ActionScript3 User Interface Components?

Question

After using AS2 for several years, I'm getting started with writing applications in AS3 (Flash9/Flash10). I've come to the point where I need some full sets of GUI components, and I need to decide which set I'm going to use. Back in the AS2 days, the built in components included with flash were pretty crappy - bloated filesize, slow, buggy, etc. However, I heard good things about the new ones (included with CS3). So I'm looking for advice from people who have used a few different sets.

Component sets I've heard of:

1. CS3 Components - downside, I need to fiddle with the CS3 IDE, I'd prefer to work all from FlashDevelop only.
2. Flex Components - downside, I need the Flex Framework, meaning I have to start with a MXML file, plus the bloat of the framework
3. bit101's MinimalComps - These look like they might be a good starting point, though a bit limited
4. ASwing A3 - These look interesting, but they seem a bit overengineered.

Ideally, they would be lightweight, have a decent API, and not be overly complex.

Answer 1

If you are making a GUI application, this is exactly what Flex is for. As well as the built-in types you get a visual editor which is very nice, cool binding functionality, and other stuff like built-in drag & drop.

Answer 2

Flex framework has a nice, consistent API that I wouldn't consider "bloated" - yes, it's a feature-packed UI framework but basic things like buttons and layout panels don't require any deep knowledge. And XML-based language for UIs is a blessing (all modern UI platforms do that, be it DHTML, Flex or WPF/Silverlight).

Answer 3

Go with the Cs3 ones - created by Grant Skinner I think.

Answer 4

Yahoo's Astra components aren't bad either: http://developer.yahoo.com/flash/astra-flash/

Answer 5

I'm actually a fan of the CS3 ones mainly because it is so easy to just double click on those bad boys and edit right in the Flash IDE using the drawing tools. Very helpful for those times where you have to rapidly push a skinned video player to production...

On the open source side there's also Thimbault Imbert's Liquid Components (http://www.bytearray.org/?p=137) demo here (http://www.bytearray.org/?p=109)...

It's pretty darn awesome and does runtime skinning which was a major time saver in a project I was working on. Pretty easy to get started with too...