Flex Stuff by Gilles Guillemin

UPDATED (07/04/2010):
I’ve updated the example (and the source code) to reflect some things added in the comments and also added a new stepFade property (see the example).

Finally, I’ve also updated the example “content” so it’s more in phase with the season…

Last month I already showed you how cool Flex 4′s new layout system is with my TimeMachine Layout. Pretty much at the same time I knocked together another example, the good ol’ CoverFlow but with my new gig in Paris for Keytree/SAP/Publicis I didn’t get the chance to publish it until now.

Here it is! As usual, just click on the picture to launch it and right-click to see the source.

Flex 4: CoverFlow Layout (click to Launch)

Same disclaimer as for the TimeMachine layout: it’s not optimized, some things can certainly be done a different/better way, but at least it works reasonably well and gives another idea of how easy it is to implement complex layouts with Flex 4.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas/Happy New Year!

The new layout architecture in Flex 4 is pretty cool. It’s much much simpler to implement complex layouts than what was possible with Flex 3. So the other day I was asked to develop a TimeMachine-like layout. It eventually ended up being done with Flex 3 but before that I had a chance to give a try with the new layout system.

So I picked a bit of Evtim’s Wheel layout, added a bit of Ryan Campbell’s 5 3D Layouts (who got himself inspired by Evtim’s example), blended the whole thing in my own recipe and ended up with something I thought I should share (source is available by right-clicking on the demo after launching it):

Flex 4: Animated TimeMachine Layout (click to Launch)

It’s not optimized, some things can certainly be done a different/better way, but at least it works reasonably well and gives another idea of how easy it is to implement complex layouts with Flex 4.

For the past few days, I’ve started – like many others – toying with the new kids on the block: namely Flash Builder 4 and Flash Catalyst. As I’m going back to implementing the Tailgate Platform, I’m considering switching straight ahead to the new versions, even though they are not fully completed. But before jumping in the dark (and into a possible nightmare) I’m weighting my options. Among the potential issues / greatness is the Flash Catalyst / Flash Builder workflow.

It seems that this famous seamless workflow between designers and developers is the selling point for Adobe. But it’s not quite there yet, unfortunately. Continue Reading…