GUI Framework for flash (as3)

Question

I can't seem to find any GUI framework's for as3 that are as good as any the applications I already see out on the web; Is this something most people code themselves or am I missing something in flash itself?

I'm looking for dialogs/windows, buttons, text boxes, combos, drop downs, menus, etc etc and the ability to extend the components to make new ones.

I'd also prefer it to be as3 but any others will do also.

May need to elaborate a little.. I'm actually looking for a framework to allow me to create my own GUIs in flash, custom skins, colors, styles, etc.

Answer 1

FlashDevelop3

open sourcy

http://www.flashdevelop.org/community/viewforum.php?f=11

You might also try FlexBuilder

Answer 2

Short answer: Here is the list of base controls.

Long answer: Yes, there are many controls (such as buttons, text boxes, combo boxes, etc) already built into Flash / Flex.

Here is one tutorial I've found helpful that gives a brief intro to using some components (buttons) without using Flex Builder.

If you use something like Flex Builder, you will get full access to these objects in a friendly drag-and-drop environment, however, it is not necessary to purchase Adobe tools to develop with these, so long as you're comfortable using something like FlashDevelop or the free command-line mxmlc compiler.

Check out the fl.controls namespace in Adobe Live Docs for a complete list of these base controls included in Flash / Flex.

Answer 3

The important thing to note is that there are two UI frameworks which have some apparent overlap. One in flash, the other in Flex. In order to use flex, you'll need the Flex SDK. The Flex SDK is free, but flex builder is not (The IDE adaptation of Eclipse.)

Really flex is just a set of libraries and frameworks in as3.

Most of the packages are in the namespace "mx.", and even though the component names are the same (Button in flash, Button in Flex) flex has a much more robust framework.

You will also increase the size of your swf file by 30 to 50k, but if you are looking for robust UI, it's well worth it.

I'd also recommend learning how to use the ResourceBundle and CSS capabilities of flex, as localization and skinning are much simplified by the use of both.

Answer 4

http://developer.yahoo.com/flash/

Answer 5

I quite like Liquid Components, they extend the basic Flash components so they need that slightly bulky framework, but they're very easy to skin. If you want "small and neat" I'd go for MinimalComps.

Answer 6

Just adding to the ones above: ASwing.

Answer 7

There is also a framework I have been working on called LiquidGear that has taken a lot of tweaks and tips and workarounds and combined them into AS3 elements. It uses the same structure as JQuery.

Using the elements in an MVC framework (the Shell) or individually, you can add an image, for example in just two lines of code...

var img:Image = new Image({id:'myImg', src:'/IMG/myFolder/photo.jpg'}); addChild(img);

You can extend these into components such as the HoverButton.