Flex has one component that I just can’t stop using – data grids.

It is the most amazing improvement on my previous experience in HTML and CSS. Everything is done for you as default, sorting, editing, column width adjustment. It uses the classic flex data provider and auto generates the headings and columns for you. It even colours the rows in alternating colours! (I did that in CSS once, it was horrid!)

However, with every good thing there are sacrifices and I have been battling with these all morning – Item renderers.

Data grids are great if all you want to display is text. Put an image in there and it all goes bottoms up. The only way to display anything else in a data grid is through an item renderer which I have yet to get the grip of. I already have one item renderer which is used on a list and I want to translate this to one of my columns – no can do.

I have had to settle without my data grid and just use a simple list item renderer. I will keep looking for a solution but we really need to press on with more features.

On a vaguely connected note i found this: HTML 5 form stuffs which made me ‘oooo’ and ‘aaahh’ somewhat. The web future is looking very bright! However, following one of the links on that page browser support is looking very grim. Opera comes out on top followed (but not followed as closely as I’d like) by chrome. But that’s a story for another day!