Extending PopUpButton and using it in a Flex 4 web application

Question

In my Flex 4.6 web application I use mainly spark components, but there is also an mx-component - a PopUpButton extended by me (the source code is below).

Users report problems with that button, but I can't reproduce any - since weeks.

I've tried replacing mx:Menu attached to it by a s:List but it hasn't changed anything. I suspect there is a "null pointer exception" or some other failure, that I don't hit when testing myself...

My question is: why does Flash Builder reports warning about my custom button as if its methods would be private or not present?

Can anybody please spot the reason?

My main App.mxml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<s:Application  
    xmlns:fx="http://ns.adobe.com/mxml/2009"
    xmlns:s="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/spark"
    xmlns:mx="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/mx"
    xmlns:comps="*">

    <fx:Script>
        <![CDATA[
                   _auxBtn.update(obj.aux);
                    ......
                   _auxBtn.disable();
        ]]>
    </fx:Script>

    <comps:AuxButton id="_auxBtn" enabled.normal="false" enabled.ingame="false" aux="handleAux(event)" />

My custom button AuxButton.mxml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:PopUpButton
    xmlns:fx="http://ns.adobe.com/mxml/2009" 
    xmlns:s="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/spark" 
    xmlns:mx="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/mx"
    popUp="{_list}"
    initialize="init(event)">

    <fx:Metadata> 
        [Event(name="aux", type="PrefEvent")] 
    </fx:Metadata>

    <fx:Script>
        <![CDATA[
            import mx.collections.ArrayCollection;
            import mx.events.FlexEvent;
            import mx.utils.ObjectUtil;
            import spark.components.List;

            private const EXACT:String = 'Своя игра';
            private const REVEAL:String = 'Показать';

            private var _str:String;

            [Bindable]
            private var _data:ArrayCollection = new ArrayCollection();

            [Bindable]
            private var _list:List = new List();

            private function init(event:FlexEvent):void {
                _list.dataProvider = _data;
                _list.addEventListener('click', handleList);
                addEventListener('click', handleClick);
            }

            public function update(aux:Array):void {
                var found:Boolean;

                // nothing has changed
                if (ObjectUtil.compare(_data.source, aux, 0) == 0)
                    return;

                if (aux == null || aux.length == 0) {
                    disable();
                    return;
                }

                _data.removeAll();
                for each (var obj:Object in aux) {
                    _data.addItem(obj);

                    if (!_str) {
                        if (EXACT == obj['label']) {
                            _str  = obj['event'];
                            label = obj['label'];
                            found = true;
                        } else if (REVEAL == obj['label']) {
                            _str  = obj['event'];
                            label = obj['label'];
                            found = true;
                        }
                    } else if (_str == obj['event']) {
                            found = true;
                    }
                }

                if (!found) {
                    _str  = _data[0].event;
                    label = _data[0].label;
                }

                enabled = true;
            }

            private function handleList(event:MouseEvent):void {
                var index:int = _list.selectedIndex;
                if (index >= 0 && index < _data.length) {
                    _str  = _data[index].event;
                    label = _data[index].label;
                }
                close();
            }           

            private function handleClick(event:MouseEvent):void {
                dispatchEvent(new PrefEvent(PrefEvent.AUX, _str));
                disable();
            }

            public function disable():void {
                _data.removeAll();
                enabled = false;
                _str    = null;
                label   = '';
            }
        ]]>
    </fx:Script>
</mx:PopUpButton>

Answer 1

Don't worry about Flash Builder warnings, sometimes it has difficulties analyzing custom mx extended code (even spark sometimes!). If it runs it's okay, warnings will eventually go away after a clean or a FB restart.

You can also try to reproduce same feature using a mix of spark component, depending on a feature, it is maybe the best thing to do.

Stay assured, I pasted your code in my Flash Builder (and removed the PrefEvent), there are no warnings at all on my computer :)

For the error you users are reporting, you should give us more detail so we can try to help.

Cheers