Flex is mainly used to create highly interactive and rich web applications which are supported on any browser. And, those Flex Applications are delivered on the web via the Flash Player and to the desktop via Adobe Air.

What do you need to develop Flex Applications?

• Flex Software Development Kit (SDK)
• Knowledge of Action Script 3 and MXML
• Flex builder IDE (However, it’s not compulsory)
• Blaze Data Services or LiveCycle Data Services
• Flash Player
  

You can develop Flex Applications using MXML and Action Script 3. And, following are some basic steps which you can follow to develop applications:

• Define an application interface using a set of pre-defined components (forms, buttons, and so on)
• Arrange components into a user interface design
• Use styles and themes to define the visual design
• Add dynamic behavior (one part of the application interacting with another, for example)
• Define and connect to data services as needed
• Build the source code into an SWF file that runs in the Flash Player
  

Once you done with Flex Application Development, you need to test your applications. You run the application using compiler in the SDK into SWF. If you get any error you can use debugging tool like Flex Builder Debugger. Debugging tools are used to set and manage breakpoints in your code; control application execution by suspending, resuming, and terminating the application, and so on.

Using Flex Technology you can develop and deliver highly expressive, high performance, rich and interactive web applications.

Flash is generally used to create animation, integrate videos into the webpage, advertisements and various web page components and this way it’s being used to add interactivity to your web pages. However, Flash is also used to develop Rich Internet Applications (RIAs). But another Flex Technology is also far better to develop RIA applications to improve interactivity of the web.

Flash vs. Flex, what to choose:

Well, it would be better to first define what kind of project it will be. (1) You just need to develop animations and it’s not much dependent on user interaction to work. (2) You need to create truly RIA applications with more user dependent interface and interactivity.

In the first case, Flash would be a better choice because Flash was originally developed and used as medium to integrate animation, sound and video. Even, it’s intended for online presentation with some interactivity.

In the second case, Flex would be a better choice because Flex application development brings a new level of user interface to your website with rich, interactive web applications. Flex gives you the best applications by using graphics, animation and audio done in flash that can be viewed in any browser with the flash player installed.

Flex is based on Flash platform but has more of a developer’s approach, while Flash application development is still based around the vector animation. Flex is also useful in case of server-client data communications which makes it easy to develop interactive and dynamic applications such as shopping cart, video chatrooms, and many more. Flex has also lots of built in components to simplify various features such as form validation, drag and drop and animation effects.

At last, Flex is the approaching technology for creating responsive, dynamic and visually prominent user-interfaces and more standard than Flash to develop Rich Internet Applications (RIAs).

Here at Semaphore-Software, Flex Developers offers highly intuitive, interactive and expressive RIA Applications using Flash and Flex Development.