Exctract and learn from the Flex 3 data visualization source code (the charting controls, the AdvancedDataGrid classes, the OLAP classes, and the automation classes)

Each time I tell that Flex 3 is open source, during my Flex 3 courses and sessions, people don't believe it.  So I copy the entire Flex 3 SDK libraries into a new Flex 3 project and show them the actionscript classes fo the SDK. Then I go ahead and tell that not only the standard Flex 3 SDK is open source, but also the charting controls, the AdvancedDataGrid classes and all the stuff that come with the Professional version of Flex Builder 3 are open source.

In order to open the data visualization source code  we must have these two requirements :

1. a Flex Builder Professional license key,
2. then you can extract the data visualization source code (the charting controls, the AdvancedDataGrid classes, the OLAP classes, and the automation classes)

The approach is very simple because all you have to do is to use the  DMV-source.jar in the Flex Builder 3\sdks\3.0.0\lib  folder and extract it.
Today I found this clear and cool post on the Flex Doc Team's blog that illustrates the required steps to
exctract the data visualization source code :

The syntax to extract the data visualization source code is as follows:

> java -jar DMV-source.jar {license-file-location} {output-location}

Once again kudos to the Flex Doc  Team ! Go, read it and use the Flex 3 SDK as the first step for learning a better way to develop in Flex 3 !

Comments

[Emanuele Cipolloni]

Marco, I believe you are confusing "open source" with "source code" here. First of all, the fact that you need a "Flex Builder Professional license key" which is a paid component (699 US$) in order to extract the source code, kills already the concept of "open source". Second, once you have the source code, you can only study it, play with it, but certainly not using it in any project or fork a derivative project from it. So while its source code it is viewable, it is really "closed source".

[Emanuele Cipolloni]

This link clarifies the situation: http://flexpearls.blogspot.com/2008/03/advanceddatagrid-and-olap-source-gets.html

[Pawel]

Hello Emanuele,

Actually it's open-source. It's not free software but it's open-source. Please review R. Stallman words ;)

Regards

[Emanuele Cipolloni]

The base Flex is open source, the advanced components like charting controls and the AdvancedDataGrid that Marco is referrring to are not open source at all. In fact other bloggers have reported the news stating that "It is not open-source but source is available for you to take a look and override functions with more confidence and knowledge of the internal workings."