I created a very simple AS3 list that works with the both Android and iOS devices. The project files include a Flash Professional project created with Flash Builder 4. You will need Adobe AIR for Android or the packager for iPhone to create naive create native iOS (iPhone, iPad) or Android.
If you only want to build for Android, then I recommend you check out Adobe Flash Builder Burrito and the Flex Hero SDK (or SDK 4.5). There is already a list control in the Flex Hero SDK (or SDK 4.5) for Android devices. However for iOS devices, you will need a scrolling list that works with AS3 and CS5 for packaging.
The list I created is an AS3 list that works for multiple devices, touch scrolls, and uses custom item renderers that detect user interaction. Here is an example AS3 project with the list in action. Just use your mouse like you would your finger on a mobile device to scroll the list and select items.
AS Scrolling List (click to view)
The list is suited best for smaller sets of data because the list does not recycle list items. But for most mobile applications you don’t normally have that many items to scroll. Adobe also recommends that you not use the drawing API in Flash because of its memory consumption on mobile devices. It would be better to create a MovieClip or Sprite in Flash and use that as the background of your item renderer. However, int this project I used the drawing API to change the selection color of the list item throwing all caution to the wind.
TouchList
The TouchList class creates the list, adds items and handles touch events dispatched by the item renderers. You might notice that I didn’t use any actual TouchEvent listeners in the list. This is because a TouchEvent is essentially a MouseEvent and I couldn’t see any difference in using one over the other. The TouchList class has a built in delay to differentiate between a scrolling and touch action. Like the Android phone, you can’t select an item while scrolling and pressed items are deselected if you scroll while pressed.
TouchListItemRenderer
TouchListItemRenderer implements ITouchListItemRenderer and renders the display of the items in the list data. This renderer can be customized to show whatever type of data you want in the list. List items can also be variable height.
ITouchListItemRenderer
If you want to create an item renderer for the list, then it must implement the ITouchListItemRenderer interface. This interface gives the renderer basic functionality to interact with user selection and touch events used by the list.
ListItemEvent
The list item event is a custom custom ListItemEvent dispached when a list item renderer is pressed. The event contains the event payload and a instance of the item renderer selected.
Installation
Included in the GitHub repository is the working project files for that I created in Flash Builder 4 that handles adding the list to the stage, screen orientation on the device, stage resize, and other functions for an Android AIR application. To install, just checkout the project file and import it into Flash Builder. I have also included Android .apk file if you want to deploy it directly to your Android phone.
The AS3ScrollinList project is located on GitHub.
If you do use the list in a project, be sure to drop me a note or mention me in your will. This list is actually a combination of my efforts and those of others in the Flash community. So please share what you build as well. If you have improvements, just post them back to this post or feel free to fork the GitHub code.
Work Cited
-Mister
