Package	mx.controls
Class	public class Image
Inheritance	Image SWFLoader UIComponent FlexSprite Sprite DisplayObjectContainer InteractiveObject DisplayObject EventDispatcher Object
Implements	IDataRenderer, IDropInListItemRenderer, IListItemRenderer

Note: Flex also includes the SWFLoader control for loading Flex applications. You typically use the Image control for loading static graphic files and SWF files, and use the SWFLoader control for loading Flex applications. The Image control is also designed to be used in custom item renderers and item editors.

Note: Flex also includes the BitmapImage class. This class is used for embedding images into skins and FXG components. It is not a general-purpose image-loading class. For example, you cannot load images with the BitmapImage class at run-time.

Embedded images load immediately, because they are already part of the Flex SWF file. However, they add to the size of your application and slow down the application initialization process. Embedded images also require you to recompile your applications whenever your image files change.

The alternative to embedding a resource is to load the resource at runtime. You can load a resource from the local file system in which the SWF file runs, or you can access a remote resource, typically though an HTTP request over a network. These images are independent of your Flex application, so you can change them without causing a recompile operation as long as the names of the modified images remain the same. The referenced images add no additional overhead to an application's initial loading time. However, you might experience a delay when you use the images and load them into Flash Player or AIR.

A SWF file can access one type of external resource only, either local or over a network; it cannot access both types. You determine the type of access allowed by the SWF file using the use-network flag when you compile your application. When the use-network flag is set to false, you can access resources in the local file system, but not over the network. The default value is true, which allows you to access resources over the network, but not in the local file system.

When you load images at runtime, you should be aware of the security restrictions of Flash Player or AIR. For example, in Flash Player you can load an image from any domain by using a URL, but the default security settings won't allow your code to access the bitmap data of the image unless it came from the same domain as the application. To access bitmap data from images on other servers, you must use a crossdomain.xml file.

The PNG and GIF formats also support the use of an alpha channel for creating transparent images.

When you use the Image control as a drop-in item renderer in a List control, either set an explicit row height of the List control, by using the rowHeight property, or set the variableRowHeight property of the List control to true to size the row correctly.

If you find memory problems related to Images objects, try explicitly setting the source property to null when you are done using the Image object in your application.

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  <mx:Image
    Events
    dataChange="No default"
  />
  

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See also