Flex3 in Action

Flex 3 in Action is a good starter book for novice Flex developers. It is particularly suited from designer backgrounds (Flash, Javascript, HTML, etc.), as it also tries to include some basic explanations of things like data types, object-oriented concepts, and XML but does not attempt to explain things like CSS. The text also makes simple comparisons to HTML, Javascript, and AJAX.

Despite being a “In Action” book, this book is actually structured more as a beginner's reference guide. It's laid out in 24 somewhat independent chapters that deal with the various facets of Flex. These chapters don't flow very well as they seem to jump from one thing to another and then back.

The chapters on Flex components nicely explains the basics of how to use each component. But it unfortunately stops there. More advanced usage would require you to look up additional resources online. The examples are also quite weak on how components can be made to work with each other.

One last thing is note is that the book is Flex Builder-centric; so the parts on debugging, testing, deploying, and wizards are based on Flex Builder. There's also a bit on the command line SDK but nothing on other possible development platforms.

In summary, for its intended purpose, this book gives a good introduction to the various parts of Flex, giving a cursory glance and a hint of what is possible. It is a good reference book for developers who know something like exists but just needs a quick lookup for an example. But to get into more advanced development will definitely require further resources.