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eBay Flex/Flash SDK
Read Me

The eBay Flex/Flash SDK is a set of ActionScript 3 libraries that you can use to develop applications with either Adobe's Flex or Flash tools. Since many developers use Adobe's Flex Builder 2 IDE for Flex development, and Adobe's Creative Suite 3 tool for Flash development, the SDK includes separate Developer Guides and Tutorials for Flash and Flex users.

This SDK provides ActionScript packages, classes, and types that you can use to create widgets or applications. The ActionScript libraries are the same for both Flash and Flex environments. The samples for each implementation, however, are different, because of different development methods in each environment.

Version 2.2

Version 2.2 of the eBay Flex/Flash SDK is based on eBay Shopping Web Services release 549. See the eBay Shopping Web Services Release Notes for information about the changes and updates associated with a specific release of the Shopping API.

Compatibility

The eBay Flex/Flash SDK requires Flash Player Version 9. Version 2.2 of the eBay Flex/Flash SDK has been tested on and is supported for the following browsers and IDEs:

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6.0 and higher
Mozilla Firefox 2.x
Adobe Flex Builder 2.01 (for Flex Development)
Adobe Flash CS3 Professional (for Flash Development)
Adobe Flash Player, Version 9

What's New in Version 2.2?

This version of the JavaScript SDK contains five new calls, two new samples, and a timeout retry method that will automatically re-submit a failed call.

Five New Calls

The following calls from the eBay Shopping API have been added to the JavaScript SDK:

FindPopularItems
FindPopularSearches
FindReviewsAndGuides
GetCategoryInfo
GeteBayTime

Two New Samples

The following samples (applications that use Shopping API calls) have been added to the JavaScript SDK:

FindPopularItemsSample
ProductReviewsAndGuidesSample

You can use any of the SDK samples as a basis for your own applications or widgets.

Timeout Retry

The Timeout Retry capability has been added as part of the JavaScript SDK 2.2. To use this feature, you just need to pass in a RetryConfig object when you are creating the Shopping object. RetryConfig has the following configurable parameters:

timeoutPeriod: Call timeout interval in milliseconds, default is 2000.
retryInterval: Interval between retries in milliseconds, default is 250.
retryCount: Number of times to retry a failed call, default is 3.
enable: If timeout retry is enabled, default is true.

The following is an example of these parameters:

var shoppingConfig:Object = {appId:'YouAppID'};
var retryConfig:Object = {enable: true, timeoutPeriod: 1000, retryInterval: 200, retryCount: 3};
var service:Shopping = new Shopping(shoppingConfig, retryConfig);

Note that if you do not pass in the retryConfig object and the specified parameters, default values will be used.

Migration from the Flex/Flash Toolkit 2.1

The eBay Flex/Flash SDK 2.2 is backward compatible with the Flex/Flash Toolkit 2.1. It is not compatible with the Flex/Flash Toolkit 1.0.

We recommend that you download the latest version of the Flex/Flash SDK and use the samples as an example of how to use each Shopping API call. If you are having trouble migrating custom code that you created with the Flex/Flash Toolkit 1.0, please contact eBay's Developer Technical Support.

SDK Download Contents

The eBay Flex/Flash SDK Download contains everything you need to create your own eBay Flex/Flash widgets. The download (eBayShoppingSDK_Flex_Flash_2.2.full.zip) file includes the following items:

Source folder—the source folder Src, contains all the ActionScript source code.
Library file—the SDK library file, WDKASLib.swc, is a package containing all the compiled code needed to interact with the eBay Shopping API, store data, and handle error conditions. This file is located within the Lib directory.
Documentation—the SDK includes this Readme file, eBay Flash Developer Guide, eBay Flex Developer Guide, and API Documentation for the classes, fields, methods, and constructors in the SDK. The Developer Guides are located within the Concepts directory, and the API Documentation is located in the ASDoc directory as well as online in the Flash Developer Center).
Samples—the SDK includes sample code for the following calls: FindItemsAdvanced, GetUser Profile, Find Products, Find Products, FindPopularItems and ProductReviewsAndGuides. There are separate sub-directories for Flash and Flex within the Samples directory.
Common Development and Distribution License—the SDK is licensed under the terms of the Common Development and Distribution License ("CDDL"), which is included in the SDK.

If you don't want to refer to the samples as you code, you can download the smaller eBayShoppingSDK_Flex_Flash_2.2.zip package.

Flex and Flash Development

This section contains instructions about using the Flex/Flash SDK within each specific development environment.

Getting Started with Flex Development

Once you have downloaded and unzipped the contents of the SDK, follow these steps to get started:

If you haven't already, join the eBay Developers Program and get your Development Keys from your My Account page.
You need an AppID to use the eBay Shopping API. Joining is easy and it's FREE!
Review the Flex Developer Guide to learn more about what's in the SDK and how to use it.
Check out the samples for the FindItemsAdvanced, GetUserProfile FindProducts FindPopularItems, and ProductReviewsAndGuides calls.
Note: You may have to compile the .mxml files and then configure the .html file with your appId and siteId before they will run.
Run one of the Flex Tutorials
Start creating widgets and other Flex components of your own!

Overview of the Flex Setup

Create a Flex library project in Flex Builder, using the ActionScript source in the SDK download.
Build the project in Flex Builder. A corresponding .swc file will be generated in the bin folder.

See the Flex Developer Guide and the Tutorials for more detailed set-up procedures.

Getting Started with Flash Development

Once you have downloaded and unzipped the contents of the SDK, follow these steps to get started:

If you haven't already, join the eBay Developers Program and get your Development Keys from your My Account page.
You need an AppID to use the eBay Shopping API. Joining is easy and it's FREE!
Review the eBay Flash Developer Guide to learn more about what's in the SDK and how to use it.
Check out the samples for the FindItemsAdvanced, GetUserProfile FindProducts FindPopularItems, and ProductReviewsAndGuides calls.
Note: You may have to configure an .html file with your addId and siteId before they will run.
Run one of the Flash Tutorials
Start creating widgets and other Flash components of your own!

Overview of the Flash Setup

Put the WDKASLib.swc in the components folder of your Flash CS3 application. For example: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Flash CS3\en\Configuration\Components
Within the Flash CS3 IDE, drag the ASWDK symbol from the component pane to the library of your project. (You will also need to drag the UI components you want to use.)

See the Flash Developer Guide and the Tutorials for more detailed set-up procedures.

Documentation and Support

Visit the eBay Flash Developer Center for more information and links for current documentation and support.

Known Issues

For a current list of known issues, see System Announcements and the Knowledge Base.

License Information

The eBay Flex/Flash SDK is licensed under the terms of the Common Development and Distribution License ("CDDL"). A copy of the CDDL, COMMON DEVELOPMENT AND DISTRIBUTION LICENSE.doc, is included within the SDK. Please review the license before using the eBay Flex/Flash SDK.

See the following sites for more information:

Open Source Initiative OSI - Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL)
(http://www.sun.com/cddl/)
Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL) Information
(http://www.opensource.org/licenses/cddl1.php)

User-Contributed Notes

In order to leave a comment in this section, you must view the Readme via the eBay web site: http://developer.ebay.com/DevZone/Flex/docs/readme.html.

eBay Flex/Flash SDK Read Me