RE: [flasher] Variable setting help

[Paul Willoughby]

Ezra Schwartz wrote on 31 January 2001:

 

> I'm having a problem figuring something out which maybe 

> someone could help

> me with.  From a Movie Clip I'm trying to set a variable on 

> the main stage,

> where the variable name is put together by an expression, and 

> the Movie

> Clip's _x and _y possitions are used.  I found that to set a 

> variable like

> this with an expression on the main stage you first need to 

> Tell Target

> _level0 then set the variable


You don't need to use Tell Target to set variables in other timelines in

either Flash 4 or 5. If you need to set a variable on the main stage from a

movie clip you can either use (assuming this isn't a loaded movie):


_root.myVariable = whatever expression


or


_level0.myVariable = whatever expression



_root refers to the main timeline of whatever level you're working in. So if

you load a movie into level1 all the clips _root refernces refer to the main

timeline of level 1, *not* the timeline of the original movie. If you're

working with a lot of load movie stuff it's probably best to store and

access your variables with _level rather than _root


If you're working in Flash 4, then putting /: in front of a variable will

put it on the main timeline:


SetVariable: "/:myVariable" = whatever expression



> but this won't work in this 

> case because I no

> longer have access to the _x and _y of the movie clip, unless 

> I name the

> instance which is impossible in this case.  I hope I have 

> made my problem

> clear and that someone can help me out.  Thanks in advance!

> 

> Ezra


I'm not sure of the exact problem here, why can't you name the instance of

the movie clip? If you really can't, the workaround would be to catch the x

and y position in the movieclip and send it to the main timeline with

something like (pseudo code):


_root.myMcX = this._x;

_root.myMCY = this._y


hth


paul