This thread on the Google Maps API for Flash Group Forum caught my attention yesterday:

• Pure AS3 setup of Google map via Flash Develop

The author outlines the steps required to get FlashDevelop up and running with the Google Maps API for Flash. FlashDevelop is a free and open source IDE with code completion for ActionScript, MXML, XML, and HTML.

It provides a compelling alternative to FlexBuilder and is worth a look. Please donate to the project if you use it!

I followed the steps outlined in the thread and everything worked as described. Here are a few extra details that might be useful:

• The FlashDevelop home page is www.flashdevelop.org
• I had to download and install the Java Runtime Environment before installing FlashDevelop.
• When installing the Flex SDK, place it in C:\Program Files\FlashDevelop\Tools\flexsdk for automatic configuration
• If you don’t already have the Flash Debug Player, download and install the latest version from Adobe

Hope this helps!

Overview

I’ve been looking at the Bing Maps (Virtual Earth) Silverlight Map Control and thinking about how to use it in a Silverlight application that implements the Model-View-ViewModel pattern. If you’re not familiar with this pattern, check out Shawn Wildermuth’s MSDN Article Model-View-ViewModel in Silverlight 2 Apps.

I’ve created a simple proof of concept application that implements the pattern with two Views: a Map based View and a Data Grid based View. The application displays a map of well known surf spots in the Los Angeles area, along with some basic information about each spot in an accompanying data grid.

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