ActionScript and Flex

In this section:

• ActionScript and Flex
  • Basics
  • ActionScript and Flex support
  • FlexUnit support
• Preparing for ActionScript or Flex Application Development
• Creating and Editing ActionScript and Flex Application Elements
• Working with Build Configurations
• Configuring Dependencies for Modular Applications
• Building ActionScript and Flex Applications
• Running and Debugging ActionScript and Flex Applications
• Packaging AIR Applications
• Importing Adobe Flash Builder Projects
• Testing ActionScript and Flex Applications
• ActionScript-Specific Refactorings

Basics

To support ActionScript and Flex, IntelliJ IDEA provides:

• The Flash/Flex Support plugin. This plugin is bundled with the IDE and must be enabled.
• A dedicated module type (Flash).
• Build configurations for the various target platforms (Web, Desktop and Mobile) and output types (SWF and SWC).
• Dedicated run/debug configuration types (Flash App, FlexUnit and Flash Remote Debug).
• The ActionScript Profiler and Flash UI Designer plugins. These plugins are available for download from the JetBrains repository. For more information, see Profiling CPU in Flash and Flex Applications. See also, Installing, Updating and Uninstalling Repository Plugins.

ActionScript and Flex support

ActionScript and Flex support includes:

• Code completion, including completion of statements (⇧⌘⏎ or ⇧⌘⏎⇧⌘⏎ or ⇧⌘⏎⇧⌘⏎ or ⇧⌘⏎^ ⇧ Enter, ⌃⇧⏎ or ⌃⇧⏎^ ⇧ Enter, ⌃⇧⏎ or ⌃⇧⏎) and Smart Type completion (⌃⇧Space or ⌃⇧Space⌃⇧Space or ⌃⇧Space⌥⇧Space or ⌥⇧Space⇧ ⌥ Space, ⌥⇧Space or ⌥⇧Space^ ⇧ Space, ^ ⌥ Slash, ⌃⇧Space, ⌃⌥/, ⌃⇧Space or ⌃⌥/).
• Error and syntax highlighting.
• ActionScript and Flex code refactorings:
  • Change Method Signature.
  • Delegate Methods.
  • Extract Interface.
  • Extract Method.
  • Extract Superclass.
  • Inline.
  • Introduce Constant.
  • Introduce Field.
  • Extract Parameter.
  • Introduce Variable.
  • Move a class or an interface to a package.
  • Move Inner to Upper Level for moving classes, functions, variables, constants and namespaces declared outside of packages into a package.
  • Move/Copy a file.
  • Move Static Members.
  • Pull Members up, Push Members down.
  • Rename a file, function, variable, parameter, property or label (both directly and via references).
  • Safe Delete a file.
• ActionScript and Flex code inspections and quick-fixes.
• Intention Actions for creating various application elements.
• Code formatting and folding.
• Advanced Search and Navigation, plus Structure View.
• Enhanced navigation with gutter icons.
• Navigation from CSS properties and selectors to their declarations in ActionScript (⌘B, ⌘Button1 Click, Button2 Click, ⌘B, ⌘Button1 Click or Button2 Click⌘B, ⌘Button1 Click, Button2 Click, ⌘B, ⌘Button1 Click or Button2 ClickF3, ⌃Button1 Click, F3 or ⌃Button1 ClickF12, ⇧ F2, ^ B, ^ Button1 Click, Button2 Click, F12, ⇧F2, ⌃B, ⌃Button1 Click, Button2 Click, F12, ⇧F2, ⌃B, ⌃Button1 Click or Button2 Click^ ⌥ G, Escape, Period, ⌥ Period, ^ Button1 Click, ⌃⌥G, ⎋, ., ⌥., ⌃Button1 Click, ⌃⌥G, ⎋, ., ⌥. or ⌃Button1 Click).
• Possibility to build ActionScript and Flex applications using various compiler shells and compilation options.
• Support for breakpoints and specific run/debug configurations for debugging ActionScript and Flex applications directly from IntelliJ IDEA.
• ActionScript and Flex-aware debugger that lets you execute applications step by step, evaluate expressions, examine related information and find runtime bugs.
• Quick Javadoc (F1, ⌃J, ⌃Button2 Click, F1, ⌃J or ⌃Button2 Click⌃J, ⌃Button2 Click, ⌃J or ⌃Button2 Click⌥Button2 Click, F2, ⌥Button2 Click or F2^ Q, ⌃Q or ⌃Q^ Q, ⌥ Button2 Click, ⌃Q, ⌥Button2 Click, ⌃Q or ⌥Button2 Click) for AsDoc.
• BlazeDS support.
• AIR application development support at all stages of application development cycle. Development of AIR applications for mobile devices is also supported. For basic how-to information, see New in IntelliJ IDEA 10.5: Develop Mobile AIR Applications for Android.
• Possibility to create pure ActionScript applications.
• ActionScript live templates: File | Settings | Live Templates | ActionScript and JavaScript groups.
• Ability to wrap and unwrap code constructs in ActionScript and MXML (⌥⌘T or ⌥⌘T⌥⌘T or ⌥⌘T⌥⌘Z or ⌥⌘Z^ ⌥ T, ⌃⌥T or ⌃⌥T^ ⌥ T, ⌃⌥T or ⌃⌥T and ⇧⌘⌦ or ⇧⌘⌦⇧⌘⌦ or ⇧⌘⌦^ ⇧ Delete, ⌃⇧⌦ or ⌃⇧⌦^ ⇧ Delete, ⌃⇧⌦ or ⌃⇧⌦).
• Type Hierarchy (⌃H or ⌃H⌃H or ⌃HF4 or F4⌥ H, ⌥H or ⌥H^ H, ⌃H or ⌃H), Method Hierarchy (⇧⌘H or ⇧⌘H⇧⌘H or ⇧⌘H⇧⌘H or ⇧⌘H^ ⇧ H, ⌃⇧H or ⌃⇧H^ ⇧ H, ⌃⇧H or ⌃⇧H) and Call Hierarchy (⌃⌥H or ⌃⌥H⌃⌥H or ⌃⌥H⌃⌥H or ⌃⌥H^ ⌥ H, ⌃⌥H or ⌃⌥H^ ⌥ H, ⌃⌥H or ⌃⌥H) for Flex sources (*.mxml and *.as files).
• Easy import of Flex projects created in Adobe Flash Builder.
• Import of Flexmojos projects. See Working with Flexmojos projects in IntelliJ IDEA. See the description of related import setting.
• ActionScript and Flex UML class diagrams. Among the features is the ability to view changes in ActionScript source files in a structured visual form.

FlexUnit support

IntelliJ IDEA supports the versions 0.9 and 4 of FlexUnit, a unit testing framework for Flex and ActionScript applications and libraries.

FlexUnit support includes:

• Dedicated FlexUnit run/debug configurations to run a single test method, test suite, all methods in a certain test class, or all test classes in a given package.
• Ability to perform the tests both in the run and the debug modes.
• Support for Flunit tests via FlexUnit 4 test runner.
• FlexUnit-aware code inspections (turned off by default).