Re: FLASH: random variable typing

[John Croteau]

Hi MT,


> The answer is actually A, not D, none of the above.  I certainly appreciate

> your help, but you should probably not try to come across as the master expert

> all the time.

Actually I sort of took your word (or assumed) that your 3 examples were

incorrect. And you are right about one thing I was wrong about none of

the above (I only had time to supply a solution not study your 3

examples).

My D is identical to your A, except mine was copied right out of Flash

and has the colon after Variable which Flash adds automatically. You see

I knew mine worked because I took a minute to check it and make sure I

provided the correct syntax to you. Even though I use Flash and

ActionScript every day I do make mistakes if I don't paste it out, so if

its simple and I have Flash open the code you will see is straight from

Flash.


> I have it working already.  My question is about variable typing.  Roughly

> speaking, strongly typed languages require you to declare a variable

> specifically as a string or expression, whereas loosely typed languages figure

> it out on their own.

Flash uses typeless variables that do not and can not have a data type

preset. They are evaluated by the type of operators thus differnt

operators for numeric and string operations.


>  The way flash is set up is, to me, a bit illogical.  In

> the example I included, whichItem is ALWAYS a variable.  However, in order to

> get the value "redpants" into it, you have to present it in quotes

> ("whichItem").

>  If it's a variable, it seems to me that it should ALWAYS be an

> expression.  However, if the quotes are working as some sort of typing (telling

> Flash that the variable you're putting in is a string), then it makes no sense

> that when you use trace, you use whichItem in no quotes.  To be consistent,

> whichItem should either not be in quotes the 1st time, or it should be in

> quotes the 1st time and the trace statement should be trace(eval("whichItem")).

> At least that's how I see it. Macromedia?  Anyone else see how the way it's set

> up is, in fact, logical?

If you place a variable or expression in an expression field (with = and

not ABC) then Flash will evaluate that variable or expression and supply

the value stored in the resulting variable.


Thus:

Set Variable: "Hat" = "Brown"

Set Variable: Brown = "7"

RESULT Hat is Brown

and Brown is a null string because it was never set,

only its value Brown was.


Hope this helps.

-------------------------------------------

This was A

> > Here's what I'm talking about, by the way:

> > Set Variable "whichItem" = "redPants"

> > Trace(whichItem)

> > RETURNS "redPants"


This was D.

> Set Variable: "whichItem" = "redPants"

> Trace (whichItem)


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John Croteau

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