Thanks folks, for your work on this! We really appreciate it. Having a true, cross-platform, open-source alternative to Flash Builder would be a big deal for Apache Flex.
For those who are interested in helping this initiative, for my part, I recently contributed to the IndieGoGo project that supports this project. Please see this link for more details [1] and support the initiative if you can! Thanks, Om [1] https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flashdevelop-improved-flex-support On Tue, Sep 23, 2014 at 12:17 AM, Santanu Karar <sant...@prominic.net> wrote: > Hello Everyone, > > For me its an honour to work with Flex and Apache continues its legacy > after Adobe, thanks to Apache Flex Team, for that. > > I take out one IDE comparison between Flash Develop and Flash Builder > sometime ago, as an evaluation process to choose Flash Develop as an > alternative to Flash Builder; Its true Flash Builder is an old player in > the block and most matured one, too. We are seeking if a few of these > following issues can be addressed by Flash Develop to come out as a bright > opponent (to Flash Builder) as well; Some of the following issue(s) may > already solved/hasSolution which I may not know, you/anyone is very welcome > to address the solution as well. > > Please, have a look. > > *Description* > *FD* > *FB* > *Comments* SDK setup is Easy > X > *√* > FD gives option to setup many type of SDKs at startup. This includes Haxe, > Apache Flex SDKs etc. However, I couldn’t able to run any project running > with Apache Flex SDK and AIR 14.0. Even everything seem mapped well (SDK > path) running any AIR application with AIR SDK 14.0 throws compiler error > while run saying unrecognised namespace (14.0). Only able to AIR project > with AIR 4.0 - I've noticed this issue in both my Mac and Windows setup - > Later when I uninstalled completely from Windows machine and re-setup FD > and its SDKs Without 'Flex SDK 4.6 & AIR 4.0' but 'Apache Flex SDK 13.1 & > AIR 14.0', I able to run a project with AIR 14.0 runtime; these setup and > run with appropriate SDK seems troublesome to me. Changing SDK updates > requisite properties in application descriptor file, in AIR > X > *√* > FD never updates application namespace in descriptor file when changed AIR > SDK in a project GUI friendliness (based on my preferences) > *√* > *√* > Creating a Library Project in easy steps > X > *√* > FD has no template type to create a Library Project neither it has any > compiler/publish option to specify a project requires to compile as a > Library Project (SWC). Easy access to different project workspace > *√* > *√* > FD anyway shows only one project at a time in its Project panel where FB > gives much more access to different projects at a same time. Changing > project workspace each time in FD is somewhat killing efficiency. Running > different projects is Easy > X > *√* > Since FD gives one project workspace access at a time (through its Project > panel), it needs everytime to change that workspace to a different project > view to run that particular project Running AIR SDK 14.0 project > X > *√* > With regular installation of FD with 'Apache Flex SDK and AIR SDK 14.0' > installed (or mapped manually), there were multiple occasions when I never > able to run an application but received an exception ‘Invalid application > descriptor: Unknown namespace: *http://ns.adobe.com/air/application/14.0* > <http://ns.adobe.com/air/application/14.0>’ - even when application > mapped to run with appropriate SDKs. I only able to run an AIR application > with namespace 4.0 (AIR SDK 4.0); Following these complexities I found > using FB is much more easy than FD. Running an application on browser > X > *√* > I am not sure if there is a way or able to run a web application in a > browser in FD - I am also not sure if this is the general behaviour in FD > but this only opens a stand-alone Flash Player window in such cases to run > a project. If this a behaviour of FD I wonder how to test/debug a project > directly in browser when its a necessity, i.e. testing JavaScript > interaction with Flex project. Jump to definition (Ctrl+Click) > X > *√* > Its a must-needed feature for an IDE but missing in FD. Jumping to ANY > definition by CTRL+Click on any component reference is a much required > feature which I think available in most of the IDEs today, but its not > available in FD. Right-click and Goto Declaration only available in API > default classes even not for properties. Content Assist menu (Ctrl+Space) > X > *√* > Although FD gives this feature to open Content Assist menu, it does not > work inside parentheses persistently. As an example I’d like to have > available values for a particular property when the cursor stays inside the > parentheses for a property (i.e. horizontalAlign=””); this increases typo > many a time. Declaring a particular component is Easy > X > *√* > Unlike FB, FD doesn’t give any option to declare many additional property > except the file name - for a MXML class. A MXML class file can be of varied > type with different properties which can be define in creation time in FB > but not in FD. It just straight creates an Application type of MXML and > that is all. Thankfully for .AS class type it gives a dialogue like FB > where user can define many such properties for the AS class. Importing > component from an attached library project is Easy > X > *√* > Importing a component from attached Library project is not that easy in FD > - the component never comes in Content Assist menu (Ctrl+Space) until you > manually declare its ‘xmlns’ path in importing container’s declaration tag > - this is very much automated in FB, though. Coding easiness > X > *√* > Curly brackets never gets closed automatically in FD. Running > multi-library project > X > *√* > I never able to run a project stitched in a multi-library manner in FD > (Main calls LibA where LibA calls LiB). Help is right on tool-tip > X > *√* > Its a handy feature where FB shows Help block as tooltip when accessing > any component/class through Content Assists menu (Ctrl+Space). Just > hovering the cursor over a declared component/reference also shows help > block which is very handy time to time. FD unfortunately doesn’t have such > feature. > > Thanks & Regards, > > > Santanu Karar > sant...@prominic.net | Skype: santanuprominic > Mob: +91 98364 68934 > > [image: Inactive hide details for Justin M. Hill---23/09/2014 09:32:45 > AM---Apache Flex Team, I attended the Flex 360 conference with m]Justin > M. Hill---23/09/2014 09:32:45 AM---Apache Flex Team, I attended the Flex > 360 conference with many of you earlier this year in San Jose. > > > > From: > > > Justin M. Hill/A55555/PNI > > To: > > > dev@flex.apache.org > > Cc: > > > Héctor A <neverbi...@gmail.com>, Mika Palmu <m...@j3r.com>, V > Chandrasekhar <shake...@yahoo.com>, Santanu Karar/A55C03/PNI@PNI, Walker > L. Dalton/A55E1D/PNI@PNI, Joel C. Anderson/A55D78/PNI@PNI > > Date: > > > 23/09/2014 09:32 AM > > Subject: > > > Public campaign to improve FlashDevelop specificall for Apache Flex > ------------------------------ > > > Apache Flex Team, > > I attended the Flex 360 conference with many of you earlier this year in > San Jose. While I do not follow the list daily, I know you are all working > very hard and we appreciate it very much. > > > One of the most important things Apache Flex needs to succeed is a 100% > free, easy to use, cross platform IDE which runs on Mac, Linux, and > Windows. Obviously Flash Builder, FDT, and IntelliJ are all options > already. > > When I started to evaluate the next investment we would make in IDE > tooling post-Adobe, I came across this comparison: > > > http://www.simtechmedia.com/blog/2010/10/ide-showdown-intellij-fdt-flashdevelop-2/ > > This in turn got me interested in FlashDevelop. Even though it was > Windows-only, I decided to work with my contacts at > https://www.codeweavers.com (a commercial support company for WINE) to > get it working under our standard development platform: Mac. > > In a relatively short period of time, I was able to get FlashDevelop to > work on Mac. I then made a nominal donation to Mika (one of the > FlashDevelop project leads) to alert him to this breakthrough and encourage > him to spend time testing on Mac. He also found it to be mostly a success. > Mika then went on to create a CrossTie installer which makes it easier > for other users to install FlashDevelop on Mac and Linux using CrossOver. > > [Side note for Mac and Linux users: I realize CrossOver is commercial and > if it is a dependency for FlashDevelop on Mac and Linux, it is not totally > free on those platforms. I am not concerned with that and hope the topic > does not steer in that direction.] > > I then asked Santanu, Walker, and Joel to review Flash Builder compared to > FlashDevelop on Mac to determine what else needs to make FlashDevelop an > acceptable replacement for Flash Builder. Santanu produced a PDF which I > will ask him to reply to this message in text form with the contents of the > PDF in a text readable fashion so that it is readable on the mailing list. > > I asked Mika to commit to a full test of all FlashDevelop features on Mac, > including Flash player debugging, compiling, Apache Flex installer testing, > etc. He then put me in contact with Hector who he indicated may have more > time and had already started a campaign to raise funds to enable him to > dedicated more time to improve FlashDevelop for Flex: > > > https://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=4296888&type=member&item=5905327257437630464&commentID=5920018570217009152&report%2Esuccess=8ULbKyXO6NDvmoK7o030UNOYGZKrvdhBhypZ_w8EpQrrQI-BBjkmxwkEOwBjLE28YyDIxcyEO7_TA_giuRN#commentID_5920018570217009152 > > https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flashdevelop-improved-flex-support > > > There is at least one other commercial entity set to help Hector meet his > fundraising goals. Between the other company and Prominic, along with > anyone else who can help, we can and will make FlashDevelop better for > Flex. We need to see it better specifically on Mac as well, and I would > like to ask other Mac users out there in the Flex world to participate now > in defining exactly what goals we need Hector to achieve. > > Please categorize these into at least two different areas. > A) Making FlashDevelop great for Apache Flex > > B) Making FlashDevelop great for Apache Flex under Mac and Linux using > CrossOver. > > > I envision FlashDevelop having an integrated Apache Flex installation > process that works without the confusion of the current one which offers > too many different downloads. I would like to see a launch page that > makes it very easy to get started with your first Flex project. > Similarly, a start page might also be appropriate for those interested in > FeathersUI or pure Flash work. Right now everything is assumed that the > user will know how to create a project for their preferred target, and that > is not as intuitive as it should be. > > I would also like to see better import support for Flash Builder projects, > and thorough testing of the integrated Flash Player with debug mode enabled > under CrossOver, or possibly integrated with running the Mac version of the > debug player. > > Santanu, please reply with your specific list of requests. > Hector, please integrate Santanu's request into your master list and reply > back as well. > > I welcome anyone else who can provide concrete direction for the goal > list. The last revision I had from Hector on September 17, 2014 is as > follows: > > *1. package: Code Completion and MXML* > > 1. *Code completion bugfixes:* there are some bugs in code completion. > ie.: sometimes it forgets the inherited properties until I open the base > class. > 2. *Replace file bugfixes: *there are extreme bugs when I try to > replace a file or a folder, and FD updates the namespaces. Sometimes it > deletes codes and replaces wrong texts. It’s very dangerous, but it would > be very useful. > 3. *Custom mxml component code completion support in AS files:* FD > should support not only native, but custom MXML components. It partly have > code completion when we use an mxml class in AS files, but mostly inherited > properties and functions are disappear. > 4. *Mxml generation:* Code generation (like class generation) and > completion during editing MXML files. > 5. *Manifest support: *You can define custom manifest files, where can > describe for flex compiler the names and class paths (ie: <component > id="Text" class="com.ui.controls.Text"/>). We would like a native support > for these files. > 6. *Code navigation inside mxml*: With F4 FD should jump to the > inherited property as in native AS files. > 7. *Relative path support inside custom configs*: we use custom > configs, for defining our custom flex mxml manifest files, but the Flex SDK > requires absolute path-s (or at least relative to mxmlc compiler). We would > need a path support like in template generation (ie.: $(ProjectPath) ) > > > *2. package: RSL and SWC* > > 1. *Real RSL support: *right now it has config in the project settings > for RSL, but it was impossible to make it work. Right now I can use it with > additional compiler options, but it’s really difficult to disable-enable it > all the time. > 2. *SWC generation support: *there is already a plugin, but it’s very > limited and have a lot of bugs. It should also have the possibility for > selectable generation, like in Flash Builder. > 3. *Support for RSL generation:* native support for generate RSL files > from generated SWC. (it most be unzipped, optimized with the Flex > optimizer, and signed) > > > > *3. package: FlexUnit* > > 1. *Flex unit support: *native support for FlexUnit testing. It should > show the test results and detailed informations about the where did the > test break. > > > > *4. package: Debugging* > > 1. *Breakpoint stack filter: *sometimes there is a huge list in > breakpoint stack, and it would be great to have a filter in this list by > keywords (positive and negative). Filter also should support regexp and > escaped characters. > 2. *Visual debugger, inspector (similar to firebug): *it would be > great to have a live inspector like in firebug. Inspect the DisplayObject > tree, jump on the tree with I mouse click (like inspect in FireBug), live > change the properties of any class (right now there is something like this, > but it’s not enough user friendly) > 3. *Profiler improvements*: in Flash Builder there are some nice > features in the profiler that would be also great in FD. > 4. *Flex state handling: *native code completion support for Flex > States. > > > *5. package: UI improvements* > > 1. *Intelligent CTRL+C and CTRL+V*: after width = exactWidth ctrl+v > generates height = exactHeight. For sure it should have a different > shortcut like CTRL+ALT+V and CTRL+ALT+C or something like that. > 2. *Interface generation from code: *sometimes we create code before > the interface, so we would need a plugin, that generates interface from > code. > 3. *Crl+click navigate support: *it should do the same as F4. It’s a > very nice feature in a FD plugin, and sometimes it’s very handy. > 4. *Ignore whitespaces search:* in every search there should be a > checkbox to ignore whitespaces. So if it’s enabled it would search for > myVar = ", when the code is myVar = > "something". > 5. *Negative filter in search:* we could specify a negative filter for > the search. So for example I want to find every SampleVO string, but only > in those classes where there is no SomethingVO. Like in google the negative > filter (ie: flash RSL –adobe) > > > *6. package: Mercurial HG* > > 1. *Real HG support: *it would be great to have an integrated HG > Mercurial support like in PHP storm > > > > Thank you, > > Justin Hill > http://Prominic.NET <http://prominic.net/> > Skype: JustinProminic > https://twitter.com/JustinProminic > https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinprominic > > >
