After using Flash Builder for a log time I think everyone has a lot of custom settings for the workspace they use so whenever you put a fresh OS or just reinstall Flash Builder first think you do is setting up the workspace and I think everyone has his own special thinks to setup. Me for example I install subclipse, setup some custom key shorcuts, edit some perspectives and much more but I think the most useful plugin and a plugin that all of my colleagues use is Flex Formatter, this plugin it’s a must and I install this all the time, again and again and they do the same.

So because of this, most of the time people ask me: From where to download Flex Formatter ? How do I install Flex Formatter ? Can I share my format settings ? so I decided to write the answer to all this questions in a blog article.

From where to download Flex Formatter ?

Answer: You can download a .zip of Flex Formatter from : http://sourceforge.net/projects/flexformatter/

How do I install Flex Formatter ?

Answer: After you have download the .zip  archive all you have to do is to copy all the three .jar files from the archive in the Adobe Flash Builder plugins directory. For example in my case I had to copy the three files here “C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Flash Builder 4\plugins\“.

Can I share my format settings ?

Answer: Yes
The formatting settings I use is :  format.properties

I am writing this post becouse I am very “angry” and I need to say something before I explode. This error has “eat” three hours of my time (I am very angry when I lose my time with useless things).

All starts with a fresh OS. After I have install Adobe Flex Builder and import some of my projects I had try to run one project in a stand alone Flash Player BUT (big buttt) I have receive :

“Flex Builder Cannot Locate the Required Version of Flash Player” .

This was not my first time when I have receive this error so I had try to fix this, the simplest way I had know, access http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html download Flash Player 10 ActiveX control content debugger and reinstall Flash Player, BUT (again big buttt) no result the Flex Builder still bother me with : ”Flex Builder Cannot Locate the Required Version of Flash Player” so I call my best friend “Google” asking him about the error.

After at least a hour of searching and reading all I have found was how to fix this error for Firefox:

“Firefox was looking for the npswf32.dll in the ProgramFiles/Mozilla Fireforx/plugins directory yet Macromedia installed it in the window/system32/macromed/flash directory.”

some trash links and for a Stand Alone Flash Player to uninstall Flash Player and install the Debug version of Flash Player from http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html BUT no solution for me, nothing to work.

I tried to reinstall the Adobe Flex Builder, no luck, tried to install Flex Builder as a Eclipse plugin, no luck, no luck, no luck …… So if you are “HERE” when you thing nothing can help maybe the solution I will present next will help you.

I have found this trying to open a “.swf” file and see that no default program was set to open files with .swf extension, the next thing I have done was download the Download the Adobe Flash Player 10 Update for Windows and Macintosh extract the files and copy the “Player\Debug\FlashPlayer.exe” for example in “C:\”. After that I have select a .swf file and open it with “C:\FlashPlayer.exe” making this the default program to open “.swf” files.

After this simple action, BINGO no BUT no error in Flex Builde “all good to go”. I hope this can help you spare some time.