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Yann GEFFROTIN edited this page Aug 26, 2025 · 1 revision

FlashDevelop is the premiere open-source Adobe Flash ActionScript 3 Editor, and can be used to build websites and applications for desktop and mobile, that target Flash Player 9+ or Adobe AIR with ActionScript 3.

Project Features

FlashDevelop tightly integrates with AS3 compilers and debuggers:

Supported compilers

  • Compile via Adobe Flash IDE
  • Compile via Adobe Flex SDK
    • Flash Player (web)
    • AIR Desktop
    • AIR Mobile
  • Batch files for AIR Developer Tool
    • Package app for Android, iOS
    • Package native app for Windows, Mac OS X
Project templates for AS3
  • Flash Player (web)
  • AIR Desktop
  • AIR Mobile
Compiling via Flex SDK
  • Project build config GUI (Project > Properties)
  • Auto generation of build XML files based on config
  • Debug and Release mode configurations
  • Incremental compilation (faster complies 2nd time onwards)
  • ASC 2.0 Support (Adobe "Falcon" compiler, generates faster SWFs)
  • Build errors show in Errors panel (double click error to navigate)
  • Multiple SDKs can be registered with FD4, and easily switched
Debugging via Flex SDK
  • Pause/resume support, Stepping (step over, step in, step out)
  • Assign breakpoints before and during debugging
  • View all breakpoints (panel), remove all breakpoints
  • Roll over variable to show live value (when debugging and paused)
  • Show live values of variables in tree format
  • Auto break on error (highlights the crashed line)
  • Call stack when stepping (double click callstack item to navigate)
  • Profiler panel with Memory usage and Live object count
SDK Management
  • Auto downloads needed SDKs (Flash, Haxe) during installation
  • App Manager to view/download latest SDKs (Tools > Install Software)

Editing Features

FlashDevelop helps you work with your AS3 projects:

Code refactoring

  • Rename class or member
  • Find all references
  • Extract method
  • Extract local variable
  • Code formatter (options in "CodeFormatter" page)
Code completion, or "IntelliSense"
  • Platform API shows in IntelliSense (based on Flash Player version)
  • User classes, methods, and variables list in IntelliSense
  • Only applicable events list when adding/removing listeners
  • SWC library classes and code appear in IntelliSense
  • Typed vectors show class members
  • Typed arrays : var points:/*Point*/Array
  • Manually open list : Ctrl+Spacebar or Ctrl+Alt+Spacebar (search all classes)
Code information tooltips
  • ASDoc comments show when calling functions, or accessing classes/members
  • ASDoc comments show on rolling over a member/function/class
  • ASDoc comments show for the current argument, when Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar pressed
Code generation
  • Generate getter/setter from var
  • Generate vars from function arguments
  • Generate function from unknown identifier
  • Promote local var to class var
Code folding
  • Functions, classes and namespaces can be expanded/collapsed
  • Regions using //{ and //} syntax
  • Collapse/Expand All (collapses functions but not regions)
  • Collapse/Expand Regions (collapses everything including regions)
Code navigation
  • Navigate to class definition (place cursor on class, press F4)
  • Navigate to function/var definition (place cursor on member, press F4)
  • Navigate back (press Shift+F4)
Code snippets
  • Insert snippet from snippet library, auto placement of cursor
  • Snippet library GUI, ability to add/edit/delete snippets
Syntax coloring
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