Flex vs AS3

[dmodie]

Hi,

I have a potential project in AS3, or Flex. It is a data driven web application for sorting and displaying images. Images are retrieved from an image server. Some filtering is required, to keep load times down.

I have enough experience in AS3 to be confident that I could do it in AS3, (I would hire and consult a more experienced AS3 person for guidance on some of the high-risk features). The client has asked me if I could do it in Flex, if needed. My inclination is to say no, since I haven't worked in it. He is on a timeframe of about a month, which seems reasonable if I was to do it in AS3. So here are my questions:

-why would he ask me to do it in Flex? (I don't know the advantages of Flex)
-if you've learned Flex, after you knew AS3, how brutal was the learning curve?

Lots of vague information, I know, but any comments would be most appreciated. Thanks

[Newsgroup_User]

dmodie,

> So here are my questions:
>
> -why would he ask me to do it in Flex? (I don't know the advantages
> of Flex)

Flex is something of a buzzword. Please, Flex fans, no flamewars! All
I mean is that suits who don't know anything about either tool -- Flash or
Flex -- lately tend to think of Flex as the newer, cooler thing (hence,
buzzword). It certainly is the newer tool, but at rock bottom, they both
produce content for the same Flash Platform. They both produce SWFs.

It sounds like you're already familiar with Flash, so I won't go into an
extensive summary. Flash has drawing tools, a Timeline panel, and can be
used to produce anything from movies with no code at all -- think TV
output -- to ActionScript-heavy Rich Internet Applications (RIA).

Flex has no drawing tools or Timeline panel. Instead, Flex gives you
the Actions panel on steroids. It gives you the Flex framework, which
includes dozens of UI components not included with Flash, all geared toward
facilitating the RIA workflow.

> -if you've learned Flex, after you knew AS3, how brutal was the learning
> curve?

If you're using Flex, you're using AS3. You might, in addition, use
MXML, an XML-based markup language, to position your UI components. You
might use the Flex framework API, but you might not. Up do you. In a
sense, Flex could be nothing more than a superhero Actions panel, and you
could compile your work in Flash to create the SWF(s). If you're only using
Flex to write your AS3 class files, you may not see much of a learning curve
at all. If your client expects you to use the Flex framework -- that is,
the UI components, data components, and the like -- you'll have to learn a
new API. The API is written in AS3, so it won't be in completely
unfamiliar territory.

What doesn't make sense to me is why your client cares what tool was
used to make the SWF. The only reason that might matter -- that I can think
of, anyway -- is that the client may want to revise your source files later
in Flex, or uses many Flex developers inhouse. If the client doesn't
especially need your source files (who knows?), you could build this product
without using any Adobe tools at all, outside of the Flex SDK compiler.
(For example, you might use FlashDevelop, a free scripting IDE comparable,
in some ways, to Flex.)


David Stiller
Adobe Community Expert
Dev blog, http://www.quip.net/blog/
"Luck is the residue of good design."

[Peter Lorent]

You need a week to learn the basics in Flex (in fact, Adobe has posted a special series to learn Flex - in a week!). After that you will still have a lot of questions on how to really change the look and feel, CSS and other skinning techniques set aside, though you can use Flash CS3 to generate components you can use in Flex and skin the Flex Components. So, if you are on a deadline prepare for a bumpy ride and nights without sleep.

Why your client is asking you if you can do it in Flex, well, for a data driven website I don't think you can develop any faster than in Flex. Lots of things you need to do manually in Flash are automated in Flex. It's sheer power at your disposal. But, there is no comparison. Flash is a completely different tool that is used to create highly interactive content - which you then can use in Flex, sure. But beware, no timeline, no library in Flex, just code.

A month and right away a commercial project, well, some people need this to learn quickly but others might go nuts :-)

[VarioPegged]

I'll echo LuigiL's points.

Being an early adopter of Flex (I'm a long-time developer), I'll say that the Flex framework is particularly suited to developing structured applications.

Whether you'd be able to learn Flex in a month's time depends on your skill as a developer. One can put something together fairly quickly, but to develop a maintainable (and perhaps extensible) app, you're going to have to have more than just a casual knowledge of app design. Have you looked at Flex Builder or downloaded the SDK yet?

You would obviously also be able to create the application in Flash, but Flex is a particularly excellent framework for app development.

If you're inclined to consult or subcontract on this job, PM me.

TS

[Peter Lorent]

That's greatly oversimplifying things David. Yes, it's all swf but how they are produced can differ greatly and in a way that you need to learn how to deal with all of your assets. If you have already written well structured applications using mostly code in Flash, then the transition can go smoothly but still a lot of things are (sometimes very) different in Flex.
Concerning the API: while it's written in AS3 and reads familiar, it presents you with so much possibilities that in the beginning it is mind-boggling and you simply have to have profound knowledge of extending and overriding.

Beware, some things you can do easily in Flash are very hard to do in Flex. It greatly depends on the type of project which tool to use or maybe a combination of the two. Really, other than the swf format and AS3, you can not compare the two.

[Newsgroup_User]

LuigiL,

> That's greatly oversimplifying things David.

That's fair. 🙂 When I originally started my reply, it was in response
to the subject line itself: "Flex vs AS3" ... I felt it was important to
mention that the "vs" part of that line is problematic, because Flex *uses*
AS3. Maybe the subject should have been "Flex vs Flash." I was worried
that dmodie was already on the wrong foot, but I'm not sure if the rest of
my message (or any of it!) articulated my worries.

> still a lot of things are (sometimes very) different in Flex.
> Concerning the API: while it's written in AS3 and reads familiar,
> it presents you with so much possibilities that in the beginning it
> is mind-boggling and you simply have to have profound
> knowledge of extending and overriding.

I agree with that. It only comes into play, though, if you use the Flex
framework. If you use Flex Builder to write "pure" AS3 classes -- not
relying on components, etc. -- then you could theoretically compile your
code in Flex Builder or Flash with few tweaks.

A problem with my original reply is that I blurred the lines between
Flex and Flex Builder, which may well have confused matters. I hope I
didn't, and apologies if I did. :)


David Stiller
Adobe Community Expert
Dev blog, http://www.quip.net/blog/
"Luck is the residue of good design."

[Peter Lorent]

I guess the OP should ask what the reasons are to do the project in Flex. Then we could assess if this is about buzz or about valid arguments 🙂

[Newsgroup_User]

LuigiL,

> I guess the OP should ask what the reasons are to do the project in
> Flex. Then we could assess if this is about buzz or about valid arguments
> :-)

True enough. My curiousity was piqued when it was the client specifying
the technology.


David Stiller
Adobe Community Expert
Dev blog, http://www.quip.net/blog/
"Luck is the residue of good design."