The Mate framework

The Mate frameworkMate is a tag-based, event-driven framework. Tag based means that it is implemented entirely in MXML. It is event driven in that the central focus of the framework is to make it easier to define who responds to events.

There are only two basic requirements for creating a project using Mate: You must have one or more events, and you must have an MXML file called an event map—that is, a simple MXML file included in the main application file. It defines the events you want to listen to and how they should be handled. You must have at least one of these files, but you can use multiple event maps, if necessary.

Mate also implements the idea of dependency injection—sometimes referred to as the Hollywood principle, or “don't call us, we'll call you.” Objects are constructed in such a way that the data they require is provided to them or injected into the class. In other words, the classes don't call out to get data (“don't call us”) but rather are passed the data they need (“we'll call you”).

Strengths

Mate promotes loose coupling through its use of dependency injection. Because components do not rely on global singletons, they are freer to acts as independent agents. Mate does not keep you from using Flex’s built-in event model, nor does it limit you to a single response for each event as Cairngorm does. Mate’s MXML files and tags are straightforward and easy to use, and if you get stuck, the documentation is good and there are plenty of code examples on the site.

Weaknesses

Mate is MXML only. So, if you are one of those developers who like doing everything in Adobe ActionScript classes, you’re going to have to adjust your normal routine. Because Mate does not define much of a structure for your application, it’s left up to you to define. Hence, you will have to do your own team coordination to ensure that all your developers are coding in a compatible manner. Finally, if you happen to work with Adobe LiveCycle Data Services ES, be aware that Mate does not currently handle the data management that LiveCycle Data Services ES offers.

Resources

• Mate documentation
• Example projects
• Podcast interview with Mate framework creator Laura Arguell

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