Comments on: To Google & Yahoo!: Please Distribute Map APIs for Developers Who Dont Use the Flex SDK!

By: jadd

jadd — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:43:12 +0000

hello greg, i would like to see how…..and where. why? im trying to do the same things but with issues … mind to share your experience?..
rmingardo at gmail dot com

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 02 May 2009 05:03:34 +0000

I recently added the Google Maps Flash API swc to a Flex Actionscript only project without any issues at all. I did fail at using the Flex distribution in a Flex Actionscript only project though. Strangely enough nobody ever touches on this anywhere in the Google API docs. No hacks involved just the standard add swc to build path import the classes and everything works. I even built one in Pure MVC framework to make it part of a large application np. Why would they not tell people? It’s like they think pure Actionscript is not viable. Not only is it viable it is lean and powerful. Maybe pure Actionscript people are just the talented minority.

By: Stephen Koch

Stephen Koch — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:18:35 +0000

@Bryan B
Can you provide a simple example or some direction for compiling a simple map from Flash CS3?

I have placed the Google Maps SWC in the proper location however cannot simply:

import com.google.maps.Map;
trace(Map)

While compiling a swf from command line using Flex 3 SDK is nice, it would be easier and less cumbersome (for me) to be able to write my packages/classes and compile directly from Flash!

Thanks.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:04:15 +0000

Josh C: I too am worried about whats driving the AS3 community. Its still too early to point the finger, but I am definitely worried that. Adobe should really update CS3 or the next version of the Flash IDE to be able to attach SWC libraries, created with the Flex SDK, to an FLA. These libraries would of course need to not be dependent on the Flex framework. I think this would immediately solve our problem.

By: Josh Chernoff

Josh Chernoff — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:20:26 +0000

Matt thank you for saying what I could not in such a kind tone. I will admit I have made plenty of rants on this topic and I should be more courteous about all the great work google and yahoo have done for us.

I think the think that “offends me” about this last API by google is their statements about flex vs flash.

::Quote from google::
“Some developers author purely within the Flash application to create and arrange content, and add ActionScript within that framework. Other developers use a full-featured IDE such as Adobe® Flex® Builder to create robust applications with heavy use of ActionScript.”

I’m sorry but that statement offends me. Since when is flash incapable of being a full-featured IDE.

I dislike how the flex community is driving the AS3 community away from the flash IDE. And I believe that is the bottom line for the choice in Flex vs Flash with Yahoo and Google. It’s because flex is what they developed it in and flex is what they want to promote!

Josh Tynjala – I know you would argue that but can you say your flash team developed the last version of your map API in the flash IDE? and since the core UILoader component differs from each other you have to make a choice of making a component for flash or flex. They both picked flex in the end.

The thing that bothers me the most is the capability’s are far great with the level of things that you could do with the API’s had they been made with the Flash Framework. It sad because it just came down to it’s easier to develop in flex.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:48:29 +0000

Josh: I’ll be waiting patiently! I know you mentioned to me before that you guys are working on one, I’ve just gotten impatient. Don’t take offense to my rant.

Bryan: I’m aware you can go AS only, and I failed to be clear that my gripe applies specifically to the SDK, not so much Flex Builder or the Flex framework. I’ve made an edit or two that hopefully clears that up. Thanks!