Eric Feminella

I have updated the HashMap API to provide additional functionality which comes in handy when working with managed key / value pairs.

Additionally, I have also modified the HashMap class from an “is-a” to a “has-a” relationship as the previous version was a derivation of Dictionary, thus exposing the map and consequently causing a security breach in the API. This has been fixed as of this update as the map is now private rather than the object itself.

The original IMap interface I created was modeled loosely after operations which are typical of the Java Map interface. However I have identified additional operations which are useful when working with key / value pairs. These new operations have been implemented in the latest HashMap class and comprise all of the new methods.

Below is a list of the additional methods which have been implemented in the HashMap update:

1. getValues: Retrieves all of the values assigned to each key in the specified map
2. reset: Resets all key assignments in the HashMap instance to null
3. resetAllExcept: Resets all key / values defined in the HashMap to null with the exception of the
   specified key
4. clearAllExcept: Clears all key / values defined in the HashMap to null with the exception of the specified key

You can view the latest HashMap API source for the IMap interface and HashMap implementation. Each method is accompanied by a detailed example.

There are certain utility classes one would expect to have been included as part of the Flash Player API or the Flex framework, however they do not always exist.

For instance, I have been working with binary data and needed an API which would convert Decimal Numbers to their Binary equivalents, however after spending some time searching the packages on livedocs I realized that nothing had been provided. So I decided to roll my own.

The BinaryConversion utility is an all static class which will convert decimal numbers to their 4, 8, 16 or 32-bit binary equivalents, respectively. For the most part you may never need to use this API unless you need to convert decimal numbers to specific binary equivalents, however it is very useful if you need a quick Decimal to Binary conversion utility which also provides bit range validation.

You can view the BinaryConversion example as well as the source code.

BinaryConversion is protected under the MIT license.

Adobe Flex 3 introduces the ability to implement runtime localization via compiled resource modules. This opens up numerous possibilities for creating localized applications with Adobe Flex.

Flex Developers now have the ability to compile resources into resource modules rather than compiling the resources into the application directly. Resource modules can be preloaded for the appropriate locale when the application starts as well as loaded at runtime in order to allow switching of locales. Additionally, resources can be compiled for multiple locales into a single application or resource module.

Resources now must be accessed through the new ResourceManager (which is very similar to my original Flex 2 ResourceManager), which handles managing multiple resources for all locales.

Bindings which reference resources via the new ResourceManager automatically update if the locale changes so as to notify the components when the locale changes, allowing them to update themselves appropriately. You can also use images, sounds and so forth as resources.

Developers can programatically create resources at runtime and use them just as one would with resources which were compiled from properties files, thus allowing the ability to create resources at runtime from downloaded XML documents, service results, etc.

The ability to inspect ResourceBundles at runtime has been something which I have been specifically waiting for. This too is also available via the read-only content property on a ResourceBundle. This property can be used to retrieve the key / value pairs defined in a .properties file.

To help facilitate inspecting the contents of a ResourceBundle I have created a ResouceInspector API which provides a detailed view into a ResourceBundle. The ResouceInspector is an all static class which provides a very robust API for performing detailed inspection of the contents of a ResourceBundle.

ResouceInspector is protected under the MIT license. Check it out here.