This document is intended for programmers who are familiar with Flex, ActionScript 3.0, MXML, XML, and Adobe Flex Builder (or the Adobe Flex SDK compiler) who want to develop a Flex application that functions within Workspace ES.

You can create Flex applications to provide data capture capabilities in the same manner as a form created in Adobe LiveCycle Designer ES or Adobe Acrobat®. Flex applications, like PDF or HTML forms, can be associated with automated processes to capture data. The reason that you use a Flex application instead of a regular form created in Designer ES or Acrobat is to provide an enriched user experience.

A Flex application provides different visualizations and integrations for tasks to be created that go beyond those offered by PDF forms, HTML forms, and form guides. For example, dashboards can be presented to users, audio and video can be incorporated for training or help purposes, and more advanced user interface components can be added to the Flex application. None of these things are possible from PDF or HTML forms.

For example, when a Flex application is displayed within LiveCycle Workspace ES, the Flex application responds to user actions when the Complete button is clicked to submit a form by sending data stored by the Flex application, which is called form data, back to Workspace ES. The following illustration shows a Flex application within Workspace ES. The Flex application is created to look much like a form, and users can interact with the Flex application and click buttons in Workspace ES to complete or save form data.

Source: help.adobe.com