Custom panel / form form in Flex
What I am trying to do is create a fancy custom login bar. It functions and contains components that should be pretty standard like a regular login panel - FormItem, TextInput, Validators, etc. I did some research and found that it is possible to create skins with Fireworks, however this does not solve my problem because it prevents me from manipulating the panel shape. What would be the best way to do this?
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My recommendation would be to use the Degrafa framework for something like this. You can programmatically manipulate the skin of your component at runtime to change its shape.
Another route would be to use a simple canvas with an image background that suits your needs, but it is not very flexible.
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I would do the following:
- Export asset from Fireworks as PNG with appropriate transparency
- Insert the asset into your application and put the appropriate coordinates to Scale9
- Link to an inline asset as a borderSkin style for your panel.
Here's an example of how to do this with TitleWindow, which is a subclass of Panel, so the same approach should be applied:
http://butterfliesandbugs.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/using-a-border-skin-for-a-titlewindow-in-flex-3/
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I agree with Joel, Degrafa is the way to go for generic custom skins, etc. Otherwise (since this is an unnecessary obstacle to figure out), I would understand that this is using Canvas instead of Panel. Extend the Canvas class and make it look like whatever shape you are trying to do. Set the canvas background sign to 0, then add the shapes you want. Using this approach, you might have to duplicate what the panel can do that Cavnas cannot, but you should be able to customize the look.
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