Monday, March 07, 2011

ActionScript Editing in Flash Builder 4

I've been developing ActionScript for a long time now and have done most of my editing inside the Flash IDE. I've tried other ActionScript editors such as SEPY, but was never satisfied with anything else. Surely, the code hinting, code completion, and overall performance of the ActionScript editor in Flash CS5 is much better than any other version. When writing code that would require a class file, the Flash ActionScript panel now imports the appropriate classes, which is nice.

Recently however, I've been playing around with Flash Builder's ActionScript editor, and I have to say, it's pretty amazing. Not only is there code hinting, but it's almost like coding with the ActionScript library in your hands. Available assets and their definitions appear side-by-side in an expandable view. Classes get imported when needed here too. When you start developing an ActionScript class in Flash, you have the option of developing it in the Flash IDE or in Flash Builder. I'm pretty sure I'll be building them in Flash Builder from now on.


The code coloring in both apps (you think they would be) are not the same though, so for an average Flash user, it takes a while to get used to the code coloring in Flash Builder. Another thing that's a little aggravating about Flash Builder is the way it manages class structure and packaging. I'm sure in time, I'll get used to it.

So out of curiosity, what editor do you use? Can you recommend anything else?

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