Flex 4

Flex 4 has shipped! It is has 3 primary themes:

• Design in Mind: provide a framework meant for continuous collaboration between designer and developer.
• Developer Productivity: improve compiler performance and add productivity enhancements to language features like data binding
• Framework Evolution: take advantage of new Flash Player capabilities and add features required by common use-cases

Next steps

1. Read about What's new in Flex 4.
2. Watch David Wadhwani, VP and GM of the Flash Platform Business Unit, talk about Flex 4 and Flash Builder 4.
3. Try out Flex In A Week, an online tutorial to teach you about all of the features of Flex 4.
4. Try out Testdrive, an online resource that gets you up to speed regarding the new features in Flash Builder 4 and Flex 4.
5. Check out Tour de Flex, a learning resource that helps you explore the new capabilities of Flex 4.
6. Read a guide discussing the differences between Flex 3 and Flex 4.
7. View and comment on the Flex 4 SDK Specifications.
8. Submit a feature request for Flex.
9. Submit a bug, usability issue or minor enhancement for Flex.

Get information about Flex 4 features straight from the development team! Here are several technical articles by Flex SDK Team Members:

1. Learn about Spark Component and Skinning Architecture.
2. Learn about Skinning in Flex 4.
3. Learn about Layouts in Flex 4.
4. Read about the new Effects Engine Part 1 and Part 2.

Builds

Download builds of Flex 4 from here

Milestones

Bugs for the upcoming Flex 4 milestones

Open Bugs

Recently Fixed Bugs

Open Iteration Meetings

Documents and Specifications

Flex 4 Architecture Whitepaper: start here for the stimulating broad overview of the new Spark component and skinning architecture.

Feature Specifications

FXG 1.0
Flex 4 Skinning (including SkinnableComponent)
Flex 4 DOM Tree API
MXML 2009
Enhanced States Syntax
CSS Advanced Selectors
Layout
Viewport
Application
Scroller
ScrollBar
Range (Updated 1/08/10)
TrackBase (Updated 1/18/10)
Slider (Updated 1/18/10)
Spinner (Updated 1/19/10)
NumericStepper (Updated 1/19/10)
ASDoc in MXML
Two-way Data Binding
Pixel Bender Integration
Arbitrary Type Interpolation
New Effects for Components and Graphics
3D Effects Support
Effect Interruption and Reversal
Shader Based Bitmap Effects
Notes on Compiler Performance Improvements
Spark DropDownList (added 3/25/09)
Flex Component Kit for Flash (added 3/25/09)
Virtualization (added 3/30/09)
CSS Namespaces Support (added 4/01/09)
MXML Vector Support (added 5/04/09)
Spark WindowedApplication (added 5/07/09)
Spark Window (added 5/11/09)
Spark Horizontal and Vertical Layout (added 5/26/09)
Spark Basic Layout (added 5/26/09)
Spark TileLayout (added 5/31/09)
Spark Group (added 5/26/09)
Spark DataGroup (added 5/26/09)
Spark SkinnableContainer (added 5/26/09)
Spark SkinnableDataContainer (added 5/26/09)
Spark VideoPlayer (added 5/26/09)
IGraphicElement (added 5/28/09)
Spark Text Primitives (Label, RichText, and RichEditableText) (Updated 09/03/09)
Spark TextInput and TextArea (Updated 5/31/09)
Spark PopUpAnchor (Added 5/31/09)
Spark List (Added 5/31/09)
Styling Gumbo Components (Added 4/6/09)
More Styles for Spark Skins (Added 8/10/09)
Linking RSLs by Default (Added 8/24/09)
Spark BorderContainer (Added 8/27/09)
Per-Module Style Management (Added 09/04/09)
FTE and TLF text in MX components (Added 09/08/09)
Runtime Design Layers (Added 09/18/09)
Spark TileGroup (Added 9/30/09)
Halo Navigators and Spark Containers (Added 9/30/09)
Spark ComboBox (Added 10/02/09)
Accessibility for Spark Components (Added 10/24/09; under construction)
Compiler Errors for Other Theme's Styles (Added 10/28/09)
ControlBars in Spark Panels (Added 10/29/09)
Spark TitleWindow (Added 11/3/09)
FXG 2.0 Specification (Added 11/05/09)
AsyncListView Specification (Added 11/06/09)
List DragDrop Specification (Added 11/09/09)
Halo ViewStack and Spark ButtonBar Specification (Added 11/10/09)
Compatibility Mode SWC Policy (Mini Specification) (Added 11/15/09)
Spark ItemRenderers for MX DataGrid, Tree, AdvancedDataGrid (MXItemRenderer) Specification (Added 12/09/09)
Layout Mirroring (Added 2/19/10)

Architecture Review Board (ARB) Issues

Debug Builds of SDK
Namespaces for Spark, Halo, and MXML 2009
Shorthand Syntax for Parameterized Layouts
Changes to Style Syntax
Transform Point vs Registration Point
Item Renderer Contract
Label as Optional Part for Button
Scale9 in FXG
Default Blend Modes
Conventions for Bound Properties
Font Embedding
Simple or Complex Content Values
Halo Navigators with Spark Content
Cross Domain Skinning and Styling (updated 2/26/2009)
Group Scale Grid (added 2/23/09)
Dropping the Fx Prefix (added 3/2/09)
Verbose Path Syntax (added 03/16/09)
Removing fxComponent (added 03/19/09)
Required vs. Optional Parts (added 03/20/09)
Cooperative Subtree Layout (added 03/26/09)
Styling Component Parts (added 04/02/09)
Font Embedding Reprise (added 04/08/09)
Halo Style Metadata (added 04/10/09)
SDK Property Metadata (added 04/30/09)
button navigation and declarative states (added 05/1/09)
Pattern for Exposing Component Behaviors (updated 01/19/10)
Change and Changing Events (added 6/1/09)
Skin Part Types (added 6/1/09)
States as a language tag (Added 6/17/09)
id property in MXML 2009 (Added 6/22/09) (Reverted 12/14/09)
Spark Text Primitives Decision (Added 09/03/09)
Item Renderer Changes (Added 10/28/09)

Flex 4 Documentation

Backwards Compatibility from Flex 3 to Flex 4
Flex 4 View States
Using Effects
New Flex 4 Effects
ASDoc with Support for MXML files
Flex 4 Application Container
Flex 4 Containers and Item Renderers
Flex 4 List-Based Controls
Creating Flex 4 Components in ActionScript