MACROMEDIA FLEX BUILDER-USING FLEX BUILDER Mounting instructions

Using Flex Builder

Trademarks
ActiveEdit, ActiveTest, Add Life to the Web, Afterburner, Aftershock, Andromedia, Allaire, Animation PowerPack, Aria, Attain,
Authorware, Authorware Star, Backstage, Blue Sky Software, Blue Sky, Breeze, Bright Tiger, Captivate, Clustercats, ColdFusion,
Contents Tab Composer, Contribute, Design In Motion, Director, Dream Templates, Dreamweaver, Drumbeat 2000, EDJE,
EJIPT, Extreme 3D, Fireworks, Flash, FlashCast, FlashHelp, Flash Lite, FlashPaper, Flex, Flex Builder, Fontographer, FreeHand,
Generator, Help To Source, HomeSite, Hotspot Studio, HTML Help Studio, JFusion, JRun, Kawa, Know Your Site, Knowledge
Objects, Knowledge Stream, Knowledge Track, LikeMinds, Lingo, Live Effects, MacRecorder Logo and Design, Macromedia,
Macromedia Action!, Macromedia Central, Macromedia Flash, Macromedia M Logo and Design, Macromedia Spectra,
Macromedia xRes Logo and Design, MacroModel, Made with Macromedia, Made with Macromedia Logo and Design, MAGIC
Logo and Design, Mediamaker, Movie Critic, Open Sesame!, RoboDemo, RoboEngine JFusion, RoboHelp, RoboHelp Office,
RoboInfo, RoboInsight, RoboPDF, 1-Step RoboPDF, RoboFlash, RoboLinker, RoboScreenCapture, ReSize, Roundtrip,
Roundtrip HTML, Shockwave, Sitespring, Smart Publishing Wizard, Software Video Camera, SoundEdit, Titlemaker,
UltraDev, Web Design 101, what the web can be, WinHelp, WinHelp 2000, WinHelp BugHunter, WinHelp Find+, WinHelp
Graphics Locator, WinHelp Hyperviewer, WinHelp Inspector, and Xtra are either registered trademarks or trademarks of
Macromedia, Inc. and may be registered in the United States or in other jurisdictions including internationally. Other product
names, logos, designs, titles, words, or phrases mentioned within this publication may be trademarks, service marks, or trade
names of Macromedia, Inc. or other entities and may be registered in certain jurisdictions including internationally.
Third-Party Information
This guide contains links to third-party websites that are not under the control of Macromedia, and Macromedia is not
responsible for the content on any linked site. If you access a third-party website mentioned in this guide, then you do so at your
own risk. Macromedia provides these links only as a convenience, and the inclusion of the link does not imply that Macromedia
endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content on those third-party sites.
Copyright © 2004 Macromedia, Inc. All rights reserved. This manual may not be copied, photocopied, reproduced,
translated, or converted to any electronic or machine-readable form in whole or in part without written approval from
Macromedia, Inc. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the owner or authorized user of a valid copy of the software with which
this manual was provided may print out one copy of this manual from an electronic version of this manual provided with
the software for the sole purpose of learning to use such software by such owner or authorized user; provided, that no part
of this manual may be printed out, reproduced, distributed, resold or transmitted for any other purposes, including
without limitation, commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this documentation or for providing paid for support
services
Acknowledgments
Senior Management: Sheila McGinn
Project Management: Charles Nadeau
Writing: Charles Nadeau
Editing: Lisa Stanziano, Mary Ferguson, Rosana Francescato, Linda Adler
Production Management: Patrice O’Neill
Media Design and Production: John Francis, Adam Barnett, Aaron Begley
Special thanks to Heidi Bauer-Williams, Gabe Chua, Larry McLister, Paul Gubbay, Brad Becker, David Lenoe, Lucian Beebe,
Lori Hylan-Cho, Mark Shepherd, Tanya Dimalsky, Matthew Hoffberg, Jon Varese, Dave George, Brandon Purcell, Stephen
Gilson and the Flex IMD team, the beta testers, and the entire Flex Builder engineering and QA teams.
Second Edition: December 2004
Macromedia, Inc.
600 Townsend St.
San Francisco, CA 94103

3
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: Getting Started with Flex Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Exploring the authoring environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Starting a new application in Flex Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Defining a site for the Flex Sample Apps application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Getting help in Flex Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What you need to build Flex applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Typographical conventions of this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
CHAPTER 2: Flex Builder Tutorials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Tutorial: Setting up a development environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Tutorial: Creating a layout with Flex Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Tutorial: Building custom components with Flex Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Tutorial: Binding components to data with Flex Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Next steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
CHAPTER 3: Creating, Coding, and Debugging Flex Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Creating MXML or ActionScript files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Working with the code in Flex files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Testing and debugging Flex files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
CHAPTER 4: Building a Flex User Interface Visually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Customizing the Document window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Laying out your user interface with MXML containers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Adding Flex components to the user interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Repositioning Flex components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Resizing Flex components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Cutting, copying, and pasting Flex components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Editing Flex component properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Applying CSS styles to Flex components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Applying effects to Flex components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Assigning event handlers to components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

4 Contents
CHAPTER 5: Working with Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Inserting controls and containers in an MXML file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Creating MXML component files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Synchronizing with custom components on the server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
CHAPTER 6: Working with Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Binding a control or container. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Editing a binding visually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Working with Flex data models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Working with Flex data services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
APPENDIX A: Basic Flex Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
About the Flex application model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Typical application development steps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
About Flex files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
About Flex containers, components, and controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
About Flex data bindings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

5
CHAPTER 1
Getting Started with Flex Builder
This chapter provides an overview of Macromedia Flex Builder and steps to get started developing
Flex applications.
Flex Builder is an integrated development environment (IDE) for Flex developers. Because it’s
tightly integrated with the Macromedia Flex server, the Flex application model, and the Flex
programming languages, Flex Builder can improve the productivity of all members of your
development team.
This guide focuses on Flex Builder. If you’re new to Flex, you may want to review Appendix A,
“Basic Flex Concepts,” on page 145. For in-depth information about Flex (as opposed to Flex
Builder), see Developing Flex Applications Help and the Flex ActionScript and MXML API
Reference Help.
The following topics are covered in this chapter:
•“Exploring the authoring environment” on page 5
•“Starting a new application in Flex Builder” on page 9
•“Defining a site for the Flex Sample Apps application” on page 12
•“Getting help in Flex Builder” on page 17
•“What you need to build Flex applications” on page 18
•“Typographical conventions of this guide” on page 20
Exploring the authoring environment
The Flex Builder IDE lets you write, edit, debug, and preview MXML and ActionScript files, and
includes the following features:
The Start page provides links to quickly define a site, create and open files, and access useful
information about Flex Builder. For example, you can take a quick tour, explore Flex samples,
take tutorials, and learn about debugging in Flex Builder.

6 Chapter 1: Getting Started with Flex Builder
Design view (View > Design) lets you lay out and edit an MXML user interface visually. Design
view has two modes: Expanded and Standard. In Expanded mode, you can easily insert, edit,
position, or resize MXML components because Flex Builder adds temporary borders and padding
around objects. In Standard mode, Flex Builder removes the borders and padding to give you a
more accurate picture of how the MXML file will look in Macromedia Flash Player.
Code view (View > Code) lets you work with code. MXML and ActionScript syntax is color-
coded and code hints assist you as you type. Design view tools such as the Insert bar, Tag
inspector, and Data panel are also fully functional in Code view.
The ActionScript debugging panels help you debug your code after setting breakpoints and
switching to debug mode. The debugging panels include the Variables panel, the Watch panel,
the Output panel, and the Call Stack panel. For more information, see “Debugging ActionScript”
on page 87.
The Network Monitor panel helps you monitor network traffic and data going back and forth
between the client and the Flex server. For more information, see “Debugging applications by
monitoring interactions with the server” on page 91.
The Insert bar lets you rapidly insert Flex containers and components in Design view by clicking
or dragging. The Insert bar also lets you rapidly insert their tags in Code view.
Note: The Favorites tab found in Macromedia Dreamweaver is not supported in Flex Builder.

Exploring the authoring environment 7
The Tag inspector lets you set the properties of containers and components in the file. You can
also use it to apply effects, specify event handlers, modify CSS styles, and create data bindings.
The Tag inspector replaces the traditional Property inspector in Dreamweaver. While you can still
use the Property inspector for editing HTML and other document types in Flex Builder, it is
disabled when you work on MXML or ActionScript files.
The Bindings panel in the Tag inspector lets you visually bind components, Flex data models,
and Flex data services to other components, data models, and data services. After creating the
binding, data can pass between the objects at runtime.

8 Chapter 1: Getting Started with Flex Builder
The Data panel lets you inspect the data services (such as web services) and data models in the
current MXML file, as well as insert or delete services in the file.
You can work in Design view, Code view, or both.
To switch between Design and Code views:
1. Open any MXML file in Flex Builder by double-clicking the file in the Files panel
(Window > Files).
2. If you’re in Code view and you want to work in Design view, do one of the following:
■Click the Design button on the Document toolbar.
■Select View > Design.
■Press Control+’ (the slanted quotation mark that usually shares the tilde (~) key).
Note: You can’t work on ActionScript files in Design view. Because ActionScript files don’t render
in Flash Player, they would appear blank in Design view. As a result, Flex Builder always displays
ActionScript files in Code view.
3. If you’re in Design view and you want to work in Code view, do one of the following:
■Click the Code button on the Document toolbar.
■Select View > Code.
■Press Control+’ (the slanted quotation mark that usually shares the tilde (~) key).
4. To split the view to see both Design and Code views, do one of the following:
■Click the Split button on the Document toolbar.
■Select View > Code and Design.
5. To place Code view on a separate monitor, open the Code inspector (Window > Code Inspector
or F10) and position it on the second monitor.
For more information on the coding environment, see “Working with the code in Flex files”
on page 76. For more information on the visual environment, see Chapter 4, “Building a Flex
User Interface Visually,” on page 95.

Starting a new application in Flex Builder 9
Starting a new application in Flex Builder
The first step in creating any new Flex application in Flex Builder is to define a Flex Builder site.
A Flex Builder site is analogous to a project in other development environments: it lets you
manage files and transfer them to the computer running the Flex server. A Flex Builder site also
lets you visually design, preview, and debug MXML and ActionScript files without leaving Flex
Builder.
You need access to a Flex server before you can define a site. The server allows you to run and
debug MXML and ActionScript files without leaving Flex Builder (see “What you need to build
Flex applications” on page 18). You can install the Flex server or consult your system
administrator. For information on installing the server, see Installing Flex on the Macromedia
website at www.macromedia.com/go/flex_install/. For information on installing the server on the
same computer as Flex Builder, see “Install the Flex server on your computer” on page 22.
This section covers the following topics:
•“Defining a Flex Builder site” on page 9
•“Identifying a Flex application root folder” on page 11
Defining a Flex Builder site
You can define a Flex Builder site quickly or with more advanced options, as follows.
To quickly define a Flex Builder site:
1. In Flex Builder, select Site > Manage Sites, click the New button on the Manage Sites dialog
box, and select Flex Site from the context menu.
Tip: You can also click Flex Site on the Start page.
The Flex Server Site Setup dialog box appears.
2. Enter new values or accept the default values for your site.
Accept the default values only if you installed the Flex server on the same computer as Flex
Builder using the integrated JRun/Flex install option.
For a list of possible settings for this dialog box, see “Examples of site settings” on page 15.
For more information, click the Help button.

10 Chapter 1: Getting Started with Flex Builder
To define a Flex Builder site with advanced options:
1. In Flex Builder, select Site > Manage Sites, click the New button on the Manage Sites dialog
box, and select Site from the context menu.
The Site Definition dialog box appears. If the Basic tab is selected, click the Advanced tab and
select Local Info from the Category list (it should be the default).
For possible settings for this dialog box, see “Examples of site settings” on page 15.
2. In the Local Info category, specify where you want to store your application files.
If the Flex server is installed on the same computer as Flex Builder, specify a Flex application
root folder as the Local Root Folder. For more information, see “Identifying a Flex application
root folder” on page 11.
For more information on setting the Local Info category options, click the Help button on the
dialog box.
3. (Optional) In the Remote Info category, specify where you want to upload or download files
from a remote server.
Complete this category if the Flex server is running on a different computer than Flex Builder.
This folder must be an application root folder on the server. For more information, see
“Identifying a Flex application root folder” on page 11.
If you are using FTP access, enter the Flex application root folder as the Host Directory value.
If you are using network access, enter the Flex application root folder in the Remote Folder text
box.
For more information on setting the Remote Info category options, click the Help button on
the dialog box.
4. In the Testing Server category, select MXML for JSP from the Server Model pop-up menu.
5. In the Testing Server category, specify where Flex Builder can “test” your files—that is, how and
where it sends the files to be compiled at design time.
Flex Builder sends MXML and ActionScript files to the server for compilation at design time
so that you can preview Flex files, get debugging information, and connect to back-end
systems.
Specify how and where to send the files as follows:
■In the Access pop-up menu, select the method Flex Builder should use to send the files to
the server. Select Local/Network if you want to transfer the files to a local folder or to a
remote folder with network access. Select FTP if you want to transfer the files to a remote
folder using FTP.
■In the Testing Server Folder text box, specify a folder where MXML and ActionScript files
can be compiled by the Flex server. This folder must be a Flex application root folder as
specified in steps 2 or 3 above. For more information, see “Identifying a Flex application
root folder” on page 11.

Starting a new application in Flex Builder 11
6. In the URL Prefix text box, specify the URL prefix that Flex Builder should append to Flex
file names.
To get a file compiled at design time, Flex Builder sends the file to the Flex application root
folder and then attempts to request it using a URL—in effect Flex Builder becomes a client.
Flex Builder deduces the correct URL by combining the URL prefix you specify with the file
name.
For example, if your application’s URL is www.macromedia.com/flex/start.mxml, you enter
the following URL prefix in the Testing Server category:
http://www.macromedia.com/flex/
If Flex Builder runs on the same computer as your Flex server, you can use localhost for your
domain name, as follows:
http://localhost:8700/flex/
Note: The default port number is 8700. If you changed it during installation, use the appropriate
number in the URL prefix.
For more information on setting the Testing Server category options, click the Help button on
the dialog box.
7. Click OK to define the Flex Builder site and dismiss the Site Definition dialog box, and then
click Done to dismiss the Manage Sites dialog box.
You can now start developing your application with Flex Builder.
Related topics
•“Tutorial: Setting up a development environment” on page 21
•“Specifying where dynamic pages can be processed” in Using Dreamweaver Help.
Identifying a Flex application root folder
You must specify a valid Flex application root folder when defining a Flex Builder site. Flex
Builder puts files such as MXML, ActionScript, CSS, and image files in this folder in order to run
and debug files at design time. If the folder is not a valid application root folder, Flex Builder will
not work properly.
To identify a folder as a Flex application root folder:
•Look for a WEB-INF/flex/ subfolder with a flex-config.xml file in it.
A Flex application root folder always has a WEB-INF/flex/ subfolder with a flex-config.xml file
in it. For example, if you’re using JRun 4 as the J2EE server, the application root folder is as
follows:
jrun_root/servers/server/Flex_app
where jrun_root is the J2EE server’s root folder, server is the name of a defined JRun server
(such as “default”), and Flex_app is the application root folder. The Flex_app folder must
contain a WEB-INF/flex/ subfolder with a flex-config.xml file in it, as follows:
Flex_app/WEB-INF/flex/flex-config.xml

12 Chapter 1: Getting Started with Flex Builder
For example, if you installed the Flex server on a Windows computer using the integrated
JRun4/Flex install option, the application root folder of the default application is as follows:
C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Flex\jrun4\servers\default\flex
In this example, the JRun root (jrun_root) is C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Flex\jrun4\, the
JRun4 server (server) is called default, and the Flex application (Flex_app) is called flex. The
flex folder has a WEB-INF\flex subfolder with a flex-config.xml file:
...\flex\WEB-INF\flex\flex-config.xml
For more examples, see “Examples of site settings” on page 15.
Defining a site for the Flex Sample Apps application
A Flex application called Flex Sample Apps is created when you install the Flex server using the
integrated JRun4/Flex install option. This application provides a number of sample applications
you can use to explore Flex and learn to work with Flex Builder. This section describes how to
define a Flex Builder site to work with the Flex Sample Apps application.
Note: If you didn’t use the JRun4/Flex install option to install Flex, then you must deploy the samples
.war file yourself.
For information on installing Flex server, see Installing Flex on the Macromedia website at
www.macromedia.com/go/flex_install/. For information on installing Flex server on the same
computer as Flex Builder, see “Install the Flex server on your computer” on page 22.
This section consists of the following sections:
•“Defining the site if the Flex server is local” on page 12
•“Defining the site if the Flex server is remote” on page 14
•“Examples of site settings” on page 15
Defining the site if the Flex server is local
This section describes how to define a Flex Builder site to work with the Flex Sample Apps
application installed with the Flex server. The section assumes you installed the server on the same
computer as Flex Builder using the integrated JRun4/Flex install option (see “Install the Flex
server on your computer” on page 22). For settings for other configurations, see “Examples of site
settings” on page 15.
For information on setting up Flex Builder when the Flex server is on another computer,
“Defining the site if the Flex server is remote” on page 14.
To set up Flex Builder for the samples application if Flex is running locally:
1. In Flex Builder, select Site > Manage Sites, click the New button in the Manage Sites dialog box,
and select Flex Site from the context menu.
The Flex Server Site Setup dialog box appears.
Tip: You can also open this dialog box by clicking the Flex Site link on the Start page.
2. In the Site Name text box, enter Flex Sample Apps or something similar.
The name identifies your Flex Builder site.

Defining a site for the Flex Sample Apps application 13
3. In the Local Root Folder text box, click the folder icon and select the following folder:
C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Flex\jrun4\servers\default\samples\
This step tells Flex Builder where the application files are located on your hard drive.
4. In the Flex Server Root Folder text box, make sure the following path is specified:
C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Flex\jrun4\servers\default\samples\
This folder must always be a Flex application root folder on the server. To determine whether a
folder is an application root folder, check to see if it has a WEB-INF/flex folder containing a
flex-config.xml file. An application root folder always has this folder and file. For more
information, see “Identifying a Flex application root folder” on page 11.
This step tells Flex Builder where it can “test” files—that is, where it can send MXML and
ActionScript files to be compiled by the Flex server at design time. Flex Builder needs to get
these files compiled so you can preview MXML files, get build and debugging information,
and connect to back-end systems.
5. In the URL Prefix text box, enter the following URL:
http://localhost:8700/samples/
Note: The default port number is 8700. If you changed it during installation, use the appropriate
number in the URL prefix.
To get the Flex server to compile files while you work, Flex Builder uploads the file to the
application root folder you specified and attempts to request it using the URL prefix.
The Flex Server Site Setup dialog box should look as follows:
6. Click OK to define the site and close the Flex Server Site Setup dialog box, and then click Done
to close the Manage Sites dialog box.
The Flex Sample Apps site is defined and you can start exploring, editing, previewing, and
debugging the sample apps with Flex Builder.
Caution: You should make a backup of the samples folder so you can restore files if necessary.

14 Chapter 1: Getting Started with Flex Builder
Defining the site if the Flex server is remote
This section describes how to define a Flex Builder site to work with the Flex Sample Apps
application if the Flex server is installed and running on a different computer than Flex Builder.
For more information, see Installing Flex on the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/
go/flex_install/.
Before you start, you can review example settings for common J2EE servers. See “Examples of site
settings” on page 15.
To set up Flex Builder for the samples application if Flex is running remotely:
1. In Flex Builder, select Site > Manage Sites, click the New button on the Manage Sites dialog
box, and select Site from the context menu.
The Site Definition dialog box appears. If the Basic tab is selected, click the Advanced tab and
select Local Info from the Category list (it should be the default). You use the Local Info
category to tell Flex Builder where the Flex application files are located on your hard drive.
2. In the Site Name text box, enter Flex Sample Apps or something similar.
The name identifies your Flex Builder site.
3. In the Local Root Folder text box, click the folder icon and specify where you want to store your
files on your hard drive while you work on them with Flex Builder.
4. In the Remote Info category, specify where you want to put files to the remote server.
For this Flex Builder site, you must specify the folder called samples on the server. For example,
if you installed Flex with JRun 4, the application root folder is as follows:
jrun_root/servers/default/samples
where jrun_root is the J2EE server’s root folder, default is the name of a defined JRun server,
and samples is a Flex application root folder.
The remote folder for a Flex site must always be an application root folder on the server. To
determine whether a folder is an application root folder, check to see if it has a WEB-INF/flex
folder containing a flex-config.xml file. An application root folder always has this folder and
file. The samples folder contains a WEB-INF/flex/ subfolder with a flex-config.xml file in it, as
follows:
samples/WEB-INF/flex/flex-config.xml
For more information, see “Identifying a Flex application root folder” on page 11.
If using FTP access, select FTP from the Access pop-up menu and specify the samples folder as
the Host Directory value, as well as any other FTP settings required to access that folder.
If using network access, select Local/Network from the Access pop-up menu and specify the
network path to the samples folder in the Remote Folder text box.
For more information on setting the Remote Info category options, click the Help button on
the dialog box.

Defining a site for the Flex Sample Apps application 15
5. Click Testing Server in the Category list to display the Testing Server settings.
You use the Testing Server options to tell Flex Builder where it can “test” files—that is, where it
can send files to be compiled at design time. Flex Builder needs to get these files compiled so
you can preview MXML files, get build and debugging information, and connect to back-end
systems.
6. Select MXML for JSP from the Server Model pop-up menu.
This tells Flex Builder what kind of web application you’re developing.
7. In the Access pop-up menu, select the same access method you selected in the Remote Info
category (FTP or Local/Network).
After you make your selection, Flex Builder automatically populates the rest of the dialog box
based on the information you entered in the Remote Info category. This is only a best guest.
Make sure the following values are used:
■Testing Server Folder (if using Local/Network access) is identical to the remote folder in
the Remote Info category (.../samples)
■FTP settings (if using FTP access) are identical to the settings in the Remote Info category
■URL Prefix is an HTTP address Flex Builder can use to request a file in the testing server
folder, such as http://<hostname>/samples/.
To get a file compiled at design time, Flex Builder uploads the file to the testing server folder
you specified and attempts to request it using the URL prefix.
8. Click OK to define the site and dismiss the Site Definition dialog box, and then click Done to
dismiss the Manage Sites dialog box.
The Flex Sample Apps site is defined and you can start exploring, editing, previewing, and
debugging the sample apps with Flex Builder.
Caution: You should make a backup of the samples folder so you can restore files if necessary.
Examples of site settings
This section lists Flex Builder site settings for the Flex Sample Apps application running on
common J2EE servers. This application provides a number of sample applications you can use to
explore Flex and learn to work with Flex Builder.
The Flex Sample Apps application is created when you install the Flex server using the JRun4/
Flex install option. If you don’t use this install option, you must deploy the samples .war file
yourself.
Use the following settings in the Flex Server Site Setup dialog box. For more information, see
“Defining a Flex Builder site” on page 9. You can also use these settings in the advanced Site
Definition dialog box (if you access the server through a network). Enter the Flex Server Root
Folder value in both the Remote Folder text box and the Testing Server Folder text box in the Site
Definition dialog box.
Replace items in angle brackets with the information specific to your server configuration.

16 Chapter 1: Getting Started with Flex Builder
Caution: These site settings assume default installations of both the application server and the Flex
server. The settings may not work for custom installations.
Integrated JRun4/Flex - Local Install
Local Root Folder: C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Flex\jrun4\servers\default\samples
Flex Server Root Folder: C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Flex\jrun4\servers\default\samples
URL Prefix http://localhost:8700/samples/
Non-integrated JRun4 - Local Install
Local Root Folder: C:\JRun4\servers\<servername>\samples\
Flex Server Root Folder: C:\JRun4\servers\<servername>\samples\
URL Prefix http://localhost:<port>/samples/
Tomcat 5.0 - Remote Install
Local Root Folder: Any folder on the computer running Flex Builder
Flex Server Root Folder: ...<installfolder>\Tomcat 5.0\webapps\samples
URL Prefix http://<hostname>:8080/samples/
WebSphere 5.1 - Remote Install
Local Root Folder: Any folder on the computer running Flex Builder
Flex Server Root Folder: ...<installfolder>\WebSphere\AppServer\installedApps\<nodename>\<ap
pname>.ear\samples.war
(where <nodename> is the machine name—but could also be an IP or a
fqdn—and <appname> is configurable at deploy time)
URL Prefix http://<hostname>:9080/samples/
WebLogic 8.1 - Remote Install
Local Root Folder: Any folder on the computer running Flex Builder
Flex Server Root Folder: ...<installfolder>\bea\user_projects\<domain>\applications\samples
(assumes you exploded the war file into a folder named samples to get a
samples context root)
URL Prefix http://<hostname>:7001/samples/

Getting help in Flex Builder 17
Getting help in Flex Builder
Flex Builder has a variety of resources to help you develop Flex applications. You can get context-
sensitive help about an MXML tag, find out how to use a Flex Builder feature, or look up a term
in the Flex ActionScript Language Reference.
This section covers the following topics:
•“Context-sensitive help” on page 17
•“Flex Builder Help” on page 17
•“Macromedia website resources” on page 18
Context-sensitive help
While working in Code view, you can get context-sensitive help about MXML components.
To get help about an MXML component:
1. In Code view, click anywhere inside the MXML component’s tag.
2. Press F1.
Flex ActionScript and MXML API Reference Help opens and displays information about
the tag.
You can also access this help from the Help menu.
Flex Builder Help
The Flex Builder Help menu gives you access to thousands of pages of information while you
work. The following menu items can be useful for Flex developers:
Using Flex Builder describes how to use Flex Builder to develop Flex applications.
Developing Flex Applications is a code-centric developer guide that describes how to develop
Flex applications with MXML and ActionScript. The guide includes chapters on working with
various controls, containers, and their properties.
Flex ActionScript Language Reference is a revised version of the ActionScript Reference Guide
included in Flash MX 2004. The reference also acts as a developer guide providing a good
overview of ActionScript syntax, information on how to use ActionScript when working with
different types of objects, and details on the syntax and usage of the language elements.
Flex ActionScript and MXML API Reference is an API reference for Flex developers.
Using Dreamweaver provides comprehensive, task-oriented information about Dreamweaver
MX 2004, the professional web authoring tool built into Flex Builder.

18 Chapter 1: Getting Started with Flex Builder
Macromedia website resources
The Macromedia website contains the following resources to support Flex developers:
Flex Builder support pages on the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/go/
fb_support/ helps you get the most out of Flex Builder. The website is updated regularly with the
latest information on Flex Builder, plus advice from expert users, examples, tips, updates, and
information on advanced topics.
The Flex Support Center on the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/go/
flex_support/ provides information on Flex technology.
The Flex Documentation Center on the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/go/
flex_docs/ provides product manuals, tutorials, and articles about Flex.
Macromedia Developer Center on the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/go/
devnet/ provides tools, tutorials, and more for all Macromedia products.
The Flex online forum on the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/go/
flex_newsgroup.
What you need to build Flex applications
To develop and test Flex applications with Flex Builder, you need a computer running Microsoft
Windows 2000 or Windows XP. For more information, see “System requirements for Flex
Builder” on page 19.
You also need the Flex server (see “About the Flex server” on page 20), which requires the
following software:
•An HTTP web server (see “About web servers and Flex” on page 19)
•A J2EE application server (see “About J2EE application servers and Flex” on page 19)
You can quickly set up a Flex server by using the HTTP web server and J2EE server installed with
the Flex server. For added convenience, you can install and run this software on the same
computer as Flex Builder. For more information, see “Install the Flex server on your computer”
on page 22.
You can also configure the Flex server to work with third-party web servers and J2EE servers. For
more information, see the Flex installation guide on the Macromedia website at
www.macromedia.com/go/flex_install/, or consult your system administrator. Generally, it’s best
to match your development environment to your production environment as closely as possible.
For example, if you use Tomcat in your production environment, you may want to configure
your development environment around Tomcat.
A Flex best practice is to place the code implementing the functionality or business rules of the
application in a business layer. Flex is designed for building the presentation layer (or user
interface) of multi-tier enterprise applications. There is no inherent database support. To access
databases, you must connect your presentation layer to a business layer. For more information, see
“Flex data services” on page 152. The development of the business and data layers is beyond the
scope of this guide.

What you need to build Flex applications 19
This section covers the following topics:
•“System requirements for Flex Builder” on page 19
•“About web servers and Flex” on page 19
•“About J2EE application servers and Flex” on page 19
•“About the Flex server” on page 20
System requirements for Flex Builder
The following hardware and software is required to run Flex Builder.
•Windows 2000 or Windows XP
•An Intel Pentium III processor or equivalent, 600 MHz or faster
•At least 256 MB of available RAM (512 MB recommended)
•At least 275 MB available disk space
•A 16-bit (thousands of colors) monitor capable of 1024 x 768 pixel resolution or better
(millions of colors recommended)
About web servers and Flex
To host websites containing Flex files, you need a web server, which is sometimes called an HTTP
server. A web server is software that serves files in response to requests from web browsers using
the HTTP protocol. Common web servers include Apache HTTP Server and Microsoft Internet
Information Server (IIS).
If you select the integrated JRun4/Flex option when installing the Flex server, you don’t need a
separate web server. JRun4 has a web server that’s installed and configured for you. For more
information, see “Install the Flex server on your computer” on page 22.
If you plan on using Tomcat as your J2EE application server, you don’t need to install a web server
either. Apache HTTP Server is built into Tomcat. For more information, see “About J2EE
application servers and Flex” on page 19.
For information on installing and configuring a web server, see the server vendor’s documentation
or your system administrator.
About J2EE application servers and Flex
A J2EE application server helps the Flex server process MXML and ActionScript files.
If you select the integrated JRun4/Flex option when installing the Flex server, you don’t need a
separate J2EE server. A J2EE server (JRun 4) is installed and configured for you. For more
information, see “Install the Flex server on your computer” on page 22.
The following are the application servers supported by Flex:
•Macromedia JRun 4 with Updater 2. You can install JRun 4 with the Flex server by selecting
the integrated JRun4/Flex install option. You can also download a trial version of JRun 4 from
the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/go/jun_trial/.

20 Chapter 1: Getting Started with Flex Builder
•Jakarta Tomcat 4.1.29 or 5.0.18. You can download a copy of Tomcat from the Jakarta Project
website at http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/.
•IBM WebSphere Application Server 5. You can download a trial version from the IBM website
at www7b.software.ibm.com/wsdd/downloads/WASsupport.html#download.
•BEA WebLogic Server 7 or 8.1. You can download a trial version from the BEA website at
http://commerce.bea.com/index.jsp.
For information on installing and configuring an application server, see the server vendor’s
documentation or your system administrator.
About the Flex server
To compile and run MXML and ActionScript files, you need the Flex server, which is available for
Windows, Linux, and Solaris operating systems.
You can order the Developer edition of the Flex server for a nominal fee from the Macromedia
website at www.macromedia.com/go/flex_trial/. The Developer edition is for noncommercial use
for developing and testing Flex applications. It is not licensed for deployment. After 60 days, it
will support requests from only five IP addresses (plus localhost), but you can still use it for
development and testing as long as you want. The software does not expire.
For information on installing the Developer edition on the same computer as Flex Builder, see
“Install the Flex server on your computer” on page 22. For information on other possible
configurations, see the Flex installation guide on the Macromedia website at
www.macromedia.com/go/flex_install/.
Related topics
•Appendix A, “Basic Flex Concepts,” on page 145
Typographical conventions of this guide
The following typographical conventions are used in this guide:
•Menu items are shown in this format: menu name > menu item name. Items in submenus are
shown in this format: menu name > submenu name > menu item name.
•Code font indicates HTML tag and attribute names as well as literal text used in examples.
•Italic code font indicates replaceable items (sometimes called metasymbols) in code.
•Bold roman text indicates text for you to enter verbatim.