Comments on: Understanding the Flex SystemManager http://guyinthechair.com/2010/01/understanding-the-flex-systemmanager/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=understanding-the-flex-systemmanager //the blog of Paul Taylor Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:07:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Venkat Loganathan http://guyinthechair.com/2010/01/understanding-the-flex-systemmanager/comment-page-1/#comment-1338 Venkat Loganathan Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:05:18 +0000 http://guyinthechair.com/?p=113#comment-1338 Hi Paul, Really confused with this point Once all the code for the movie is loaded, SystemManager creates your actual Application instance and calls initialize(). I'm under the impression initialize() is part of addChild()-->$childAdded() Could you please explain? Hi Paul,

Really confused with this point

Once all the code for the movie is loaded, SystemManager creates your actual Application instance and calls initialize().

I’m under the impression initialize() is part of addChild()–>$childAdded()

Could you please explain?

]]> By: Marc http://guyinthechair.com/2010/01/understanding-the-flex-systemmanager/comment-page-1/#comment-1256 Marc Sat, 26 Feb 2011 10:10:01 +0000 http://guyinthechair.com/?p=113#comment-1256 Hi Paul great introduction - short and very helpful! Many thanks for sharing Marc Hi Paul

great introduction – short and very helpful!

Many thanks for sharing
Marc

]]> By: Phineas http://guyinthechair.com/2010/01/understanding-the-flex-systemmanager/comment-page-1/#comment-612 Phineas Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:15:19 +0000 http://guyinthechair.com/?p=113#comment-612 Understood, all is well. Thanks again! Understood, all is well.
Thanks again!

]]> By: Paul Taylor http://guyinthechair.com/2010/01/understanding-the-flex-systemmanager/comment-page-1/#comment-611 Paul Taylor Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:30:18 +0000 http://guyinthechair.com/?p=113#comment-611 Pretty much. If you still want mxmlc to generate code for your system manager (it overrides the create() method and specifies which RSLS to load and which application class to instantiate) you should do what you're thinking of (subclass Application, override [Frame], then subclass that again). If you have a system manager implementation and don't want mxmlc to use it as a factory, you can put it in the (assuming you're using MXML) <fx:Metadata/> definition. If the frame tag is on your Application implementation, mxmlc won't subclass/generate the code for you. That only means you have to override clone() yourself. Pretty much. If you still want mxmlc to generate code for your system manager (it overrides the create() method and specifies which RSLS to load and which application class to instantiate) you should do what you’re thinking of (subclass Application, override [Frame], then subclass that again).
If you have a system manager implementation and don’t want mxmlc to use it as a factory, you can put it in the (assuming you’re using MXML) definition. If the frame tag is on your Application implementation, mxmlc won’t subclass/generate the code for you. That only means you have to override clone() yourself.

]]> By: Phineas http://guyinthechair.com/2010/01/understanding-the-flex-systemmanager/comment-page-1/#comment-610 Phineas Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:35:15 +0000 http://guyinthechair.com/?p=113#comment-610 Great, that's in line with what I thought. One more (hopefully) quick yes/no question... To improve on the logic in PopupManager, I'm going to extend SystemManager. and register my own subclass of PopupManagerImpl. I'll also subclass mx.core.Application as MyApplication, add the [Frame] metadata for my own SystemManager, and use MyApplication as the base class for my App's entry point. So far so good, yeah? Now, What about AIR? AIR entry points typically extend WindowedApplication, which has no [Frame] metadata in it, since it extends Application. How do I get my AIR app to use my custom SystemManager? Simple subclass WindowedApplication and add the meta data there? I'd assume yes, but want to be doubly sure. ps: Thanks for that fast response! Great, that’s in line with what I thought.

One more (hopefully) quick yes/no question… To improve on the logic in PopupManager, I’m going to extend SystemManager. and register my own subclass of PopupManagerImpl. I’ll also subclass mx.core.Application as MyApplication, add the [Frame] metadata for my own SystemManager, and use MyApplication as the base class for my App’s entry point. So far so good, yeah?

Now, What about AIR? AIR entry points typically extend WindowedApplication, which has no [Frame] metadata in it, since it extends Application. How do I get my AIR app to use my custom SystemManager? Simple subclass WindowedApplication and add the meta data there? I’d assume yes, but want to be doubly sure.

ps: Thanks for that fast response!

]]> By: Paul Taylor http://guyinthechair.com/2010/01/understanding-the-flex-systemmanager/comment-page-1/#comment-609 Paul Taylor Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:07:18 +0000 http://guyinthechair.com/?p=113#comment-609 Phineas 1. Here's one that I wrote for Reflex: http://github.com/guyinthechair/reflex/blob/master/src/reflex/tools/flashbuilder/ReflexApplicationLoader.as#L20 It has some references to classes in my Reflex fork, but you can easily remove those. To use it, simply add [Frame(factoryClass="reflex.tools.flashbuilder.ReflexApplicationLoader")] above the class definition of your Document class (example here: http://github.com/guyinthechair/reflex/blob/master/src/reflex/components/Application.as#L12 ) 2. No matter what, you have to compile with mxmlc, but that doesn't mean you're compiling the Flex framework into your application. Mxmlc is just the mxml and as3 compiler. If you use binding in MXML classes, yes mxmlc will generate AS3 which uses the Flex framework's binding code. Fortunately that only compiles in a small part of the larger framework. If you don't like relying on Flex's binding classes, you can write your own. To use them, you'll have to download the mxmlc project and modify the Apache Velocity template files which define how mxmlc should translate the MXML to AS3. Phineas
1. Here’s one that I wrote for Reflex: http://github.com/guyinthechair/reflex/blob/master/src/reflex/tools/flashbuilder/ReflexApplicationLoader.as#L20
It has some references to classes in my Reflex fork, but you can easily remove those. To use it, simply add [Frame(factoryClass="reflex.tools.flashbuilder.ReflexApplicationLoader")] above the class definition of your Document class (example here: http://github.com/guyinthechair/reflex/blob/master/src/reflex/components/Application.as#L12 )

2. No matter what, you have to compile with mxmlc, but that doesn’t mean you’re compiling the Flex framework into your application. Mxmlc is just the mxml and as3 compiler. If you use binding in MXML classes, yes mxmlc will generate AS3 which uses the Flex framework’s binding code. Fortunately that only compiles in a small part of the larger framework. If you don’t like relying on Flex’s binding classes, you can write your own. To use them, you’ll have to download the mxmlc project and modify the Apache Velocity template files which define how mxmlc should translate the MXML to AS3.

]]> By: Phineas http://guyinthechair.com/2010/01/understanding-the-flex-systemmanager/comment-page-1/#comment-608 Phineas Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:35:46 +0000 http://guyinthechair.com/?p=113#comment-608 Hey this was a fantastic read. really. More helpful than you know. I do have a question on where you say the following: "[...] to write an app with zero dependence on the Flex framework [...] You can write an Application based on Sprite, write your own stripped down version of the SystemManager, and then write MXML and take advantage of Flex’s bindings and generated code." Can you elaborate on this a bit? I have been trying to figure this out. 1- How exactly would you strip down the SysMgr? 2- If you lose the dependency on the Flex framework, how can you write MXML and use binding? Will you not compile with MXMLC at the end of the day? and will your final swf not include the SWF? Thanks! Hey this was a fantastic read. really. More helpful than you know. I do have a question on where you say the following:
“[...] to write an app with zero dependence on the Flex framework [...] You can write an Application based on Sprite, write your own stripped down version of the SystemManager, and then write MXML and take advantage of Flex’s bindings and generated code.”

Can you elaborate on this a bit? I have been trying to figure this out.
1- How exactly would you strip down the SysMgr?
2- If you lose the dependency on the Flex framework, how can you write MXML and use binding? Will you not compile with MXMLC at the end of the day? and will your final swf not include the SWF?

Thanks!

]]> By: NIKHIL http://guyinthechair.com/2010/01/understanding-the-flex-systemmanager/comment-page-1/#comment-542 NIKHIL Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:12:16 +0000 http://guyinthechair.com/?p=113#comment-542 AWESOME!! I was struggling hard to understand this concept and really wanted to understand this. Thanks!! Can you also explain as to what happens after this.. like on user interaction how does flash re-renders the frame or something on flex app lifecycle. AWESOME!! I was struggling hard to understand this concept and really wanted to understand this. Thanks!!
Can you also explain as to what happens after this.. like on user interaction how does flash re-renders the frame or something on flex app lifecycle.

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