Flex: New Project Settings

When starting a new Flex project there are a few settings I like to use by default.

Changes to Flex Compiler
Flex Compiler options for a project can be found by right-clicking the project and selecting properties. Select Flex Compiler from the menu on the left. The following properties should be added to the Additional compiler arguments field.

When you're reading local xml files or image you might run into a sandbox security Error# 2140 or ReferenceError Error# 1069 using the HTTPService object. Use this switch to stop the error.
-use-network=false


The loading background color of a Flex app can be changed. Use this switch to change the property.
-default-background-color [HTML COLOR VALUE]
I typically use #FFFFFF.


Changes to the Application
I like to use a simple background for Flex apps. Add this property to the mx:Application to make the background white.
styleName="plain"

Snow Leopard (10.6): Show the month and day in the menu bar

Snow Leopard(10.6) has a new option for Date & Time in System Preferences. You can now have the day, month and day of the month show in the menu bar. You could do this before, but it required a bit of hacking in the International section.

Goto System Preferences and select Date & Time. Click the Clock tab and check "Show the day of the week".

Your menu bar should look something like this now.

Flex: Switching the debug default browser

I've started working in Flex quite a bit now. One of things that has bothered me is Flex always launches a debug window in Internet Explorer. I've been having some problems with the browser and would like to use something different, but couldn't figure out how to switch it. Someone showed me how this morning.

1) Goto Window => Preferences

2) Goto General => Web Browser

3) Select the browser you want to launch in the "External Web browsers" window.

Now your debug session should launch in your browser of choice.