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flash actionscript : problem with variable instance names
Here's the piece of script I'm having problems with (explanations of the code's context follow): _global.mytarget = any instance name; sbx = 2; lbx = 2; (...) switch (mytarget) { case ["small_box"+sbx]: mytarget.duplicateMovieClip(["small_box"+sbx],0,); sbx = sbx+1; break; case ["long_box"+lbx]: long_box.duplicateMovieClip(["long_box"+lbx],0,); lbx = lbx+1; break; } Basically, 'mytarget' is a global variable, which can take different movieClip instance names as a value. Now, I want to be able to duplicate these MCs, and give incremental instance names to the duplicates. So, if the instance name of the MC is 'small_box1', I want it to duplicate into a MC that will be called 'small_box2'. If it's 'long_box1', duplicate into 'long_box2'. So I have these variables sbx for small_box... MCs and lbx for long_box... MCs. The problem is that the above switch/case conditional does not work, and I suspect it doesn't because Flash doesn't evaluates ["small_box"+sbx] correctly, or doesn't evaluates it at all in the context of case ["small_box"+sbx]:
I made some mistakes when I copied the code. Here is the correct
version(explanations of the code's context follow): _global.mytarget = any instance name; _global.sbx = 2; _global.lbx = 2; (...) switch (mytarget) { case ["small_box"+sbx]: mytarget.duplicateMovieClip(["small_box"+sbx],0,); sbx = sbx+1; break; case ["long_box"+lbx]: mytarget.duplicateMovieClip(["long_box"+lbx],0,); lbx = lbx+1; break; } Basically, 'mytarget' is a global variable, which can take different movieClip instance names as a value. Now, I want to be able to duplicate these MCs, and give incremental instance names to the duplicates. So, if the instance name of the MC is 'small_box1', I want it to duplicate into a MC that will be called 'small_box2'. If it's 'long_box1', duplicate into 'long_box2'. So I have these global variables _global.sbx for small_box... MCs and _global.lbx for long_box... MCs. The problem is that the above switch/case conditional does not work, and I suspect it doesn't because Flash doesn't evaluates ["small_box"+sbx] correctly, or doesn't evaluates it at all in the context of case ["small_box"+sbx]:
thanks Jeckyl
but I did the changes you suggested and it still doesn't work (mytarget doesn't duplicate): switch (mytarget._name) { case "small_box"+sbx: sbx++; mytarget.duplicateMovieClip(["small_box"+sbx], 0); break; case "long_box"+lbx: lbx++; mytarget.duplicateMovieClip(["long_box"+lbx], 0); break; } I tried both with switch (mytarget._name) and switch (mytarget) It does seems that case does not evaluate, unless something else is wrong. The rest of my code, which uses the variable 'mytarget' works, so this switch conditional is the only thing that does not work. Also, you say that [...] creates an array, but what about: mytarget.duplicateMovieClip(["long_box"+lbx], 0); I don't mean to create an array of duplicated MC, just one each time, so is this part of the code wrong too? Just in case, I tried to change this to: mytarget.duplicateMovieClip("long_box"+lbx, 0); But that doesn't work either. Any other suggestions? [quoted text, click to view] Jeckyl wrote:
>>I made some mistakes when I copied the code. Here is the correct > > > Its still got the logic wrong ... as well as the incorrect use of [ ] in the
I'm trying to do some tracing, but I must be missing something about
what 'tracing' is! I added trace(mytarget._name); in the functions that use that variable, and, I changed the code you saw before to: dup = mytarget.duplicateMovieClip("long_box"+lbx, 0); trace(dup); but when I test the movie, the ouput box doesn't trace anuything at all. However I know that 'mytarget' is never empty, I first define it as _global.mytarget = whatever; then I use it via some functions, and define it via some ClipEvents that all work, so i know for a fact that as soon as I click an MC, 'mytarget' becomes that MC's instance name. Yet, nothing in the output box! Am I missing the basics of "tracing"? [quoted text, click to view] Jeckyl wrote:
>>It does seems that case does not evaluate, unless something else is wrong. > > > I'd say the latter .. something else is wrong. > Do some tracing on your variable and make sure you can access them and they > have the values you expect > > >>Also, you say that [...] creates an array, but what about: >>mytarget.duplicateMovieClip(["long_box"+lbx], 0); > > > There is a big difference between > object[value] > and > [value,value,value] > the first accesses the object like an array, the second creates an array > > >>I don't mean to create an array of duplicated MC, just one each time, so >>is this part of the code wrong too? > > > Yes .. no [] in the duplicateMovieClip .. should not be there > > >>Just in case, I tried to change this to: >> >>mytarget.duplicateMovieClip("long_box"+lbx, 0); > > > that is correct > > >>But that doesn't work either. >>Any other suggestions? > > > There is some other problem then that we cannot see from what yuou've shown > us. Trace trace and more trace to find out for yourself what is going on. > > Jeckyl >
I can't be looking at the right output panel:
I placed trace ( 'mytaget is ' + mytarget ); trace ( 'name = "' + mytarget._name + '"' ); just about everywhere in my code, and the 'output' panel stays completely empty. Should I mention that I never traced something before, so I might just be missing something enormous? the variable mytarget is the center of all my script, and I couldn't drag my MCs as I can, if 'mytarget' was empty, since the drag function looks like: function drag(mytarget) { ... } then the function is applied to each MC like this: small_box.onPress = function() { drag(this); } so 'mytarget' just can't be empty, even less 'mytarget._name'! What am I missing? Why is my 'output' panel completely blank when I test my movie? [quoted text, click to view] Jeckyl wrote:
> if there is nothing in the output box, then your code is not being executed. > UNLESS mytarget._name is blank. > > try instead (so you know) > > trace ( 'mytaget is ' + mytarget ); > trace ( 'name = "' + mytarget._name + '"' ); > > and > trace ( 'dup is ' + dup ); > > and for good measure, before and after you use it > > trace ( 'lbx = ' + lbx); >
thanks for the idea, but that's not it.
Omit Trace is unchecked. I don't understand. If I have: _global.mytarget = "whatever"; trace ( 'mytarget is ' + mytarget ); in the first keyframe of my movie, I assume I should see: mytarget is whatever in the output panel, right? The output panel is blank. However, the panel just pops up when I test my movie (and it doesn't if I have no trace commands). I quit Flash and restarted, just in case. No success. Might there be another basic thing I'm doing wrong? [quoted text, click to view] mandingo wrote:
> okay... there is a setting in the Publish Settings ... make sure it is > unchecked... > > File >> Publish Settings > > Click the Flash Tab and there are some checkBoxes... about the 3rd one down > from memory is "Omit Trace" or similar... uncheck that then publish...
I created a new Flash movie, and left the whole movie empty, except for
this code in the first keyframe: _global.mytarget = "whatever"; trace ( 'mytarget is ' + mytarget ); when I test it, nothing appears in the output panel. Is that to say that my Flash application is broken? DAMN! I just spent the last 5 days trying to build this code and that was already slightly more than what my nerves can take I am going to have a nervous breakdown please tell me I am just missing something very stupid As anyone had this problme before?........ [quoted text, click to view] mandingo wrote:
> this : > > _global.mytarget = "whatever"; > trace ( 'mytarget is ' + mytarget ); > > produces an output of : > > mytarget is whatever > > when tested all alone... start a brand new window and just test that and see > if you get any output... if you don't, then there is something wrong with your > application ... if you do... then that narrows it down to something conflicting > in your code. >
seb,
I haven't looked at your code in depth because once I saw this line : case ["small_box"+sbx]: I figured there was no point going further... a case will not evaluate the result... you switch on a variable name and each case is a DEFINED value that will be returned in the switch. sorry, but I hope that helps cheers
I uninstalled (actually I didn't, I just trashed the entire flash MX
2004 folder, because I don't have an "uninstaller" anywhere), and I downloaded the trial version, installed it. It didn't ask me for a serial number, I guess because I have all the other studio MX 2004 apps already installed?... in any case, the output window is still blank. [quoted text, click to view] Jeckyl wrote:
> see here > > http://groups-beta.google.com/group/macromedia.flash/browse_thread/thread/230986488bc7302b/f9f3c2e3b80d818d?q=Flash+MX+2004+Output+blank+OR+working+OR+error+OR+problem&_done=%2Fgroups%3Fq%3DFlash+MX+2004+Output+blank+OR+working+OR+error+OR+problem%26start%3D20%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26&_doneTitle=Back+to+Search&&d#f9f3c2e3b80d818d > > I originally install Flash MX 2004 from CD, download 7.01 patch from web and > apply. Everythings going along fine until.....one day my friggin output > window stopped displaying anything. Omit trace is unchecked, double > unchecked, etc. I tried every setting, different files, even a blank file > with just a trace and stop in it. Nothing! > > Finally noticed a post from a Mac user with the same problem. He uninstalled > Flash, downloaded the trial version from the web, installed & re-activated > it with his serial number and it worked fine. Well, I can now verify that it > also works on Windows. > > > http://groups-beta.google.com/group/macromedia.flash.actionscript/browse_frm/thread/d15ce68976afc2bb/ae68758d39bd3028?q=Flash+MX+2004+Output+blank+OR+working+OR+error+OR+problem&_done=%2Fgroups%3Fq%3DFlash+MX+2004+Output+blank+OR+working+OR+error+OR+problem%26start%3D30%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26&_doneTitle=Back+to+Search&&d#ae68758d39bd3028 > > After 3 days of faffing around I've finaly got it to work. I'm not sure but > I think the problem is with the installer on the CD. I downloaded the Flash > MX2004 trial software from the Macromedia site and then registered it with > my key (supplied when I bought the boxed software). Surprise surprise it > worked. So if you have installed FlashMX from the CD try downloading a trial > version and registering that instead. Now all I have to do is make up 3 days > of lost chargable time. > > > Lots of other posts on this problem.. but all the rest have no solution for
thanks Jeckyl, I have often wanted to write some ugly code in swtich statements
to determine if a value is between two values... now I can see how... :) now you have opened a pandora's box for me. Okay Seb, one other thing I just thought about... your duplicateMovieClip() action is setting each clip to be at a depth of 0 (zero)... this won't really work because each instance needs to be at a unique depth... so if something is already at that depth it will just disappear and nothing else will appear at that depth because of the conflict... so even if your switch worked (logically) it still couldn't duplicate the clips... cheers
okay... there is a setting in the Publish Settings ... make sure it is
unchecked... File >> Publish Settings Click the Flash Tab and there are some checkBoxes... about the 3rd one down from memory is "Omit Trace" or similar... uncheck that then publish...
this :
_global.mytarget = "whatever"; trace ( 'mytarget is ' + mytarget ); produces an output of : mytarget is whatever when tested all alone... start a brand new window and just test that and see if you get any output... if you don't, then there is something wrong with your application ... if you do... then that narrows it down to something conflicting in your code.
Yeah, I remember a heap of posts on the output not outputting about 12 - 18 months ago... and I don't recall anyone coming up with an answer other than start again.
[quoted text, click to view]
> case ["small_box"+sbx]: no [] here .. why did you use them ?????? What that is doing is creating a single-element array with a string in it and comparing that to the taget. [quoted text, click to view] > case ["long_box"+lbx]: same here [quoted text, click to view] > The problem is that the above switch/case conditional does not work, and I > suspect it doesn't because Flash doesn't evaluates ["small_box"+sbx] > correctly, or doesn't evaluates it at all in the context of It does evaluate it correctly .. you just don't seem to know what 'correctly' means :) As above, [ ... ] creates an array eg. x = [10,20,30]; creates an array with the numbers 10,20,30 in it and assigns it to x. If mytarget is the NAME of an instance (ie a String variable), then just get rid of the [] from the case to compare strings. If mytarget is a REFERENCE to an instance (ie a MovieClip variable), then you can use switch (mytarget._name) { case "small_box"+sbx: .... } or use switch (mytarget) { case this["small_box"+sbx]: .... } or switch (mytarget) { case eval("small_box"+sbx): .... } Not sure of the context of the script, so 'this' may not be correct .. hard to tell. NOTE: You logic for creating a new name 'small_box1', 'small_box2' etc is a little off .. you should be doing the sbx = sbx+1;BEFORE you use it in the duplicateMovieClip. And better to use sbx++ instead of sbx = sbx+1; Jeckyl
[quoted text, click to view]
"mandingo" <webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote in message news:curdoj$kam$1@forums.macromedia.com... > I figured there was no point going further... a case will not evaluate the > result... Actually it will .. you can have expressions in the 'case' quite legally. [quoted text, click to view] > you switch on a variable name and each case is a DEFINED value that > will be returned in the switch. Sorry .. that is not the reaon. Jeckyl
[quoted text, click to view]
>I made some mistakes when I copied the code. Here is the correct Its still got the logic wrong ... as well as the incorrect use of [ ] in the case. -- All the best, Jeckyl
[quoted text, click to view]
> It does seems that case does not evaluate, unless something else is wrong. I'd say the latter .. something else is wrong. Do some tracing on your variable and make sure you can access them and they have the values you expect [quoted text, click to view] > Also, you say that [...] creates an array, but what about: > mytarget.duplicateMovieClip(["long_box"+lbx], 0); There is a big difference between object[value] and [value,value,value] the first accesses the object like an array, the second creates an array [quoted text, click to view] > I don't mean to create an array of duplicated MC, just one each time, so > is this part of the code wrong too? Yes .. no [] in the duplicateMovieClip .. should not be there [quoted text, click to view] > Just in case, I tried to change this to: > > mytarget.duplicateMovieClip("long_box"+lbx, 0); that is correct [quoted text, click to view] > But that doesn't work either. > Any other suggestions? There is some other problem then that we cannot see from what yuou've shown us. Trace trace and more trace to find out for yourself what is going on. Jeckyl
in fully compiled languages, like C/C++, the case value has to be a
constant. in interpreted and semi-interpreted languages like ActionScript and JavaScript, the value after the keyword 'case' can be any expression. One sometimes sees that rather ugly, but still valid code like this switch (true) { case x == 0: ... case y == 0: ... case x < y: ... } A very ugly and inappropriate way of using switch/case (I hate even writing it here :)) .. but it works. -- All the best, Jeckyl
if there is nothing in the output box, then your code is not being executed.
UNLESS mytarget._name is blank. try instead (so you know) trace ( 'mytaget is ' + mytarget ); trace ( 'name = "' + mytarget._name + '"' ); and trace ( 'dup is ' + dup ); and for good measure, before and after you use it trace ( 'lbx = ' + lbx); etc -- All the best, Jeckyl
[quoted text, click to view]
> so even if your switch worked (logically) it still couldn't duplicate the > clips... There were quite a few problems in the code .. and probably just as many in areas we haven't seen yet :) -- All the best, Jeckyl
see here
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/macromedia.flash/browse_thread/thread/230986488bc7302b/f9f3c2e3b80d818d?q=Flash+MX+2004+Output+blank+OR+working+OR+error+OR+problem&_done=%2Fgroups%3Fq%3DFlash+MX+2004+Output+blank+OR+working+OR+error+OR+problem%26start%3D20%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26&_doneTitle=Back+to+Search&&d#f9f3c2e3b80d818d [quoted text, click to view] >>> I originally install Flash MX 2004 from CD, download 7.01 patch from web and apply. Everythings going along fine until.....one day my friggin output window stopped displaying anything. Omit trace is unchecked, double unchecked, etc. I tried every setting, different files, even a blank file with just a trace and stop in it. Nothing! Finally noticed a post from a Mac user with the same problem. He uninstalled Flash, downloaded the trial version from the web, installed & re-activated it with his serial number and it worked fine. Well, I can now verify that it also works on Windows. [quoted text, click to view] >>> http://groups-beta.google.com/group/macromedia.flash.actionscript/browse_frm/thread/d15ce68976afc2bb/ae68758d39bd3028?q=Flash+MX+2004+Output+blank+OR+working+OR+error+OR+problem&_done=%2Fgroups%3Fq%3DFlash+MX+2004+Output+blank+OR+working+OR+error+OR+problem%26start%3D30%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26&_doneTitle=Back+to+Search&&d#ae68758d39bd3028 [quoted text, click to view] >>> After 3 days of faffing around I've finaly got it to work. I'm not sure but I think the problem is with the installer on the CD. I downloaded the Flash MX2004 trial software from the Macromedia site and then registered it with my key (supplied when I bought the boxed software). Surprise surprise it worked. So if you have installed FlashMX from the CD try downloading a trial version and registering that instead. Now all I have to do is make up 3 days of lost chargable time. [quoted text, click to view] >>> Lots of other posts on this problem.. but all the rest have no solution for it. Looks like uninstall reinstall may be your best bet! -- All the best, Jeckyl
I would uninstall .. trashing a folder is not the same as uninstall as the
registry settings would still remain etc. If that fails, buggered if I know what you can do .. except try to get support from Macromedia ... good luck. -- All the best, Jeckyl
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