such as this. One of the better tutorials can be found at the following link: RIA Codes - Desktop RSS Reader with AIR and Flex
This simple tutorial will get you started and along the way you will no doubt learn some of the advantages of the Flex/AIR framework, as well as some of the drawbacks. Don’t forget to check out the AIR/Flex quick tip for adding a custom icon from Ray Camden’s blog and the Adobe Developer Connection article on building an Adobe AIR install badge.
Download the fxappdeveloper blog reader sample AIR application. Be sure to download the latest verison of Adobe AIR® (Adobe Integrated Runtime)
Adobe® Flash® Builder™ 4 (formerly Flex Builder) public beta release is now available at Adobe Labs. The first thing that you may notice is that they are renaming Flex Builder to Flash Builder. This name change will create a clear distinction between the free open-source Flex framework and the commercial IDE.
Flash Builder 4 delivers a long list of new features, plus improvements to many existing features.There are three main themes to this release: developer productivity, designer-developer workflow, and data-centric application development. For an overview of the features included in this first public beta release, be sure to check out Tim Buntel’s What’s New in Flash Builder 4 article and watch the new feature videos. As always, the Flex 4 framework is included within Flash Builder, so be sure to check out Matt Chotin’s What’s New in the Flex 4 SDK article.
Big news just announced if you are interested in Adobe LiveCycle Data Services. Adobe just released a full version of Adobe LiveCycle ES hosted in the Amazon Web Services cloud computing environment. This service is now available to subscribers of the Adobe Enterprise Developer Program. A subscription also provides Developers, Architects & Forms Designers with support, software and tools to build and deploy enterprise solutions built on a SOA, leveraging Adobe technologies. You can build engaging Rich Internet Applications using Flex Builder and/or Adobe AIR while deploying back end processes using Adobe LiveCycle ES. This service includes access to a support team which provides you with technical assistance, best practices, and recommended workarounds when issues arise during coding and programming.
