May 05, 2006 - Flex and Cairngorm
General advice for beginners.

This is not really a tip, but rather some advice for those that are new to Flex.  In my opinion, anyone who is using/learning Flex should seriously consider using/learning Cairngorm as well.  Simply stated, Cairngorm provides structure to Flex projects.  To learn what Cairngorm is and how to integrate it into your projects, please read the excellent six-part article series by Steven Webster at: 

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flex/articles/cairngorm_pt1.html

Realistically though, if you choose to undertake this endeavor, be prepared to do some studying.  I read the entire article series front to back, probably 4 times, before everything sank in.  Now it seems so simple that I'm wondering why it appeared so difficult at first.  More evidence that it's easy if you know how.  Like most, I started playing with Flex by creating simple little applications.  As the size of the applications grew, it didn't take long to realize that it is extremely easy to paint yourself into a corner very quickly.  Cairngorm solved this problem for me.  I had already started creating an enterprise application with Flex2 before reading the article above.  For me, it took about one month to learn Cairngorm and re-factor my application to comply with the structure.  I'm so glad that I did!  Having been an independent developer for mid-sized companies for more than 20 years, I have become very conscious of creating applications that are scalable and easy to maintain.  I am convinced that the month I spent learning Cairngorm will save years in application maintenance and enhancement in the future.

Best wishes,

Tim Hoff