F.A.Q.
1. I’m compiling with Flash CS4/CS5 and getting an error about “FontAsset” not being found.
A. You need to add the flex.swc to your project. This is in the ActionScript 3 section of Publish Settings. The SWC should be located at the following path:
$(AppConfig)/ActionScript 3.0/libs/flex_sdk_3/frameworks/libs/flex.swc
You may also need to add the framework.swc.
In some cases the compiler argument -static-link-runtime-shared-libraries=true solves certain issues. I’ve seen this in FlashDevelop in the past. Not sure if it’s still a necessity.
2. My application needs Chinese/Japanese/Other international characters. These do not show up in the components I make
A. The default font used in MinimalComps does not have these extended characters. The solution is to set Style.font to another font of your choice that contains those characters. Do this before you create any components.
3. My components and other elements on the stage are large and fuzzy.
A. Initialize the stage with Component.initStage(stage); This sets stage.align to top left, and stage.scaleMode to “noScale”. This will keep the stage from scaling and your components will be shown at the correct size and look crisp.
4. I want to change the color of certain elements, or change the font or font size.
A. Check out the Style class. This has various properties that will control colors and some font properties. Be sure to set any properties on Style before creating any components. Setting values on Style will NOT change any existing components.
You can also call Style.setStyle() passing in Style.LIGHT or Style.DARK. This will give any subsequently created components a unified dark or light theme. The light theme is what you’d get if you don’t touch Style at all.
5. I want to change the shape of a component or draw it with gradients or throw in a custom bitmap.
Use Flex. Or some other components. Or Google for “skinnable MinimalComps” to see some projects people have started. Or hack into the code and do it yourself.
Here’s one example of a 3rd party skinning solution. http://www.ryancampbell.com/2009/09/10/skinning-minimalcomps-with-degrafa/
6. No fonts are showing up in my components, but there are no errors.
It’s possible there is an issue with font embedding. See if this post helps: http://www.bit-101.com/blog/?p=2555