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 programming. The ArcGIS Viewer for Flex is designed to work with services from your GIS server and ArcGIS Online. It can also reference intelligent web maps that you've authored using ArcGIS.com or Portal for ArcGIS. 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 exposed through an interactive Application Builder. The Application Builder allows you to point and click the features you want to include in your app. Updates are displayed in real time, giving you full control over how your changes will look.

The viewer's functionality is exposed through sections of prewritten 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 basemaps in the map display, while a different widget allows clients to find an address on the map. In the Application Builder, you choose and configure the widgets you want to include in your viewer.

You can add, remove, and customize widgets as needed. Many core widgets, including the Edit, Overview Map, and Query widgets, are provided with the installation, 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 gallery featuring custom widgets, and Flex viewer application samples.