Bored to code in Flex 2
Well, to day I already coded real productive projects 2 month with Flex Builder 2. I began to feel bored.
First of all, Flex builder 2 is not so mature product yet from a Flash developer’s perspective (compare to Flash IDE). Flex Builder 3 suppose to be. Flex 2 is perfect something for traditional Java developers, they code quite a lot data-driven application and less time to work on UI, and not so curious about ‘Flash’ user experience. But for Flash developers, Flex 2 SDK is somehow a ‘formatted’ framework, you don’t have too much freedom the way when you coding in Flash CS3.
Struggle with SDK ‘bugs’ and searching/googling solution in a huge collection of documentations and Flex 2 SDK source code. As an experienced Flash coder, quite often I suppose a method of a Flex class should function this way, but no, yes often, not same as you wished. Sometime I could find a solution what I want to, maybe searching flexcoders, maybe go over Flex documentations, maybe check one or two classes of SDK source code. But when I couldn’t figure it out (wouldn’t have too much time to debug/check source code), I feel painful.
Bad feeling of code architecture. In Flash CS3, starting with a single Document class (root), I could have one or several trees of classes and everything easily to find. When to load a local configuration file, when to call remote server, when to draw Sprites, when get response from server and what should do based on it, synchronized or asynchronous. But in Flex it’s not everything in your hand. A mxml component will build its children itself, you have to find where you want to insert your functions into. A fresh Flex application could still clear although, after they were modified in design mode from time to time, mixed with several states, sometime its hard to find where the component is and I lost where to insert functions in my mxml files.
No strong community support especially Flex+Flash developers, not much really perfect Flex example projects(at least I didn’t see something really good as Flash). As far as I know, most of Flash developers came from designers, most of Flex developers came from hard code community such as Java coders, and, most of Flash developers today, I guess, still working on AS2. Also, I don’t know who’s on the top list of Flex developers. There’re a couple of Flex/AS3 books in Amazon, but not good enough though. What I think a Flex application should be? Well, if you make an application simliar with iPhone in Flex, I will say that’s a perfect one. I cannot do that, I don’t have time to be relax and code what I like to freely.
Martijn said
am September 8 2007 @ 3:50 am
I’m a Flash developer who has switched to Flex a few months ago. I’m also coding Java so maybe that’s the reason I love Flex. The biggest trouble with Flex is the documentation, it’s not clear (enough) about the difference between the framework and the Flash Player functionality. Although I always use the framework as a base for a project I sometimes have trouble with the documentation.
In Flash you have one big advantage and one big disadvantage: - Advantage: You can draw! - Disadvantage: The FLA is part of the structure
You have to look at Flex as a Application development IDE and Flash as a “design a website” IDE, although you can do both in both applications.
Dater said
am September 8 2007 @ 4:18 am
thanks for post …
Bill said
am September 8 2007 @ 7:07 am
I agree with your sentiments, myself coming from a Flash background. The Flash IDE seems to inspire a much more productive “free” and “creative” work flow. In the Flash IDE I had the feeling that I could build “anything” – and quickly.
The Flex IDE and framework is quite a bit more rigid – it takes a lot of effort to make something that doesn’t look like the default Flex style with a few font and color changes. I love the data-connection and handling capabilities of Flex, as well as the wonderful code-completion and class-discovering features. I wish the Flash IDE had these too.
I really hope the Flash/Flex Designer/Developer workflow improves in Flex 3 – not just for Developers handing off to Designers, but for those of us Devigners out there who feel somewhat neutered by the current state of things.
george said
am September 8 2007 @ 11:44 am
Thanks for comments.
Bill,
Actually the code-completion of Flex builder 2 is not so friendly even comparing with the free FlashDevelop editor. I coded AS3 classes in FlashDevelop for Flash CS3 projects before using Flex Builder 2, quite easy and fast coding than FB2 indeed. Only when I need to find bugs, I will open that class file in Flash CS3 to set breakpoints and tracking debug informations. FlashDevelop worked quite well with Flash projects together with Flash CS3. The only problem is FD not good enough to support Flex 2 projects, maybe they wouldn’t do that to avoid direct competition with FB2.
With FB2 it’s painful for me because I was coded in FD and feel inconvenient here and there. I still don’t know how to make word wrap automatically and have to use virtual word wrap for each file I opened, have to type Alt-Tab and Tab quite often here and there, and code-completion wouldn’t work until link that class/component into the project (FD will do that automatically for you).
Darth Sidious said
am September 8 2007 @ 3:35 pm
Hey George, I completely understand your perspective. Not every tool is going to be a fit for everyone, that’s for sure. The original motivation for Flex was that traditional developers found it way too time consuming to build applications in Flash; the learning curve is massive, the developing off of a time line is a bizarre approach.
That was my case. I needed to build a rich experience, beyond what HTML/JS/DHTML was going to allow. So I started trying to learn Flash, and it just wasn’t happening.
You’re right, you don’t have the level of freedom that you have as in Flash. And that’s what traditional developers want – their goal is to make business applications. Where as Flash Designers tend to do everything but a business application. You’ll notice that most Flex developers don’t even bother to change the style much of a Flex app, that’s a low priority, facilitating the business workflow is top priority.
So ya, Flex still is an early product. Flex 1.5 was very niche; the price was ridiculous, and a lot of limitations. Flex 2 made the technology more mainstream and accessible to all. And Flex 3 continues to build upon that momentum.
For example, there’s only one product in the known universe that allows you to automate functionality testing (Mecury’s Quick Test Pro, an extremely expensive product).
BUT… that’s when it’s fun! E.g, what would your experience have been with Flash V1? Yet, Flash grew to something amazing. I think it’s the same thing with Flex, and it’s an amazing opportunity to get in on a new technology with the community is small. You have the ability to influence many through blogging about examples, writing magazine articles, etc… Everyone else is also at the ground floor.
But if you’re able to achieve the same or better end result in the same or less time just using pure Flash…by all means, it doesn’t make sense to use Flex.
Eric de Groot said
am September 9 2007 @ 10:11 am
Flex and Flex Builder are all about accessibility. You can do it all in Flash, but that would require significantly more effort and understanding of the Flash way of doing things. From traditional programmers perspective, Flash is a mess. Any Java/C++/whatever developer using Eclipse can jump right into Flex Builder and immediately start producing results.
judah said
am September 16 2007 @ 9:27 pm
Want to make FB2 more interesting? Press CTRL + O in code view. Also, try pressing CTRL + clicking on any id or component.
But yes, the new features in FB 3 makes Flex Builder 3 more exciting. I have been using FB3 beta for a few projects now. Did you know you can download the Flex Builder 3 beta now off Adobe labs?
I still get the same “I can build anything” you mention feeling you get in Flash but about Flex. I think it has to do with that I know how to do it in Flex. But I also agree that it is harder to do design changes like we did in Flash. I dont feel as much creativey freedom in that respect. It does not make design as easy. I have to say just because Flash has creative drawing edge to it does not mean Flex cannot have one. In fact, Fireworks, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc all have created native drawing tools. Maybe this could be a feature or article you can describe in more detail?
BTW, the design features are something they are working on more tightly integrating in FB3. If you haven’t yet please describe what you like and want and submit an enhancement at http://bugs.adobe.com/flex.
judah said
am September 16 2007 @ 9:34 pm
Also, http://www.flexexamples.com is a great new resource for Flex examples. Check that and the blogroll on that site. Also check out flex.org and chatopica.com/topics/flex are beginnings of the Flex community. Give it time…