How to develop cross platform apps with Flex?

Question

I have been throught a lot of reading and the whole thing is becoming only more confusing so I decided to ask you some stuff about Flex.

So, Flex can run in a webpage if you have Flash plugin in your browser, in an AIR container (on pc/android/IOS, but on OSX ?) and also can compile to Native IOS/Android app. I am not sure about the last point.

If it is possible, how can I build a flex app that would run in browser with flash plugin and also be compiled to Android and IOS (and maybe Windows RT) ? Adobe gives you Flash builder, do you also need the Flex SDK ? Is it doable with the Eclipse Flex plugin ?

Thank you for your help and sorry if it is a bit messed up.

Answer 1

So, Flex can run in a webpage if you have Flash plugin in your browser, in an AIR container (on pc/android/IOS, but on OSX ?) and also can compile to Native IOS/Android app. I am not sure about the last point.

This is mostly correct. Flex can run in a web page using the Flash Plugin, which is widely available on desktop browsers. For all intents and purposes, you should assume your mobile users do not have a Flash Plugin installed on their mobile browsers.

It is true using AIR you can create desktop applications for PC and Mac; OSx is indeed supported. You can also use AIR to create Mobile applications on Android, iOS, and Blackberry Playbook. So, iOS is indeed supported. Windows 8 UI/Metro support for AIR is expected 1st quarter of this year. I suspect we'll also see AIR support for Blackberry 10; but nothing has been formally announced that I'm aware of.

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Update: 3/2014 Adobe has abandoned plans for Windows 8 UI / Metro support. Windows Phone 8 support is a very common feature request, though, so vote for it if you want it.

BlackBerry 10 does indeed support Adobe AIR. Here is a link to the SDK .

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If it is possible, how can I build a flex app that would run in browser with flash plugin and also be compiled to Android and IOS (and maybe Windows RT) ?

Flex is primarily a framework for creating business applications. A slightly different component set is offered for desktop applications and mobile applications. Part of this is due to screen size; and part due to performance. A big DataGrid with dozens of columns, for example, is not conducive to the screen size of your mobile phone.

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Update 3/2014:

A mobile optimized DataGrid was donated to the Apache Flex Team, and it should be available in current versions of the SDK.

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In the end; you should not plan on using the same exact application for both your Desktop/browser app and the mobile app. But, you can share some amount of code. I would target to share 80% of the code. Move the shared code into a library project; which you can then use on both your mobile application, your desktop application, and your browser based application.

Adobe gives you Flash builder, do you also need the Flex SDK ? Is it doable with the Eclipse Flex plugin ?

Flash Builder is shipped with the Flex SDK. And Adobe Flex ships with the AIR SDK [Note: Apache Flex does not ship w/ the AIR SDK due to licensing differences; but there is a handy installer]. Flash Builder, also, is an Eclipse plugin and can be installed into any eclipse instance you wish.

You do not need Flash Builder to create a Flex Application. You can use command line tools and other IDEs, such as IntelliJ, if you prefer.

Answer 2

Using Flash Professional, you can package and export to a number of platforms using AIR. You can port to both Android or iOS (as a native app), in addition to creating a .swf file that can be embedded onto a webpage - all using the one application (go 'File' > 'Publish Settings' then change the player target).

I'm not sure whether the same options are available in Flash Builder, (appears to be possible - adobe website ) but not other IDE (such as Eclipse) or framework should be needed.

You may want to consider an alternative development and deployment strategy depending on your requirements, eg PhoneGap which should offer support for a greater number of devices.