Repeater components are useful for repeating a small set of simple user interface components, such as RadioButton controls and other controls typically used in Form containers. Repetition is generally controlled by an array of dynamic data, such as an Array object returned from a web service, but you can use static arrays to emulate simple for loops.

Although Repeater components look like containers in your code, they are not containers and have none of the automatic layout functionality of containers. Their sole purpose is to specify a series of subcomponents to include in your application one or more times based on the contents of a specified data provider. To align items that a repeater generates or perform any other layout task, place the Repeater component and its contents inside a container and apply the layout to that container.

Flex also supports HorizontalList, TileList, and List controls that provide better performance when you are displaying large amounts of data. Unlike the Repeater component, which instantiates all objects that are repeated, the HorizontalList, TileList, and List controls instantiate only objects visible in the list. If your data extends past a single screen or the visible space within any of its containers, you should use one of the list controls.

The HorizontalList control is a list control that displays data horizontally, much like the HBox container. The HorizontalList control always displays items from left to right. For more information, see HorizontalList control.

The TileList control is a list control that displays data in a tile layout, much like the Tile container. The TileList control provides a direction property that determines if the next item is down or to the right. For more information, see TileList control.

The List control displays data in a single vertical column. For more information, see List control.