Last time I wrote I talked about the reasons why developing Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) with Adobe Flex is a good idea. Today I want to introduce a method that works very well for developing Flash and Flex applications and the best part is that it allows developers to harness Flash’s power for free!

One of the most luring factors regarding Flash and Flex technology is that Adobe has made the framework completely open-source and has provided developers worldwide with a robust and mature Software Development Kit (SDK) called, unsurprisingly, the Flex SDK. The current stable version as of December 28, 2009 is Flex SDK 3.4 but by early 2010 Flex 4 will be released.

Adobe, being a for-profit company, obviously has wonderful products specially designed to make the process of developing Flash and Flex applications as easy and efficient as possible for developers and animators; Flash Professional CS4 and Flex Builder 3, although the name of the latter will be changed to Flash Builder 4 when Flex SDK 4 is released, are examples of such applications. For some individuals, paying for Adobe’s proprietary software is well worth it because they cater almost-perfectly to the specific needs of Flash and Flex developers. Most of them argue that developing in Flash CS4 or even Flex Builder 3 is a lot easier than developing with the open-source alternatives because there is no need to set-up the Adobe Flex SDK, set up the Adobe compiler, the process is streamlined, and debugging is a lot easier. In some respects, I agree with some of their points but once you understand how to set-up the SDK, obtain a powerful, lightweight, open-source IDE specifically designed for Flash developers, and get the same results that one would get with Flex Builder 3 or Flash CS4 minus the cost of purchasing them, there is no little chance anybody would want it another way – ok maybe if you are an animator buying Flash CS4 does makes sense because it does makes it easier to animate, but for developers there are alternatives to Flex Builder 3.

So if you are a developer who is interested in developing Flash and Flex applications but do not want to shell out $249 for Flex Builder 3 or $699 for Flash CS4 this post is for you. Below I have a list of the software you need to obtain in order to develop Flash applications completely free.

Software needed

· Adobe Flex SDK 3.4 (required)

· Adobe Flash Player 10 Debugger Projector version (required)

· FlashDevelop 3.0.6 IDE (highly recommended)

· FlexDBG Debugger for FlashDevelop (highly recommended)

How to Get It Working

1. Download the open-source Adobe Flex SDK 3.4 from Adobe’s website: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?e=flex3sdk

2. Uncompress the archive and install it in an easy to remember location. Example: “C:\flex_sdk_3.4”

3. Download the Debugger Projector version of Adobe Flash Player from Adobe’s website: http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html

4. Move the downloaded file to the location that you placed the Flex SDK. Example: “C:\flex_sdk_3.4”

5. Download the FlashDevelop IDE from the following website: http://www.flashdevelop.org/wikidocs/index.php?title=Main_Page

6. Install FlashDevelop and configure it to work with the Adobe Flex SDK installed previously.

a. Open FlashDevelop and go to ‘Tools’ -> ‘Program Settings…’

b. When the Program Settings window appears, select ‘AS3Context’ under the ‘Plugins’ header in the left bar.

c. The ‘AS3Context’ options will appear in the right container. Scroll down to ‘Language’ and modify the ‘Flex SDK Location’ inserting the path where you installed the SDK. Example: “C:\flex_sdk_3.4”

d. Click ‘Close’

7. Download the FlexDGB Debugger for use in FlashDevelop from the following website: http://www.flashdevelop.org/community/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4660&start=0

8. Uncompress the archive and move the files to the ‘Plugins’ folder inside the ‘Application Files’ of FlashDevelop.

a. Open FlashDevelop’s and go to ‘Tools’ -> ‘Application Files’

b. When the ‘Application Files’ window appears on screen click on the ‘Plugins’ folder

c. Paste the FlexDBG files that came with the archive inside this folder.

d. Close the ‘Application Files’ window and restart FlashDevelop

e. You should now see a ‘Debug’ option in the top application bar. Whenever you want to start a debugging session, make sure you build the project first and then press ‘Start’ on the debug menu.

Although this set-up is only one of the ways to develop Flash applications with Adobe Flex SDK 3.4, it is one that many developers use and is a viable alternative to Flex Builder 3. So there you have it, an open-source alternative to buying expensive software for Flash and Flex application development. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please leave a comment below. I hope you enjoyed this post and I am looking forward to seeing your creations!