Handling snippets in Flex Builder

 

Handling snippets in Flex Builder

by Ivan Ilijasic on March 7, 2009 Avg Rating 4.3 (4)   |   Log in to rate post.

Tagged with Components , code snippets , MXML , Flex and other technologies , flex plugin

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Problem Summary

How to create your own collection of code snippets and handle them in Flex Builder?

Solution Summary

It is very easy to have your own code snippets inside of Flex Builder IDE by using Web Standards Tools plugin.

Explanation

When you are developing in Flex framework, you usually do similar things all the time. I was creating PHP/Flex application and I was doing a lot of things with HTTPService objects. In one moment I realized that I created more than 20 same objects and every time I was doing the same thing - writing code for specific HTTPService object with a different ID, URL and result handler.

After some time I decided that I need a repository for code snippets. After some time, I found that there is a plugin for Flex  Builder that can help me.

If you want to have the same functionality in your Flex Builder IDE, follow these instructions.

1. Select Help > Software Updates > Find and Install.

2. Select 'Search for new features to install' and click 'Next'.

3. Check 'Europa Discovery Site' and click 'Finish'.

4. After that you need to select the closest mirror server.

5. Under 'Web and Java Development' select 'Web Standard Tools. Click on 'Selected Required' so that you can install all the necessary plugins for WST.

6. Finish the installation and restart Flex Builder IDE.

7. To show  Snippets panel go to Window > Other Views and on General node select Snippets. A Snippets panel will show on the bottom of the screen. You can drag it by the Components panel, so that you can have all the 'drag and drop' option on one side of your IDE.

8. Take mouse cursor over the Snippets panel and make right click. Select customize.

9. First you can create snippet categories, e.g. create Actionscript and nonVisual MXML  categories. After you created snippet categories, follow the same procedure and select an option to create new snippet item. Every snippet has its name, description, template and variables. You use variables to make placeholders in a snippet template.

10. I created a HTTP service snippet in nonVisual MXML category. My snippet has three variables: Id, Url and resultEvent. And my snippet template looks like this:

<mx:HTTPService id="${Id}" url="${Url}" result="${ResultHandler}"/>

I hope that this will help you and improve your efficiency.