This way of working is often more comfortable for developers.
The MXML tag calls on a large amount of ActionScript that makes the component possible and
functional. This all happens in the background, so we do not have to worry about that ActionScript; we
just have to worry about the settings.
Figure 1-10. The MXML source for the panel
6. Jumping back to the Design view we can see again
how this component will look to the user. Along
the right, you will find the Properties panel (see
Figure 1-11.)
The Properties panel allows you to control things about
the component such as size, name, colors, and layout. We
will be looking into how to use these to control the look
and reaction of the components in future chapters. For
now, let??™s give this panel an ID of mainPanel, which allows
us to call on it in the future, and a title. The ID is similar to
an instance name in Flash, and the Title is similar to a label.
For the Title, type Easy Atom Reader (see Figure 1-12.)
Figure 1-11. The component??™s Properties
panel
10
CHAPTER 1
Figure 1-12. Panel??™s ID and Title
Flex fluid layouts
We are going to do one more thing with this panel that Flex is very good at: making the design fluid. By
this I mean that when the size of the browser is adjusted, the content adjusts to use all the available
space. You can do this by setting the size of your panel not by its width and height but by its distance
from the edges.
Scrolling down through the Properties panel, you will find the layout options (see Figure 1-13).
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