Formerly known as the Casa Framework, Casa Lib recently launched its updated ActionScript 3.0 compatibility version. Over the years the project was renamed from the Casa Framework to the Casa Lib since it became apparent that it provides features more closely related to a code library than a framework.  The open-source library is intended for ActionScript 3.0/Flex developers to gain efficiencies of scale: code faster, with greater standardization, reliability, and flexibility.

The library provides core classes, utilities, and interfaces for both AS2/AS3.  A few touts of the latest release include such features as a standardized external load API, improved rapid garbage collection, the ability to remove listeners with IRemovableEventDispatcher, and an abundance of utility classes for common manipulations.  Though this is the initial AS3 “stable” public release it has been reliably tested on numerous high-profile production AS3 driven websites.  For a partial list of sites that have been built using the Casa Framework/CasaLib you will find a great list here.

I had a quick back-and-forth with Aaron this morning and the future of Casa Lib looks bright! As Adobe releases flash player version 10 (code named “Astro”) the Casa team is planning to begin integrating features and utilities for FP10 in coming releases.

You can obtain version 1.0.0 of the library via download at http://as3.casalib.org/releases/1.0.0/1.0.0.zip or via SVN Repository at http://svn.as3.casalib.org/releases/1.0.0/ Additionally the documentation can be found here: http://as3.casalib.org/releases/1.0.0/docs/

The History

Casa was originally created by Flash guru Aaron Clinger in 2005, making its first public appearance in early 2007.  From 2006 – 2008 Aaron held the role of Lead Developer at Odopod, the world renown San Francisco design studio.  It wasn’t soon later that Mike Creighton joined as co-lead of the project.  Currently Aaron and Mike are both consulting and available for freelance work.