Flex Builder 3 Beta 3 - The First 24 Hours
Saturday, December 15th, 2007Every time you upgrade to a new version of software it of course takes you a couple of weeks to get accustomed to changes and new features. For fun I’m going to highlight a few things I noticed within the first 24 hours of using Flex builder Beta 3 vs. Beta 2.
Application Menu
The first thing I noticed is a few new entries in the application menu. The are now immediate shortcuts to import Artwork and Web Services and to export a Release Build. Additionally, when you choose to import a project. You now have the option of importing a project folder, instead of just a zip file that must have been specially exported from Flex Builder. Thank you Flex Builder Team this is a huge feature. I no longer have to create new projects and copy folders because a code sample zip file wasn’t exported from Flex Builder.
Reorganized Help Docs
The help documentation files have been reorganized so it is much easier to find what you’re looking for without having to dig through seven layers of nested docs to find it. The only thing I would have appreciated here is some notes about what class methods/properties had been deprecated between Beta 2 and 3. This is especially noticeable in the AIR Beta 3 docs.
Advanced UI Constraints(Gone!)
Also noted here on Deepa Subramaniam’s blog, this feature has been dropped from Flex Builder 3. Sad to hear this, because honestly, this made Flex Builder 3 a pleasure to work with. But fortunately, the feature will be back in the future. On the bright side, a feature drop like this does give us an indication that the Flex Builder Team is really starting to finalize things for release. They obviously dropped it because they don’t have the time to make it work flawlessly before release. The Flex Builder Planning document states early 2008 as the release period for Flex Builder 3. Here’s hoping for March.
Can’t use Flex 2 License to Extend Trial Period
You should be happy for this feature. Flex Builder 3 Beta 3 expires after 90 days. Flex Builder 3 was released on 12/12/07. If you installed on 12/12/07, your Flex Builder will expire on 3/11/08. Take that how you will, but it looks like a good omen for a probable release date (or at least a projected release date). It’s just a guess, so don’t take my word on it, it’s not like I’m on the Flex Builder Team.