programmatically creating a TextFlow stream of Link Elements

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<s:Application 
 
	xmlns:fx="http://ns.adobe.com/mxml/2009" 
	xmlns:s="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/spark" 
	xmlns:mx="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/mx"
	xmlns:maps="com.cravens.nr.maps.*"
 
	minWidth="955" minHeight="600"
 
	viewSourceURL="srcview/index.html"
	>
 
	<fx:Declarations>
		<maps:MainEventMap id="eventMap" />
		<maps:ModelMap id="modelMap" />
	</fx:Declarations>
 
	<fx:Script>
		<![CDATA[
			import com.cravens.nr.model.FontsManager;
 
			import flash.text.engine.BreakOpportunity;
			import flash.text.engine.FontLookup;
			import flash.text.engine.RenderingMode;
			import flash.text.engine.TypographicCase;
 
			import flashx.textLayout.compose.TextFlowLine;
			import flashx.textLayout.conversion.TextConverter;
			import flashx.textLayout.elements.Configuration;
			import flashx.textLayout.elements.LinkElement;
			import flashx.textLayout.elements.OverflowPolicy;
			import flashx.textLayout.elements.ParagraphElement;
			import flashx.textLayout.elements.SpanElement;
			import flashx.textLayout.elements.SubParagraphGroupElement;
			import flashx.textLayout.elements.TextFlow;
			import flashx.textLayout.events.CompositionCompleteEvent;
			import flashx.textLayout.events.DamageEvent;
			import flashx.textLayout.events.FlowOperationEvent;
			import flashx.textLayout.events.UpdateCompleteEvent;
			import flashx.textLayout.formats.TextAlign;
			import flashx.textLayout.formats.TextLayoutFormat;
 
			import mx.collections.ArrayCollection;
			import mx.events.FlexEvent;
			import mx.utils.ObjectUtil;
 
			protected var config:Configuration;
 
			protected var paragraphText:String = "<p>";
 
			[Bindable]
			protected var textFlow:TextFlow;
 
			[Bindable]
			protected var namesArr:ArrayCollection;
 
			protected var linkCount:int = 0;
 
			protected var para:ParagraphElement;
			protected var link:LinkElement;
			protected var space:SpanElement;
 
			protected var updateDelayTimer:Timer;
 
			//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
			public function handleResult(e:Object):void
			{
				trace("Result:"+ObjectUtil.toString(e));
 
				/*
					The XML structure returned from the server maps to an ArrayCollection
				*/
				namesArr = e.signatures.signature as ArrayCollection;
				startTextFlowCreation();
			}
			//---------------------------------------------------------
			public function handleFault(e:Object):void
			{
				trace("Fault:"+ObjectUtil.toString(e));
			}
			//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
			protected function startTextFlowCreation():void
			{
				FontsManager.getInstance();
 
				config = Configuration(TextFlow.defaultConfiguration).clone();
 
				var linkNormalFormat:TextLayoutFormat = new TextLayoutFormat();
				linkNormalFormat.color = 0x000000;
				var linkHoverFormat:TextLayoutFormat = new TextLayoutFormat();
				linkHoverFormat.color = 0x999999;
 
				var defaultFormat:TextLayoutFormat = new TextLayoutFormat();
				defaultFormat.paddingTop = 6;
				defaultFormat.color = 0x333333;
				defaultFormat.textAlign = TextAlign.JUSTIFY;
				defaultFormat.textAlignLast = TextAlign.JUSTIFY;
				defaultFormat.fontSize = 10;
				defaultFormat.lineHeight = 12;
				defaultFormat.fontLookup = FontLookup.EMBEDDED_CFF;
				defaultFormat.typographicCase = TypographicCase.UPPERCASE;
				defaultFormat.renderingMode = RenderingMode.CFF;
				defaultFormat.fontFamily = FontsManager.NOVAMONO;
 
				config.textFlowInitialFormat = defaultFormat;
				config.defaultLinkNormalFormat = linkNormalFormat;
				config.defaultLinkHoverFormat = linkHoverFormat;
				config.overflowPolicy = OverflowPolicy.FIT_DESCENDERS;
 
				textFlow = new TextFlow(config);
				textFlow.columnCount = 4;
 
				para = new ParagraphElement();
				textFlow.addChild(para);
 
				updateDelayTimer = new Timer(50,1);
				updateDelayTimer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER_COMPLETE,checkLink);
				addLinkElement();
			}
			//---------------------------------------------------------
			protected function addLinkElement():void
			{
				var o:Object = namesArr[linkCount];
				var firstName:String = o.first_name;
				var lastName:String = o.last_name;
 
				link = new LinkElement();
				link.href = "event:"+o.id;
				var linkText:SpanElement = new SpanElement();
				linkText.text = o.first_name+" "+o.last_name;
				space = new SpanElement();
				space.text = " ";
				link.addChild(linkText);
 
				para.addChild(link);
				para.addChild(space);
 
				textFlow.flowComposer.composeToPosition(textFlow.textLength);
 
				updateDelayTimer.start();
			}
			//---------------------------------------------------------
			protected function checkLink(event:TimerEvent = null):void
			{
				updateDelayTimer.reset();
 
				if(link)
				{
					var linkStart:int = link.getAbsoluteStart();
					var linkEnd:int = linkStart+link.textLength;
 
					var textFlowLine:TextFlowLine = textFlow.flowComposer.findLineAtPosition(linkStart);
					var lineStart:int = textFlowLine.absoluteStart;
					var isStartOfLine:Boolean = linkStart==lineStart;
 
					if(isStartOfLine && linkStart!=0)
					{
						para.removeChild(link);
						para.removeChild(space);
 
						para = new ParagraphElement();
						textFlow.addChild(para);
 
						para.addChild(link);
						para.addChild(space);
					}
 
					linkCount++;
					if(linkCount == namesArr.length) textFlowComplete();
					else addLinkElement();
				}
			}
			//---------------------------------------------------------
			protected function textFlowComplete():void
			{
				updateDelayTimer.removeEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER_COMPLETE,checkLink);
				updateDelayTimer = null;
			}
 
		]]>
	</fx:Script>
 
	<s:VGroup width="100%" height="100%">
		<s:TextArea
 
			id="textArea"
			width="100%"
			height="100%"
			textFlow="{textFlow}"
			editable="false"
			selectable="false"
			/>
 
	</s:VGroup>
 
 
</s:Application>