Top line of that config for eclipse.ini, you say do this:

-vm “C:Program Files (x86)/Java/jrrt/jre/bin/javaw.exe”

When actually, that did not work for me until i changed it to this:

-vm
C:Program Files (x86)/Java/jrrt/jre/bin/javaw.exe

…maybe because im an eclipse noob, but figured it would help somebody

Flex builders advantage is the visual design editor with that you can lay out components very comfortably. However you could also write Flex apps in 100% ActionScript as long as you use the Flex compiler. In fact Flex is just components that are written in AS.

And AIR is another option. You can write bare Flash AIR apps, but you can also use Flex for AIR applications.

Flex is good if you wanna write RIAs or applications in AIR that profit from a sort of standardized graphical user interface.

I personally use Flex Builder only to prototype my Flex GUIs and then I go over to FDT and code all in ActionScript. That’s because I don’t like MXML. I dislike the way how you have to mix up MXML with ActionScript. Some die-hard Flexers may yell “blasphemy” but this way it gives me a lot more control over the code.

Flex = heavy, prebuilt components geared for RIAs and Data services.
Flash = [very] limited prebuilt components. Good when not doing RIAs and Data services.

FDT is for ’serious’ Flash developers, as such it is pricey. Flash Builder has one or two features over FDT, but those are more for doing Flex work. I guess, it’s kinda a hard question to answer to give. Because I think you need to decide how much time you will be spending working with Flash, and then also determine if you want to use the Flex framework or not.

They both have 30 day trails so try them out.

I found this thread while hunting for information on Eclipse and Aptana. Looks like I can mash up most the tools I want.

Here’s my question: It seems Flex builder sucks in comparison to using FDT. I just want a confirmation of this before I start into this install sequence. Also, the version of Eclipse I have is the Flex Builder one from Adobe…can this be used with all these other tools, or should I install the Eclipse version you recommend and uninstall the Flex Builder version. Can I leave both on, or will they clash. I might benefit from seeing the code Flex Builder generates when I use their gui layout tool, but I could always run that on a different machine if the two version clash.

Thanks in advance…

“34 tips … on my blog” – subscribed.

Again, thanks!

The way I would incorporate code across different projects is to use
‘Linked Libraries’. I do this I have a code base I want to use from project to project, but don’t want to have to duplicate the files into every project.

Right click on a project > Properties ( near the bottom ) > FDT Build Path > Under Source header (should be already selected as its the first option )> Add Linked Libraries…>Add..>New> Give your *reference* a name>Click ‘File’ for a SWC or ‘Folder’ for a source folder.

At this point you will have created a reference to a folder on your hard drive and it will show up in your Project Explorer. You will know it is a Linked Library b/c the icon will have a little arrow on it.

Also for other questions you may have, I have a nifty 34 tips every FDT user should know on my blog.

How do I set up dependencies between projects? If, say, I’ve got 3 or 4 projects with components in and another project that will contain my SWF and/or AIR targets, how do I set up the deps between them?

I’ve kinda-sorta got it working, but it seems really hacky, here’s what I did:

1. set up project references as normal in eclipse;

2. realise that PDT doesn’t support them (WTF???);

3. add a linked resource for each SWC project, pointing at it’s compiled SWC;

4. add this as a linked SWC in the main project.

This kind of makes it work, but I can’t use class navigation (F3), dependencies aren’t honoured (e.g. editing a SWC project means I have to manually rebuild any projects that depend on it). Also, FDT has problems resolving imports that use wild-cards.

I’m guessing that there is a “right” way to set this up, and that this isn’t it, but the docs are almost non-existent and PowerFlasher don’t seem to offer any support unless you shell over wodges of cash (i.e. buy the Enterprise version).

There’s also no need to use any command line tools. Use ANT to invoke Flex Compiler tasks instead.

Right Click Flash Explorer>New>New Flash Project.

Create a Class to launch from. Then create a launch configuration.

Launch the program.

I’ve got an Eclipse setup that I’m pretty comfortable with for most things, but am just starting out with Flash/AS3 development and am looking for a good solution for that.

I’ve got a question about FDT: how do you set up your projects and so on in it? I know people who use it seem to really like it but as far as I can see it’s completely broken, I find I need to go out to a terminal window and run command line tools from there every few minutes!

What do you use for PHP dev? Is Aptana good or do you prefer Eclipse PDT? I have only used Eclipse’s PDT and it’s ok.

Suggestions?