I just added a new page called Libagic, from which you can:

• Read the documentation (ASDoc format)
• Read and download source code
• Download the Libagic.swc

for all classes and custom Flex components published on Blogagic.com.

Enjoy!

I recently published Flex custom components allowing to display data as Sparklines. These SparklineChart custom components being highly configurable, here is now their new companion: the SparklineChart explorer.

Sparklines are defined by Edward Tufte, their creator as: Intense, Simple, Word-Sized Graphics.

Here are new Flex custom components allowing to easily integrate Sparklines in any Flex application.

After my custom components FadingTextInput and FadingInjector, here is now a Flex custom effect offering similar possibilities. I called it EditInPlaceEffect.

Apply the fading background color effect available in my Flex FadingTextInput in any UIComponent by injecting it using FadingInjector (post updated following a comment from João).

FadingTextInput is a Flex custom component based on TextInput that provides a background color fading effect when its content is modified.

Here are a few options to develop Flex Custom Components that are really flexible.

In addition to allow styling options, a really flexible component should allow other developers to change and customize its behavior to accommodate their own specific needs with as less as possible additional efforts. OOP, Design Pattern, SDK secrets: make your choice!

After having discussed how to apply styles to Flex custom components, let’s learn how to add Events to Flex custom components such that they can be smoothly integrated in any other custom component or in any application.

The covered subjects are:

• Introduction to Flex Events
• Listening to Events
• Sending Events
• Creating a Custom Event Type
• Creating a Custom Event Class
• The Event Flow

After having understood in details the Flex Component Life Cycle, let’s look at ways to add styles to Flex custom components.

You can find a lot of information about styling a component in Adobe documentation, but the most interesting parts are somewhat hidden at the bottom of different pages of multiple sections.

So, here’s my synthesis describing the two “best ways” of Styling a Flex Custom Component efficiently.

Now that we have a nice looking Preloader, we’re close to be ready starting developing new Flex Custom Components.

Anyway, before doing so, we need to clearly understand what is the Flex Component Life Cycle. A good understanding of this Life Cycle is really mandatory to be able to develop “correctly” a Flex Custom Component.

Code extracts are provided to illustrate the different principles discussed below, use the “See code sample” links to look at them, use the “See explanations” links to come back to the explanations.