Creating Web applications with the ArcGIS Viewer for Flex

The ArcGIS Viewer for Flex is a configurable Web application built on the ArcGIS API for Flex. It allows you to create customized GIS Web mapping applications without requiring programming. The ArcGIS Viewer for Flex is designed to work with services from your GIS server and ArcGIS.com. The ArcGIS Viewer for Flex supports data display, interactive querying, Web editing, data extraction, geocoding, printing, and more.

You can customize the ArcGIS Viewer for Flex without writing code, since the architecture of the application is made available through Extensible Markup Language (XML) configuration files. By editing these files, you can change the appearance, functionality, and data content of the Viewer application to suit your needs. For example, you could open the main configuration file of the Viewer application using Notepad, TextPad, or any other text editor, and change the default title from "ArcGIS Viewer for Flex" to "My Flex Viewer".

The Viewer's functionality is exposed through sections of pre-written code called widgets. Widgets can be thought of as the building blocks of Flex Viewer applications. For example, one widget enables clients to switch between base maps in the map display, while a different widget allows clients to find an address on the map.

You can add, remove, and customize widgets within the Viewer application as needed. Many core widgets, including the Edit, Overview Map, and Query widgets, are provided with the install, but you can also develop custom widgets using the ArcGIS API for Flex.

To get started configuring the ArcGIS Viewer for Flex, visit the ArcGIS Viewer for Flex page in the ArcGIS Resource Center. Here, you will find a getting started guide, configuration instructions, a user forum, a code gallery featuring custom widgets, and Flex Viewer application samples.