Flex component with HTTPService

Question

OK, so I'm a Flex newbie so forgive me if I'm missing the
obvious.
I created a Flex component that references a HTTPService to
populate a DataGrid with data. As a standalone .mxml file, it works
fine. When I place it into a Flex application where the component
is referenced, the grid shows up, but I get no data. I've tried
referencing the HTTPService in the application itself, no luck.
I've tried referencing the service in a creationComplete function
on the application page, no luck. I'm sure there's just some little
snippet that allows the service to run in the component...the
component looks fine when I run it, I just don't get any
data.

Answer 1

Thanks--actually I figured it out--I was overlooking
something obvious. However, I have a new issue that I would
genuinely appreciate assistance on.
I am building a Flex app where I have 4 custom components.
Each component calls a web service to pull data in. I am using an
MXML application file to bring in each component with an additional
component where the user can select a date range and submit that
range to the various web services. So what I need to do is make the
date fields public variables and then append those variables to the
web service calls as name/value pairs.
No matter what I do, I cannot seem to get the other
components to recognize the date variables as public vars. I've
written them out as variables as part of a public function, tried
to make them bindable, nothing works...
So for example, this is a simplified version of my date range
component (using only one date), assuming I've named the component
datebar.mxml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:Canvas xmlns:mx="
http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
width="100%">
<mx:Script>
<![CDATA[
public function clickHandler():void
var sdate:String = start_date.text;
]]>
</mx:Script>
<mx:ApplicationControlBar width="100%" height="30">
<mx:DateField id="start_date" />
<mx:Button label="refresh" click="clickHandler();" />
</mx:Label>
</mx:ApplicationControlBar>
</mx:Canvas>
Then in another component using a web service, I place:
<mx:HTTPService
id="os_downloads"
url="
http://publishingdynamics.com/service.asmx?start_date={datebar.sdate}"
useProxy="false">
Where {datebar.sdate} is the variable I'm referencing to get
a value from. I get a constant error doing this. I've tried several
varitions. I can successfully create a public variable in the same
manner not using a form value and get the component to display that
variable using the same syntax, where I reference the source
component like: {datebar.myvar} so I know the namespace referene
works.
Admittedly I'm not a very good ActionScripter...