What do you use to code Flash?

combatking0 · July 27, 2009

Which version of Macromedia / Adobe Flash do you use?

If it isn't one of the above, what is it called, and what version does it output?

I use Flash 8, which is installed on my laptop from work on their site license.
I also have a private copy of Flash 9, but I lack the hardware to run it.

benny! · July 28, 2009

I did not use any Flash IDE von Adobe at all. I code everything from
scratch using the free Flex 3.0 SDK from Adobe.

As a tool to edit my code (IDE) I use the great FlashDevelop - AFAIK
only available for Windows platform.

Since flex3.0 supports already all Flash10 libs, you can choose to
export/"compile" your code to target Flash7, Flash8, Flash9 or Flash10
player.

Shockwave · July 28, 2009

Sounds like Flex3.0 has great support.

combatking0 · July 28, 2009

I had heard about Flex, but I wasn't sure about what it could do.

With it being free, I'll recomend it to my pupils.

I wonder what the differences are between the Flex and Flash platforms.

benny! · July 29, 2009

Well, I think this is more a problem of some word
puzzling. At the beginning I was confused by that,
too.

Flex is nothing more than a development framework
that produces a SWF file.

Well, AFAIK Flash is only the authoring tool/IDE
by Adobe. But in general people speak about the
Flash platform meaning the flash player (virtual
machine) which executes SWF files.

Flex as a development framework can be used with
actionscript3.0 only - or you can use flex' markup
language called MXML (or a mix out of both)

combatking0 · July 29, 2009

Does that mean Flex is code only?

benny! · July 29, 2009

Quote from: combatking0 on July 29, 2009
Does that mean Flex is code only?

No, Flex was actually designed to create RIA's (rich internet applications). Preferable
normal GUI stuff. There are GUI builders, too - so you have a design tool like Flash IDE,
too. But in the end you can use pure MXML/Actionscript too.

combatking0 · July 31, 2009

I guess that means Flex is a bit more versitile than the Flash development environment?

I just had a look at the Flex download page - is the Open Source version free, while the Adobe version is not? The Adobe ones seem to be a lot bigger.

benny! · July 31, 2009

Yup. That could be. But tbh honest I do not know it exactly.
The bigger Flex SDK version is because of some additional
packages by Adobe which are not open source...

Hmm ... good question, CK0.

combatking0 · August 04, 2009

I'll have to investigate the OS version and adapt the tutorials and lessons as required.