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Methods | Properties | Effects | Events | Styles

mx.core
Class Application

class Application
extends mx.containers.Box

Flex defines a default, or Application, container that lets you start adding content to your application without explicitly defining another container. Flex creates this container from the <mx:Application> tag, the first tag in an MXML application file. While you might find it convenient to use the Application container as the only container in your application, in most cases you explicitly define at least one more container before you add any controls to your application.

The Application container is a Box container with the direction set to Vertical by default. It inherits all of the properties of the Box container. This means you can use all of the MXML tag properties and ActionScript methods of the Box container with the <mx:Application> tag.

To revert the style settings of the Application to the plain settings, use the following:

<mx:Application styleName="plain" />

This sets the following:
backgroundcolor="0xFFFFFF;
margintTop="0";
marginBottom="0";
marginLeft="0";
marginRight="0";
horizontalAlign="left";

MXML Syntax

The <mx:Application>tag inherits all the properties of it parent classes, except for the direction property of Box, and the following properties:

 <mx:Application
   application="No default."
   backgroundImage="Defaults to gray gradient"
   backgroundSize="100%"
   frameRate="24"
   height="100%"
   horizontaAlign="center|left|right"
   horizontalGap="8"
   marginBottom="24"
   marginTop="24"
   pageTitle"No default."
   preloader="No default."
   resetHistory="true|false"
   scriptRecursionLimit="1000"
   scriptTimeLimit="60"
   selfContained=""
   theme="No default."
   usePreloader="true|false"
   verticalAlign="top|bottom|middle"
   verticalGap="8">
   width="100%"
   xmlns="No default."
   ...
     child tags
   ...
 />

The following MXML properties are built into the compiler, not into the Application class itself. For more information, see the chapter `Using the Application Container` in the `Developing Flex Applications` book:

frameRate: Specifies the frame rate of the application. The default value is 24.
pageTitle: Specifies a string that appears in the title bar of the browser. This property provides the same functionality as the HTML <title> tag.
preloader: Specifies the path of a SWC component class or ActionScript component class that defines a custom progress bar. A SWC component must be in the same directory as the MXML file or in the WEB-INF/flex/user_classes directory of your Flex web application.
scriptRecursionLimit: Specifies the maximum depth of the Macromedia Flash Player call stack before Flash Player stops. This is essentially the stack overflow limit.The default value is 1000.
scriptTimeLimit: Specifies the maximum duration, in seconds, that an ActionScript event handler can execute before the Flash Player assumes that it is hung, and aborts it. The default value is 60 seconds.
usePreloader: Specifies whether to disable the application preloader, false, or not, true. The default value is true.
theme: Specifies a theme SWC file that contains skins for your application. Flex searches for the specified SWC file in a location relative to the MXML file.
xmlns: Specifies a namespace definition.

Constructors
`Application ()` This Application constructor never gets called because Flex`s Application object is actually the _root object of the Flash Player; the _root object pre-exists and doesn`t get constructed.

Methods
`static`	`alert(message:String, title:String, flags:Number, clickHandler, defaultButton:Number, icon:String) : Number` Displays a modal dialog box on top of the existing frame.
	`constructObject() : Void` This is the first Flex framework method that gets called.
`static`	`getURL(url, window, variables)` Loads a document from the specified URL into the specified window.
	`handleEvent(event:Object) : Void` Triggered by an error or warning event.
	`isFontEmbedded(fontFace:String) : Boolean` Returns true if a font face is embedded, and false if it is not.
	`onSetFocus(o:Object, n:Object) : Void` Notifies that there is a change in focus.
	`popupWindow(className:Object, initObj:Object) : MovieClip` Creates a pop-up TitleWindow container.
	`resize()` Triggered by a resize event of the stage.

Methods inherited from class mx.containers.Box

layoutChildren measure setRelativeChildHeights setRelativeChildWidths

Methods inherited from class mx.containers.Container

createChildren createComponent createComponents draw getViewMetrics init

Methods inherited from class mx.core.View

childLoaded  createChild  createChildren  destroyAllChildren  destroyChild  destroyChildAt  draw  getChildAt  getChildIndex  getViewMetrics  init  layoutChildren  setChildIndex

Methods inherited from class mx.core.UIComponent

drawFocus getFocus getFocusManager setEnabled setFocus

Properties
`static`	`CANCEL:Number` Hex value for the Cancel button that is used later for bitwise comparison.
`static`	`NO:Number` Hex value for the No button that is used later for bitwise comparison.
`static`	`NONMODAL:Number` Hex value for non-modal that is used later for bitwise comparison.
`static`	`OK:Number` Hex value for the OK button that is used later for bitwise comparison.
`static`	`YES:Number` Hex value for the Yes button that is used later for bitwise comparison.
`static`	`application:Object` A reference to the top-level application.
	`className:String` Name of this class.
	`resetHistory:var [Read-Write]`If true, the application`s history state is reset to its initial state whenever the application is reloaded.
	`selfContained:var [Read-Write]` Indicates whether a SWF is entirely self-referencing or needs to access anything in the loading SWF.
`static`	`version:String`Version string for this class.

Properties inherited from class mx.containers.Box

direction

Properties inherited from class mx.core.View

baselinePosition className numChildren tabIndex version

Properties inherited from class mx.core.UIComponent

enabled errorString tabEnabled tabIndex version

Effects

Effects inherited from class mx.core.UIComponent

focusInEffect focusOutEffect

Effects inherited from class mx.core.UIObject

creationCompleteEffect  hideEffect  mouseDownEffect  mouseOutEffect  mouseOverEffect  mouseUpEffect  moveEffect  resizeEffect  showEffect

Events

Events inherited from class: mx.containers.Container

childrenCreated scroll

Events inherited from class: mx.core.View

childCreated childDestroyed childIndexChanged

Events inherited from class: mx.core.UIComponent

focusIn focusOut invalid keyDown keyUp valid valueCommitted

Styles

Styles inherited from class mx.containers.Box

horizontalAlign horizontalGap marginBottom marginTop verticalAlign verticalGap

Styles inherited from class mx.core.UIObject

color  fontFamily  fontSize  fontStyle  fontWeight  horizontalGap  marginLeft  marginRight  textAlign  textDecoration  textIndent  verticalGap

Constructor Detail

Application

Application()

This Application constructor never gets called because Flex`s Application object is actually the _root object of the Flash Player; the _root object pre-exists and doesn`t get constructed.

Method Detail

alert

static alert(message:String, title:String, flags:Number, clickHandler, defaultButton:Number, icon:String)
		 : Number

Displays a modal dialog box on top of the existing frame. The box is removed when the user clicks on any button.

Optional title text can appear in the title bar of the alert, along with a variety of choices of which buttons to display. The parameters map directly to those of the Alert class.

Parameters
    message - Text content to display.
    title - Text to display in title bar (optional).
    flags - Defines buttons to display. See Alert.show(). (optional)
    clickHandler - Called when a button is clicked See Alert.show(). (optional)
    defaultButton - Defines the default button that is selected when the user presses the Enter key. (optional)
    icon - Icon displayed to the left of message text. (optional)

Returns
Zero (0) if the Alert was displayed, non-zero otherwise.

constructObject

constructObject()
		 : Void

This is the first Flex framework method that gets called. The autogenerated Frame 1 action for a Flex application changes _root`s __proto__ to MyApplication, and then calls constructObject() on _root. The autogenerated MyApplication class does not override Application`s constructObject(), so this method is invoked.

getURL

static getURL(url, window, variables)

Loads a document from the specified URL into the specified window. If you reference this method from a file that does not contain the <mx:Application> tag, you must either import mx.core.Application, or use the fully-qualified method name of mx.core.Application.getURL().

Parameters
    url - A string specifying the URL.
    window - The target window in which to open the URL.
    variables - Do not set.

handleEvent

handleEvent(event:Object)
		 : Void

Triggered by an error or warning event. By default, this method displays an Alert dialog that contains the text message.

Parameters
event - Event.

isFontEmbedded

isFontEmbedded(fontFace:String)
		 : Boolean

Returns true if a font face is embedded, and false if it is not.

Parameters
fontFace - Font face to check.

onSetFocus

onSetFocus(o:Object, n:Object)
		 : Void

Notifies that there is a change in focus.

Parameters
o - Object that had focus.
n - Object that currently has focus.

popupWindow

popupWindow(className:Object, initObj:Object)
		 : MovieClip

Creates a pop-up TitleWindow container.

Parameters
className - A reference to a class. The class name should be expressed without quotation marks, as in popupWindow(mx.containers.TitleWindow).
initObj - Object that contains initialization properties. This argument is optional.

resize

resize()

Triggered by a resize event of the stage. Sets the new width and height. After the SystemManager performs its function, it is only necessary to notify the children of the change.

Property Detail

application

static application:Object

A reference to the top-level application. In general, there can be a hierarchy of Application objects, because an Application can have a Loader which dynamically loads another Application. The `parentApplication` property of a UIObject can be used to access the sub-Application in which that UIObject lives, and to walk up the hierarchy to the top-level Application.

CANCEL

static CANCEL:Number

Hex value for the Cancel button that is used later for bitwise comparison.

className

className:String

Name of this class.

NO

static NO:Number

Hex value for the No button that is used later for bitwise comparison.

NONMODAL

static NONMODAL:Number

Hex value for non-modal that is used later for bitwise comparison.

OK

static OK:Number

Hex value for the OK button that is used later for bitwise comparison.

resetHistory

resetHistory:var [Read-Write]

If true, the application`s history state is reset to its initial state whenever the application is reloaded. Applications are reloaded when any of the following occurs:

The user clicks Refresh.
The user navigates to another web page, and then clicks the Back button to return to the Flex application.
The user loads a Flex application from the Favorites or Bookmarks menu.

The default value is true.

selfContained

selfContained:var [Read-Write]

Indicates whether a SWF is entirely self-referencing or needs to access anything in the loading SWF. This is used when one SWF loads another SWF.

version

static version:String

Version string for this class.

YES

static YES:Number

Hex value for the Yes button that is used later for bitwise comparison.

mx.core Class Application