Note: This is a compilation of frequently asked questions. These are ready to be filled out, reordered (and possibly categorized)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Apache Flex project?

Apache Flex is the open source continuation of the development of Flex. This includes members of the Adobe Flex team as well as Flex community members at large (or small).

What is Flex?

Flex is a highly productive, open source framework for building and maintaining expressive web applications that deploy consistently on all major browsers, desktops and operating systems. It provides a modern, standards-based language and programming model that supports common design patterns suitable for developers from many backgrounds. Flex applications run in the ubiquitous Adobe® Flash® Player and Adobe® AIR™.

You can use the Flex SDK to create a wide range of highly interactive, expressive applications. For example, a data visualization application built in Flex can pull data from multiple back-end sources and display it visually. Business users can drill down into the data for deeper insight and even change the data and have it automatically updated on the back end. A product configuration application can help customers navigate the process of selecting or customizing products online. And a self-service application can guide customers through an address change or help employees complete an otherwise complicated multi-step benefits enrollment.

In addition to the Open Source Flex SDK, there are useful tools for enhancing the application development experience such as the debug version of the Adobe Flash Player runtime and Adobe AIR for deploying applications outside of the browser. There are also professional IDE's such as Adobe Flash Builder FDT, Flash Develop and more.1

The Flex applications can be written in ActionScript and/or MXML (ie Macromedia XML).

Flex is:

• a set of skinnable user-interface components with a component lifecycle:
  • Flex 3 (Birth, Life, Death)
  • Flex 4 (Birth, Life, Death)
• a set of services (HTTPService, WebService, RemoteObject)
• has Managers to handle:
  • Styling
  • Skinning
  • Layout
  • Localization
  • Animation
  • Module-loading
  • User interaction management
• has accessibility support
• Flex has an Automation-Testing Framework
• Flex SDK provides a compiler

What are the goals?

• Provide a framework that optimizes the strengths of designers and developers to create compelling, expressive applications.
• Provide a language and tools that allow developers to maximize their productivity when building rich Internet applications.
• Promote a development model that supports building and maintaining applications across a large number of team members.

Who is using Flex?

What tools are available?

Where do I get help using Flex?

Ask in the mailing-list or visit the public IRC channel at irc.freenode.net #flex.

Does Flex cost money?

Is Flex Open Source?

Yes. Apache only hosts open source projects.

What are the project goals?

The immediate goals of the Apache Flex project are to succeed with the next steps of the incubator program: release a version. Further release depend on the input of the community. There is no roadmap as of today.

How do I get involved?

Getting Started - Start here to get familiar with the Apache process, the mailing lists, and the community.

Where do I submit a feature request?

You can submit feature requests to the Jira server.

Where do I submit a bug request?

You can submit bug requests to the Jira server.

How do I submit a patch?

How do I become a commiter?

Become a Part - Its easier to join the process than you think!

Where are the examples?

There is no compiled set of examples available. We search of people who contribute and manage them.

What is the road map of the Flash Player?

The Adobe Flash Player is not released or maintained by the Apache Flex project. There is a whitepaper available at Adobe.

What is the road map for Flex?

The communities road map...
Adobe's road map...

Will the Flash Player be supported on my mobile or tablet device?

The Adobe Flash Player is not released or maintained by the Apache Flex project. Please put inquiries to Adobe.

Does Flex publish to Windows 8?

Does Flex publish to Android?

Does Flex publish to iOS?

Does Flex publish to BlackBerry Playbook?

Does Flex publish to the Mac App store?

Where is the Flex documentation?

Where is the AIR documentation?

Where is the ActionScript documentation?

What is HTML5?

How does Flex compare with HTML5 / JS?

Will Flex target HTML5 / JS?

What work is being done to target HTML5 / JS?

Are there any obstacles to targeting HTML5 / JS?

Is the Flash Player open source?

No.

1 http://sourceforge.net/adobe/flexsdk/wiki/About/