I’ve been busy over the last week, mostly doing custom component development for Xcelsius 2008.
Basic shapes and property sheets for each component(screenshots below)

Flex Builder is such a useful tool, I can even use it to create custom a components for Xcelsius 2008. I didn’t know about this until my last project “Xcelsius Custom Components Development” for my new client MyXcelsius.

For those of you who don’t know XCelsius is an information delivery tool that can be used to create compelling interactive content based on an excel spreadsheet.

Simple steps of creating components for Xcelsius 2008:
1. Add xcelsiusframework.swc to Flex project library.
2. Create a custom component.
3. Use prebuilt property sheet or create your own, I recommend creating your own.
4. Convert into Xcelsius component(add-on as .xlx file).
5. Instal Xcelsius add-on.

Special feature:
Export your Xcelsius to AIR.

For more info, check out BusinessObjects and MyXcelsius.

Developers don’t forget to watch Xcelsius 2008 Component SDK presentation. VIEW THE PRESENTATION

I will post Xcelsius sample codes in my next posts.

Would you like to make money online with your RIA?
Watch great presentation by David Heinemeier Hansson

Gradient Editor is a component you are probably familiar with from Flash, Photoshop, Fireworks. Unfortunately, there was no such prebuilt component included with Flex Builder. So here you go, i built one. Feel free to use it in your own projects.

You can add gradient colors by clicking on rectangular gradient area. To remove gradient color simply press slider thumb, move below component and release mouse.

View the app here(or click on a screenshot above).
View the source here
Download the source

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:Application xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
    layout="absolute"
    xmlns:components="com.mariosh.components.*"
    backgroundColor="#FFFFFF"
    backgroundGradientAlphas="1,1"
    xmlns:local="*" viewSourceURL="srcview/index.html">

    <components:GradientEditor id="gEditor"
        width="200"
        height="50"
        x="32"
        y="40"
        colors="[0xff0000, 0x000000]"
        alphas="[.5, 1]"
        ratios="[100, 255]"/>
    <mx:HSlider
        minimum="0"
        maximum="1"
        change="gEditor.selectedAlpha=event.value"
        x="62"
        y="99"
        value="{gEditor.selectedAlpha}"/>
    <mx:ColorPicker id="cPicker"
        x="32"
        y="98"
        change="gEditor.selectedColor=cPicker.selectedColor"
        selectedColor="{gEditor.selectedColor}"/>
</mx:Application>

I was inspired by AsFusion’s Home Locator application. So, I thought I would make my own version :). Application gets data from external XML( it could be easy replaced with some backend database).

View the app here(or click on a screenshot below).