Musings: Flex 3 vs. Flex 2 Help

In the grand scheme of things, this may not seem like a big question. However, as a developer who likes to reference the API documentation frequently, it seems significant. The question is this: Why does the Flex 3 Help feature bury the API documentation when the Flex 2 Help feature made it so readily available?

Here is what I mean. In Flex Builder 2, if I typed “Canvas” in the search field, the first entry in the list was mx.containers.Canvas - Perfect! Exactly what I wanted!

However, if I type “Canvas” in the Flex Builder 3 Help search field, mx.containers.Canvas is way down in the list. It’s number 25 to be precise.

What is even more puzzling is that if I type in “mx.containers.Canvas” the first item that comes up in the list is mx.containers.utiltyClasses.IConstraintLayout. Why does this happen? What cosmic forces are at play here? You may ask, “Where is mx.containers.Canvas in this scenario?” Well, I will tell you: It is number 10 on the list.

While this question may not be up there with “What is the meaning of life?” it is nonetheless a nagging question in my little mind. Perhaps the answer lay somewhere out there in the vastness of the blogosphere, but as yet I am still in search of it. But the pursuit of truth is a grand adventure, and I will not tire of it!