1. Building Flex Applications

The focus in this chapter is simple: how to create and deploy Flex-based applications. You’ll learn two ways of generating Flex content—one fast but commercial, the other free but requiring more effort—and two ways of using that content: on the Web and as a standalone application. Just as important, though, the chapter begins with an overview of the technologies and tools involved, and ends with your best resources for getting help as you learn Flex. Along the way, you’ll also see some tips, tricks, and best practices for working as a Flex developer.

Before getting into the specifics, one last note: The images shown in this chapter, as will be the case in other chapters, were taken on both Windows and Mac OS X. However, all of the concepts and most of the steps are platform-neutral. I’ll be certain to highlight any specific platform disparities, when they occur.