Flash 8 ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference

Class MovieClip

Object

You do not use a constructor method to create a movie clip. You can choose from among three methods to create movie clip instances:

• The attachMovie() method allows you to create a movie clip instance based on a movie clip symbol that exists in the library.
• The createEmptyMovieClip() method allows you to create an empty movie clip instance as a child based on another movie clip.
• The duplicateMovieClip() method allows you to create a movie clip instance based on another movie clip.

To call the methods of the MovieClip class you reference movie clip instances by name, using the following syntax, where my_mc is a movie clip instance:

my_mc.play();
my_mc.gotoAndPlay(3);

_alpha Property

public _alpha : Number

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("triangle", this.getNextHighestDepth());

triangle.beginFill(0x0000FF, 100);
triangle.moveTo(10, 10);
triangle.lineTo(10, 100);
triangle.lineTo(100, 10);
triangle.lineTo(10, 10);

triangle.onRollOver = function() {
    this._alpha = 50;
};
triangle.onRollOut = function() {
    this._alpha = 100;
};

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

blendMode Property

public blendMode : Object

Flash Player applies the blendMode property on each pixel of the movie clip. Each pixel is composed of three constituent colors (red, green, and blue), and each constituent color has a value between 0x00 and 0xFF. Flash Player compares each constituent color of one pixel in the movie clip with the corresponding color of the pixel in the background. For example, if blendMode is set to "lighten", Flash Player compares the red value of the movie clip with the red value of the background, and uses the lighter of the two as the value for the red component of the displayed color.

The following table describes the blendMode settings. To set the blendMode property, you can use either an integer from 1 to 14 or a string. The illustrations in the table show blendMode values applied to a circular movie clip (2) superimposed on another onscreen object (1).

Integer value	String value	Illustration	Description
1	"normal"		The movie clip appears in front of the background. Pixel values of the movie clip override those of the background. Where the movie clip is transparent, the background is visible.
2	"layer"		Forces the creation of a temporary buffer for precomposition for the movie clip. This is done automatically if there is more than one child object in a movie clip and a blendMode setting other than "normal" is selected for the child.
3	"multiply"		Multiplies the values of the movie clip constituent colors by those of the background color, and then normalizes by dividing by 0xFF, resulting in darker colors. This setting is commonly used for shadows and depth effects. For example, if a constituent color (such as red) of one pixel in the movie clip and the corresponding color of the pixel in the background both have the value 0x88, the multiplied result is 0x4840. Dividing by 0xFF yields a value of 0x48 for that constituent color, which is a darker shade than that of the movie clip or that of the background.
4	"screen"		Multiplies the complement (inverse) of the movie clip color by the complement of the background color, resulting in a bleaching effect. This setting is commonly used for highlights or to remove black areas of the movie clip.
5	"lighten"		Selects the lighter of the constituent colors of the movie clip and those of the background (the ones with the larger values). This setting is commonly used for superimposing type. For example, if the movie clip has a pixel with an RGB value of 0xFFCC33, and the background pixel has an RGB value of 0xDDF800, then the resulting RGB value for the displayed pixel is 0xFFF833 (because 0xFF > 0xDD, 0xCC < 0xF8, and 0x33 > 0x00 = 33).
6	"darken"		Selects the darker of the constituent colors of the movie clip and those of the background (the ones with the smaller values). This setting is commonly used for superimposing type. For example, if the movie clip has a pixel with an RGB value of 0xFFCC33, and the background pixel has an RGB value of 0xDDF800, the resulting RGB value for the displayed pixel is 0xDDCC00 (because 0xFF > 0xDD, 0xCC < 0xF8, and 0x33 > 0x00 = 33).
7	"difference"		Compares the constituent colors of the movie clip with those of its background, and subtracts the darker of the values of the two constituent colors from the lighter one. This setting is commonly used for more vibrant colors. For example, if the movie clip has a pixel with a RGB value of 0xFFCC33, and the background pixel has an RGB value of 0xDDF800, the resulting RGB value for the displayed pixel is 0x222C33 (because 0xFF - 0xDD = 0x22, 0xF8 - 0xCC = 0x2C, and 0x33 - 0x00 = 0x33).
8	"add"		Adds the values of the constituent colors of the movie clip to those of its background, applying a ceiling of 0xFF. This setting is commonly used for animating a lightening dissolve between two objects. For example, if the movie clip has a pixel with an RGB value of 0xAAA633, and the background pixel has an RGB value of 0xDD2200, the resulting RGB value for the displayed pixel is 0xFFC833 (because 0xAA + 0xDD > 0xFF, 0xA6 + 0x22 = 0xC8, and 0x33 + 0x00 = 0x33).
9	"subtract"		Subtracts the values of the constituent colors in the movie clip from those of the background, applying a floor of 0. This setting is commonly used for animating a darkening dissolve between two objects. For example, if the movie clip has a pixel with an RGB value of 0xAA2233, and the background pixel has an RGB value of 0xDDA600, the resulting RGB value for the displayed pixel is 0x338400 (because 0xDD - 0xAA = 0x33, 0xA6 - 0x22 = 0x84, and 0x00 - 0x33 < 0x00).
10	"invert"		Inverts the background.
11	"alpha"		Applies the alpha value of each pixel of the movie clip to the background. This requires the "layer" blendMode setting to be applied to a parent movie clip. For example, in the illustration, the parent movie clip, which is a white background, has blendMode = "layer".
12	"erase"		Erases the background based on the alpha value of the movie clip. This requires the "layer" blendMode to be applied to a parent movie clip. For example, in the illustration, the parent movie clip, which is a white background, has blendMode = "layer".
13	"overlay"		Adjusts the color of each bitmap based on the darkness of the background. If the background is lighter than 50% gray, the movie clip and background colors are screened, which results in a lighter color. If the background is darker than 50% gray, the colors are multiplied, which results in a darker color. This setting is commonly used for shading effects.
14	"hardlight"		Adjusts the color of each bitmap based on the darkness of the movie clip. If the movie clip is lighter than 50% gray, the movie clip and background colors are screened, which results in a lighter color. If the movie clip is darker than 50% gray, the colors are multiplied, which results in a darker color. This setting is commonly used for shading effects.

If you attempt to set the blendMode property to any other value, Flash Player sets it to "normal".

However, if you set the property to an integer, Flash Player converts the value to the corresponding string version:

this.createEmptyMovieClip("mclip", this.getNextHighestDepth());
mclip.blendMode = 8;
trace (mclip.blendMode) // add

    this.createEmptyMovieClip("mc1", this.getNextHighestDepth());
    this.createEmptyMovieClip("mc2", this.getNextHighestDepth());
    this.blendMode="layer";
    this.createTextField("blendLabel", this.getNextHighestDepth(), 50, 150, 100, 100)
    
    fillClip(mc1, 0x00AA00, 0x22FFFF, 100, 100)
    fillClip(mc2, 0xFF0000, 0x2211FF, 100, 50)
    mc2._x = 33;
    mc2._y = 33;
    
    var blendModeIndex = 0;
    
    setInterval(changeBlendMode, 1000);
    function changeBlendMode() 
    {
        mc2.blendMode = blendModeIndex % 14 + 1 ;
            // values 1 - 14
    blendLabel.text = (blendModeIndex% 14 + 1) + ": " + mc2.blendMode;
        blendModeIndex++;
    }
    
    function fillClip(mc:MovieClip, color1:Number, color2:Number,
                alpha1:Number, alpha2: Number) 
{
        matrix = {a:100, b:0, c:0, d:0, e:100, f:0, g:50, h:20, i:1};
        mc.beginGradientFill("linear", [color1, color2], [alpha1, alpha2], [0, 0xFF], matrix);
        mc.lineStyle(8,0x888888,100)
        mc.moveTo(0, 0);
        mc.lineTo(0, 100);
        mc.lineTo(100, 100);
        mc.lineTo(100, 0);
        mc.lineTo(0, 0);
        mc.endFill();
    }

If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method, which is used in the previous example.

cacheAsBitmap Property

public cacheAsBitmap : Boolean

All vector data for a movie clip that has a cached bitmap is drawn to the bitmap instead of to the main Stage. The bitmap is then copied to the main Stage as unstretched, unrotated pixels snapped to the nearest pixel boundaries. Pixels are mapped one to one with the parent object. If the bounds of the bitmap change, the bitmap is recreated instead of being stretched.

No internal bitmap is created unless the cacheAsBitmap property is set to true.

After you set a movie clip's cacheAsBitmap property to true, the rendering does not change, however the movie clip performs pixel snapping automatically. The animation speed can be significantly faster, depending on the complexity of the vector content.

The cacheAsBitmap property is automatically set to true whenever you apply a filter to a movie clip (when its filter array is not empty). If a movie clip has a filter applied to it, cacheAsBitmap is reported as true for that movie clip, even if you set the property to false. If you clear all filters for a movie clip, the cacheAsBitmap setting changes to what it was last set to.

In the following cases a movie clip does not use a bitmap even if the cacheAsBitmap property is set to true, and instead renders the movie clip from vector data:

• The bitmap is too large: greater than 2880 pixels in either direction.
• The bitmap fails to allocate memory (due to an out of memory error).

The cacheAsBitmap property is best used with movie clips that have mostly static content and that do not scale and rotate frequently. With such movie clips, cacheAsBitmap can lead to performance increases when the movie clip is translated (when its x and y position is changed).

import flash.filters.DropShadowFilter;

var container:MovieClip = setUpShape();
trace(container.cacheAsBitmap); // false
var dropShadow:DropShadowFilter = new DropShadowFilter(6, 45, 0x000000, 50, 5, 5, 1, 2, false, false, false); 
container.filters = new Array(dropShadow);
trace(container.cacheAsBitmap); // true

function setUpShape():MovieClip {
    var mc:MovieClip = this.createEmptyMovieClip("container", this.getNextHighestDepth());
    mc._x = 10;
    mc._y = 10;
    var w:Number = 50;
    var h:Number = 50;
    mc.beginFill(0xFFCC00);
    mc.lineTo(w, 0);
    mc.lineTo(w, h);
    mc.lineTo(0, h);
    mc.lineTo(0, 0);
    mc.endFill();
    return mc;
}

_currentframe Property

public _currentframe : Number  [read-only]

actionClip_mc.gotoAndStop(actionClip_mc._currentframe + 5);

_droptarget Property

public _droptarget : String  [read-only]

Note: You must perform this conversion if you are using ActionScript 2.0, which does not support slash syntax.

origX = garbage_mc._x;
origY = garbage_mc._y;
garbage_mc.onPress = function() {
    this.startDrag();
};
garbage_mc.onRelease = function() {
    this.stopDrag();
    if (eval(this._droptarget) == trashcan_mc) {
    this._visible = false;
    } else {
    this._x = origX;
    this._y = origY;
    }
};

enabled Property

public enabled : Boolean

The enabled property only governs the button-like properties of a movie clip. You can change the enabled property at any time; the modified movie clip is immediately enabled or disabled. The enabled property can be read out of a prototype object. If enabled is set to false, the object is not included in automatic tab ordering.

circle_mc.onRelease = function() {
    trace("disabling the "+this._name+" movie clip.");
    this.enabled = false;
};

filters Property

public filters : Array

Filters can be applied in the Flash authoring tool at design-time, or at runtime using ActionScript code. To apply a filter using ActionScript, you must make a temporary copy of the entire MovieClip.filters array, modify the temporary array, and then assign the value of the temporary array back to the MovieClip.filters array. You cannot directly add a new filter object to the MovieClip.filters array. The following code has no effect on the target movie clip, named myMC:

myMC.filters[0].push(myDropShadow);

To add a filter using ActionScript, you must follow the following steps (assume that the target movie clip is named myMC):

• Create a new filter object using the constructor function of your chosen filter class.
• Assign the value of the myMC.filters array to a temporary array, such as one named myFilters.
• Add the new filter object to the temporary array, myFilters.
• Assign the value of the temporary array to the myMC.filters array.

If the filters array is empty, you need not use a temporary array. Instead, you can directly assign an array literal that contains one or more filter objects that you created.

To modify an existing filter object, whether it was created at design-time or at runtime, you must use the technique of modifying a copy of the filters array:

• Assign the value of the myMC.filters array to a temporary array, such as one named myFilters.
• Modify the property using the temporary array, myFilters. For example, if you want to set the quality property of the first filter in the array, you could use the following code: myList[0].quality = 1;
• Assign the value of the temporary array to the myMC.filters array.

To clear the filters for a movie clip, set filters to an empty array ([]).

At load time, if a movie clip has an associated filter, it is marked to cache itself as a transparent bitmap. From this point forward, as long as the movie clip has a valid filter list, the player caches the movie clip as a bitmap. This source bitmap is used as a source image for the filter effects. Each movie clip usually has two bitmaps: one with the original unfiltered source movie clip and another for the final image after filtering. The final image is used when rendering. As long as the movie clip does not change, the final image does not need updating.

If you are working with a filters array that contains multiple filters and you need to track the type of filter assigned to each array index, you can maintain your own filters array and use a separate data structure to track the type of filter associated with each array index. There is no simple way to determine the type of filter associated with each filters array index.

var myDropFilter = new flash.filters.DropShadowFilter();
var myFilters:Array = myMC.filters;
myFilters.push(myDropFilter);
myMC.filters = myFilters;

The following example changes the quality setting of the first filter in the array to 15 (this example works only if at least one filter object has been associated with the myMC movie clip):

var myList:Array = myMC.filters;
myList[0].quality = 15;
myMC.filters = myList;

focusEnabled Property

public focusEnabled : Boolean

my_mc.focusEnabled = false;

_focusrect Property

public _focusrect : Boolean

In Flash Player 4 or Flash Player 5 SWF files, the _focusrect property controls the global _focusrect property. It is a Boolean value. This behavior was changed in Flash Player 6 and later to permit the customization of _focusrect on an individual movie-clip basis.

If the _focusrect property is set to false, keyboard navigation for that movie clip is limited to the Tab key. All other keys, including the Enter and arrow keys, are ignored. To restore full keyboard navigation, you must set _focusrect to true.

mc1_mc._focusrect = true;
mc2_mc._focusrect = false;
mc3_mc._focusrect = true;

mc1_mc.onRelease = traceOnRelease;
mc3_mc.onRelease = traceOnRelease;

function traceOnRelease() {
    trace(this._name);
}

Test the SWF file in a browser window by selecting File > Publish Preview > HTML. Give the SWF focus by clicking it in the browser window, and press Tab to focus each instance. You cannot execute code for this movie clip in the browser by pressing Enter or the Spacebar when _focusrect is disabled.

_framesloaded Property

public _framesloaded : Number  [read-only]

var pctLoaded:Number = Math.round(this.getBytesLoaded()/this.getBytesTotal()*100);
bar_mc._xscale = pctLoaded;

if (this._framesloaded < this._totalframes) {
    this.gotoAndPlay(1);
} else {
    this.gotoAndStop(3);
}

stop();

_height Property

public _height : Number

this.createEmptyMovieClip("image_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
var image_mcl:MovieClipLoader = new MovieClipLoader();
var mclListener:Object = new Object();
mclListener.onLoadInit = function(target_mc:MovieClip) {
    trace(target_mc._name+" = "+target_mc._width+" X "+target_mc._height+" pixels");
};
image_mcl.addListener(mclListener);

image_mcl.loadClip("example.jpg", image_mc);

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

The MovieClipLoader class used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later.

_highquality Property

public _highquality : Number

      my_mc._highquality = 2;
      

hitArea Property

public hitArea : Object

You can change the hitArea property at any time; the modified movie clip immediately uses the new hit area behavior. The movie clip designated as the hit area does not need to be visible; its graphical shape, although not visible, is still detected as the hit area.

square_mc.hitArea = circle_mc;
square_mc.onRelease = function() {
    trace("hit! "+this._name);
};

You can also set the circle_mc movie clip visible property to false to hide the hit area for square_mc.

circle_mc._visible = false;

_lockroot Property

public _lockroot : Boolean

For example, suppose you have a document called Games.fla that lets a user choose a game to play, and loads the game (for example, Chess.swf) into the game_mc movie clip. Make sure that, after being loaded into Games.swf, any use of _root in Chess.swf refers to _root in Chess.swf (not _root in Games.swf). If you have access to Chess.fla and publish it to Flash Player 7 or later, you can add this statement to Chess.fla on the main Timeline:

this._lockroot = true;

If you don't have access to Chess.fla (for example, if you are loading Chess.swf from someone else's site into chess_mc), you can set the Chess.swf _lockroot property when you load it. Place the following ActionScript on the main Timeline of Games.fla:

chess_mc._lockroot = true;

When calling loadMovie(), set the MovieClip._lockroot property to true in the loader movie, as the following code shows. If you don't set _lockroot to true in the loader movie, any references to _root in the loaded movie point to the _root of the loader instead of the _root of the loaded movie:

myMovieClip._lockroot = true;

this._lockroot = true;
_root.myVar = 1;
_root.myOtherVar = 2;
trace("from lockroot.swf");
for (i in _root) {
    trace("  "+i+" -> "+_root[i]);
}
trace("");

which traces the following information:

from lockroot.swf
myOtherVar -> 2
myVar -> 1
_lockroot -> true
$version -> WIN 7,0,19,0

The following example loads two SWF files, lockroot.swf and nolockroot.swf. The lockroot.fla document contains the ActionScript from the preceding example. The nolockroot.fla file has the following code added to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

_root.myVar = 1;
_root.myOtherVar = 2;
trace("from nolockroot.swf");
for (i in _root) {
    trace("  "+i+" -> "+_root[i]);
}
trace("");

The lockroot.swf file has _lockroot applied to it, and nolockroot.swf does not. After the files are loaded, each file outputs the values variables from their _root scopes. Place the following ActionScript on the main Timeline of a FLA document:

this.createEmptyMovieClip("lockroot_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
lockroot_mc.loadMovie("lockroot.swf");
this.createEmptyMovieClip("nolockroot_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
nolockroot_mc.loadMovie("nolockroot.swf");
function dumpRoot() {
    trace("from current SWF file");
    for (i in _root) {
    trace("  "+i+" -> "+_root[i]);
    }
    trace("");
}
dumpRoot();

which traces the following information:

      
      from current SWF file
      dumpRoot -> [type Function]
      $version -> WIN 7,0,19,0
      nolockroot_mc -> _level0.nolockroot_mc
      lockroot_mc -> _level0.lockroot_mc
      
      from nolockroot.swf
      myVar -> 1
      i -> lockroot_mc
      dumpRoot -> [type Function]
      $version -> WIN 7,0,19,0
      nolockroot_mc -> _level0.nolockroot_mc
      lockroot_mc -> _level0.lockroot_mc
      
      from lockroot.swf
      myOtherVar -> 2
      myVar -> 1
      
      

The file with no _lockroot applied also contains all of the other variables that the root SWF file contains. If you don't have access to the nolockroot.fla, you can use the following ActionScript added to the main Timeline to change the _lockroot in the preceding main FLA document:

this.createEmptyMovieClip("nolockroot_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
nolockroot_mc._lockroot = true;
nolockroot_mc.loadMovie("nolockroot.swf");

which then traces the following:

      from current SWF file
      dumpRoot -> [type Function]
      $version -> WIN 7,0,19,0
      nolockroot_mc -> _level0.nolockroot_mc
      lockroot_mc -> _level0.lockroot_mc
      
      from nolockroot.swf
      myOtherVar -> 2
      myVar -> 1
      
      from lockroot.swf
      myOtherVar -> 2
      myVar -> 1
      

menu Property

public menu : ContextMenu

var menu_cm:ContextMenu = new ContextMenu();
menu_cm.customItems.push(new ContextMenuItem("View Image in Browser...", viewImage));
this.createEmptyMovieClip("image_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
var mclListener:Object = new Object();
mclListener.onLoadInit = function(target_mc:MovieClip) {
    target_mc.menu = menu_cm;
};
var image_mcl:MovieClipLoader = new MovieClipLoader();
image_mcl.addListener(mclListener);
image_mcl.loadClip("photo1.jpg", image_mc);

function viewImage(target_mc:MovieClip, obj:Object) {
    getURL(target_mc._url, "_blank");
}

When you right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the image at runtime, select View Image in Browser from the context menu to open the image in a browser window.

_name Property

public _name : String

var menu_cm:ContextMenu = new ContextMenu();
menu_cm.customItems.push(new ContextMenuItem("Info...", getMCInfo));
function getMCInfo(target_mc:MovieClip, obj:Object) {
    trace("You clicked on the movie clip '"+target_mc._name+"'.");
    trace("\t width:"+target_mc._width+", height:"+target_mc._height);
    trace("");
}
for (var i in this) {
    if (typeof (this[i]) == 'movieclip') {
    this[i].menu = menu_cm;
    }
}

opaqueBackground Property

public opaqueBackground : Number

You recognize a greater performance benefit with a movie clip that would have many transparent regions if opaqueBackground were not set.

Note:The opaque background region is not matched in a hitTest() method that has the shapeFlag parameter set to true.

var triangle:MovieClip = this.createEmptyMovieClip("triangle", this.getNextHighestDepth());
triangle._x = triangle._y = 50;
triangle.lineStyle(3, 0xFFCC00);
triangle.lineTo(0, 30);
triangle.lineTo(50, 0);
triangle.lineTo(0, 0);
triangle.endFill();
triangle.opaqueBackground = 0xCCCCCC;

If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method, which is used in this example.

_parent Property

public _parent : MovieClip

You can use _parent to move up multiple levels in the display list, as in the following code:

this._parent._parent._alpha = 20;

my_mc.onRelease = function() {
    trace("You clicked the movie clip: "+this);
    trace("The parent of "+this._name+" is: "+this._parent);
}

When you click the movie clip, the following information appears in the Output panel:When you click the movie clip, the following information writes to the log file:

      You clicked the movie clip: _level0.my_mc
      The parent of my_mc is: _level0
      

_quality Property

public _quality : String

You can set the _quality to the following values:

Note: Although you can specify this property for a MovieClip object, it is also a global property, and you can specify its value simply as _quality.

my_mc._quality = "LOW";

_rotation Property

public _rotation : Number

this.createEmptyMovieClip("triangle", this.getNextHighestDepth());

triangle.beginFill(0x0000FF, 100);
triangle.moveTo(100, 100);
triangle.lineTo(100, 150);
triangle.lineTo(150, 100);
triangle.lineTo(100, 100);

triangle.onMouseUp= function() {
    this._rotation += 15;
};

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

scale9Grid Property

public scale9Grid : Rectangle

When a scale9Grid property is defined for a movie clip, the movie clip is divided into a grid with nine regions, based on the scale9Grid rectangle, which defines the center region of the grid. The grid has eight other regions:

• The area in the upper-left corner outside the rectangle
• The area above the rectangle
• The area in the upper-right corner outside the rectangle
• The area to the left of the rectangle
• The area to the right of the rectangle
• The area in the lower-left corner outside the rectangle
• The area below the rectangle
• The area in the lower-right corner outside the rectangle

You can think of the eight regions outside of the center (defined by the rectangle) as being like a picture frame that has special rules applied to it when the movie clip is scaled.

When the scale9Grid property is set and a movie clip is scaled, all text and child movie clips scale normally, regardless of which regions of the scale9 grid they are located in; however, for other types of objects the following rules apply:

• All content in the center region scales normally.
• Any content in the corners are only scaled when the center region is scaled to 0.
• Any content in the top and bottom regions scale only horizontally. Content in the left-hand and right-hand regions scale only vertically.
• All fills (including bitmaps, video, and gradients) are stretched to fit their shapes, and all fills (including bitmaps, video, and gradients) are stretched to fit their shapes.

If a movie clip is rotated, subsequent scaling is normal (and the scale9Grid property is ignored).

For example, consider the following movie clip and a rectangle that is applied as the movie clip's scale9Grid property:

The movie clip.

The red rectangle shows the scale9Grid.

When the movie clip is scaled or stretched, the objects within the rectangle scale normally, but the objects outside of the rectangle scale according to the scale9Grid rules:

Scaled to 75%:
Scaled to 50%:
Scaled to 25%:
Stretched horizontally 150%:

A common use for setting scale9Grid is to set up a component in which edge lines retain the same width when the component is scaled.

In the Macromedia Flash authoring environment, you can enable guides for 9-slice scaling for a movie clip symbol in a library. This lets you graphically determine the scale9grid for the object. When you set 9-slice scaling for a symbol, the scale9grid property of any instance of that symbol is automatically set. For a symbol that has 9-slice scaling enabled, when you create the SWF file any curve that spans more than one region of the 9-slice scaling grid is divided into separate curves for each region of the grid. For instance, consider a curve in a movie clip symbol for which 9-slice scaling is enabled and the same curve in a movie clip symbol for which 9-slice scaling is not enabled:

Symbol with 9-slice scaling enabled:
Symbol without 9-slice scaling enabled:

When Flash creates the SWF file, the curve in first movie clip illustrated is divided into three curves. This is not the case for the second movie clip, for which the 9-slice scaling is not enabled. Even if you set scale9Grid for the second movie clip to a rectangle that matches the scale9Grid of the first movie clip, when you scale these movie clips the results differ because of the way Flash divides the curves in the first movie clip:

Symbol with 9-slice scaling enabled scaled to 150%:
Symbol without 9-slice scaling enabled scaled to 150%:

import flash.geom.Rectangle;
import flash.geom.Matrix;

this.createEmptyMovieClip("my_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());

var grid:Rectangle = new Rectangle(20, 20, 260, 260);
my_mc.scale9Grid = grid ;

my_mc._x = 50;
my_mc._y = 50;

function onMouseMove() 
{
    my_mc._width  = _xmouse;
    my_mc._height = _ymouse;
}

my_mc.lineStyle(20, 0xff3333, 100);
var gradient_matrix:Matrix = new Matrix();
gradient_matrix.createGradientBox(15, 15, Math.PI, 10, 10);
my_mc.beginGradientFill("radial", [0xffff00, 0x0000ff], 
            [100, 100], [0, 0xFF], gradient_matrix, 
            "reflect", "RGB", 0.9);
my_mc.moveTo(0, 0);
my_mc.lineTo(0, 300);
my_mc.lineTo(300, 300);
my_mc.lineTo(300, 0);
my_mc.lineTo(0, 0);
my_mc.endFill();

scrollRect Property

public scrollRect : Object

The movie clip is cropped and scrolled with a specific width, height, and scrolling offsets. The scrollRect properties are stored in the movie clip's coordinate space and are scaled just like the overall movie clip. The corner bounds of the cropped window on the scrolling movie clip are the origin of the movie clip (0, 0) and the (scrollWidth, scrollHeight) point. These points are not centered around the origin but use the origin at the upper-left corner. A scrolled movie clip always scrolls in whole pixel increments. If the movie clip is rotated 90 degrees and you scroll it left and right (by setting the scrollRect.x property), it scrolls up and down.

If set to a flash.geom.Rectangle object, the movie clip is cropped to a certain size and scrolled.

import flash.geom.Rectangle;
var container:MovieClip = setUpContainer();
var window:Rectangle = new Rectangle(0, 0, 100, 40);
container.scrollRect = window;

function setUpContainer():MovieClip {
    var mc:MovieClip = this.createEmptyMovieClip("container", this.getNextHighestDepth());
    mc._x = 50;
    mc._y = 50;
    mc.opaqueBackground = 0xCCCCCC;
    
    var content:MovieClip = mc.createEmptyMovieClip("content", mc.getNextHighestDepth());
    var colors:Array = [0xFF0000, 0x0000FF];
    var alphas:Array = [100, 100];
    var ratios:Array = [0, 0xFF];
    var matrix:Object = {a:150, b:0, c:0, d:0, e:150, f:0, g:150, h:150, i:1};
    content.beginGradientFill("linear", colors, alphas, ratios, matrix);
    content.lineTo(300, 0);
    content.lineTo(300, 300);
    content.lineTo(0, 300);
    content.lineTo(0, 0);
    content.endFill();
    content._rotation = -90;
    
    mc.onEnterFrame = function() {
        this.content._y += 1;
    }
    
    return mc;
}

The setUpContainer() function performs the following steps:

1. Create a MovieClip named container
2. Create a MovieClip named content inside of container
3. Draw a gradient shape inside of the content MovieClip
4. Return a reference to the container MovieClip

If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method, which is used in this example.

_soundbuftime Property

public _soundbuftime : Number

Note: Although you can specify this property for a MovieClip object, it is actually a global property that applies to all sounds loaded, and you can specify its value simply as _soundbuftime. Setting this property for a MovieClip object actually sets the global property.

tabChildren Property

public tabChildren : Boolean

The tabChildren property has no effect if the tabIndex property is used; the tabChildren property affects only automatic tab ordering.

The following example disables tabbing for all child movie clips inside a parent movie clip called menu_mc:

menu_mc.onRelease = function(){};
menu_mc.menu1_mc.onRelease = function(){};
menu_mc.menu2_mc.onRelease = function(){};
menu_mc.menu3_mc.onRelease = function(){};
menu_mc.menu4_mc.onRelease = function(){};

menu_mc.tabChildren = false;

Change the last line of code to the following to include the child movie clip instances of menu_mc in the automatic tab ordering:

menu_mc.tabChildren = true;

tabEnabled Property

public tabEnabled : Boolean

If the tabEnabled property is undefined, the object is included in automatic tab ordering only if it defines at least one movie clip handler, such as MovieClip.onRelease. If tabEnabled is true, the object is included in automatic tab ordering. If the tabIndex property is also set to a value, the object is included in custom tab ordering as well.

If tabEnabled is false, the object is not included in automatic or custom tab ordering, even if the tabIndex property is set. However, if MovieClip.tabChildren is true, you can still include the movie clip's children in automatic tab ordering, even if tabEnabled is set to false.

myMC1_mc.onRelease = function() {};
myMC2_mc.onRelease = function() {};
myMC3_mc.onRelease = function() {};
myMC2_mc.tabEnabled = false;

tabIndex Property

public tabIndex : Number

If an object in a SWF file contains a tabIndex property, automatic tab ordering is disabled, and the tab ordering is calculated from the tabIndex properties of objects in the SWF file. The custom tab ordering includes only objects that have tabIndex properties.

The tabIndex property must be a positive integer. The objects are ordered according to their tabIndex properties, in ascending order. An object with a tabIndex value of 1 precedes an object with a tabIndex value of 2. The custom tab ordering disregards the hierarchical relationships of objects in a SWF file. All objects in the SWF file with tabIndex properties are placed in the tab order. Do not use the same tabIndex value for multiple objects.

myMC1_mc.onRelease = function() {};
myMC2_mc.onRelease = function() {};
myMC3_mc.onRelease = function() {};
myMC1_mc.tabIndex = 2;
myMC2_mc.tabIndex = 1;
myMC3_mc.tabIndex = 3;

_target Property

public _target : String  [read-only]

for (var i in this) {
    if (typeof (this[i]) == "movieclip") {
    trace("name: " + this[i]._name + ",\t target: " + this[i]._target + ",\t target(2):" 
            + eval(this[i]._target));
    }
}

_totalframes Property

public _totalframes : Number  [read-only]

stop();
prev_mc.onRelease = function() {
    var parent_mc:MovieClip = this._parent;
    if (parent_mc._currentframe>1) {
    parent_mc.prevFrame();
    } else {
    parent_mc.gotoAndStop(parent_mc._totalframes);
    }
};
next_mc.onRelease = function() {
    var parent_mc:MovieClip = this._parent;
    if (parent_mc._currentframe<parent_mc._totalframes) {
    parent_mc.nextFrame();
    } else {
    parent_mc.gotoAndStop(1);
    }
};

trackAsMenu Property

public trackAsMenu : Boolean

You can change the trackAsMenu property at any time; the modified movie clip immediately uses the new behavior.

myMC1_mc.trackAsMenu = true;
myMC2_mc.trackAsMenu = true;
myMC3_mc.trackAsMenu = false;

myMC1_mc.onRelease = clickMC;
myMC2_mc.onRelease = clickMC;
myMC3_mc.onRelease = clickMC;

function clickMC() {
    trace("you clicked the "+this._name+" movie clip.");
};

transform Property

public transform : Transform

Each of the transform object's properties is itself an object. This is important because the only way to set new values for the matrix or colorTransform objects is to create an object and copy that object into the transform.matrix or transform.colorTransform property.

For example, to increase the tx value of a movie clip's matrix, you must make a copy of the entire matrix object, modify the tx property of the new object, and then copy the new object into the matrix property of the transform object:

var myMatrix:Object = myDisplayObject.transform.matrix;
myMatrix.tx += 10; 
myDisplayObject.transform.matrix = myMatrix;

You cannot directly set the tx property. The following code has no effect on myDisplayObject: myDisplayObject.transform.matrix.tx += 10;

You can also copy an entire transform object and assign it to another movie clip's transform property. For example, the following code copies the entire transform object from myOldDisplayObj to myNewDisplayObj:

myNewDisplayObj.transform = myOldDisplayObj.transform;

The new movie clip, myNewDisplayObj, now has the same values for its matrix, color transform, and pixel bounds as the old movie clip, myOldDisplayObj.

import flash.geom.Matrix;
    
var rect:MovieClip = createRectangle(20, 80, 0xFF0000);

var translateMatrix:Matrix = new Matrix();
translateMatrix.translate(10, 0);

rect.onPress = function() {
    var tmpMatrix:Matrix = this.transform.matrix;
    tmpMatrix.concat(translateMatrix);
    this.transform.matrix = tmpMatrix;
}

function createRectangle(width:Number, height:Number, color:Number, scope:MovieClip):MovieClip {
    scope = (scope == undefined) ? this : scope;
    var depth:Number = scope.getNextHighestDepth();
    var mc:MovieClip = scope.createEmptyMovieClip("mc_" + depth, depth);
    mc.beginFill(color);
    mc.lineTo(0, height);
    mc.lineTo(width, height);
    mc.lineTo(width, 0);
    mc.lineTo(0, 0);
    return mc;
}     

If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method, which is used in this example.

_url Property

public _url : String  [read-only]

this.createEmptyMovieClip("image_mc", 1);
var mclListener:Object = new Object();
mclListener.onLoadInit = function(target_mc:MovieClip) {
    trace("_url: "+target_mc._url);
};
var image_mcl:MovieClipLoader = new MovieClipLoader();
image_mcl.addListener(mclListener);
image_mcl.loadClip("http://www.macromedia.com/images/shared/product_boxes/112x112/box_studio_112x112.jpg", image_mc);

The following example assigns the menu_cm ContextMenu object to the image_mc movie clip. The menu_cm object contains a custom menu item labeled View Image in Browser that has an associated function named viewImage().

var menu_cm:ContextMenu = new ContextMenu();
menu_cm.customItems.push(new ContextMenuItem("View Image in Browser...", viewImage));
this.createEmptyMovieClip("image_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
var mclListener:Object = new Object();
mclListener.onLoadInit = function(target_mc:MovieClip) {
    target_mc.menu = menu_cm;
};
var image_mcl:MovieClipLoader = new MovieClipLoader();
image_mcl.addListener(mclListener);
image_mcl.loadClip("photo1.jpg", image_mc);

function viewImage(target_mc:MovieClip, obj:Object) {
    getURL(target_mc._url, "_blank");
}

When you right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the image at runtime, select View Image in Browser from the context menu to open the image in a browser window.

The MovieClipLoader class used in these examples requires Flash Player 7 or later. The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in these examples requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

useHandCursor Property

public useHandCursor : Boolean

You can change the useHandCursor property at any time; the modified movie clip immediately uses the new cursor behavior. The useHandCursor property can be read out of a prototype object.

myMC1_mc.onRelease = traceMC;
myMC2_mc.onRelease = traceMC;
myMC2_mc.useHandCursor = false;

function traceMC() {
    trace("you clicked: "+this._name);
};

_visible Property

public _visible : Boolean

myMC1_mc.onRelease = function() {
    trace(this._name+"._visible = false");
    this._visible = false;
};
myMC2_mc.onRelease = function() {
    trace(this._name+"._alpha = 0");
    this._alpha = 0;
};

_width Property

public _width : Number

this.createEmptyMovieClip("triangle", this.getNextHighestDepth());

triangle.beginFill(0x0000FF, 100);
triangle.moveTo(100, 100);
triangle.lineTo(100, 150);
triangle.lineTo(150, 100);
triangle.lineTo(100, 100);

trace(triangle._name + " = " + triangle._width + " X " + triangle._height + " pixels");

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

_x Property

public _x : Number

this.attachMovie("cursor_id", "cursor_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth(), 
    {_x:_xmouse, _y:_ymouse});
Mouse.hide();
var mouseListener:Object = new Object();
mouseListener.onMouseMove = function() {
    cursor_mc._x = _xmouse;
    cursor_mc._y = _ymouse;
    updateAfterEvent();
};
Mouse.addListener(mouseListener);

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

_xmouse Property

public _xmouse : Number  [read-only]

this.createTextField("mouse_txt", this.getNextHighestDepth(), 0, 0, 150, 66);
mouse_txt.html = true;
mouse_txt.multiline = true;
var row1_str:String = "&nbsp;\t<b>_xmouse\t</b><b>_ymouse</b>";
my_mc.onMouseMove = function() {
    mouse_txt.htmlText = "<textformat tabStops='[50,100]'>";
    mouse_txt.htmlText += row1_str;
    mouse_txt.htmlText += "<b>_level0</b>\t"+_xmouse+"\t"+_ymouse;
    mouse_txt.htmlText += "<b>my_mc</b>\t"+this._xmouse+"\t"+this._ymouse;
    mouse_txt.htmlText += "</textformat>";
};

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

_xscale Property

public _xscale : Number

Scaling the local coordinate system affects the _x and _y property settings, which are defined in whole pixels. For example, if the parent movie clip is scaled to 50%, setting the _x property moves an object in the movie clip by half the number of pixels as it would if the movie were set at 100%.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("box_mc", 1);
box_mc._x = 100;
box_mc._y = 100;
with (box_mc) {
    lineStyle(1, 0xCCCCCC);
    beginFill(0xEEEEEE);
    moveTo(0, 0);
    lineTo(80, 0);
    lineTo(80, 60);
    lineTo(0, 60);
    lineTo(0, 0);
    endFill();
};
box_mc.onRollOver = function() {
    this._x -= this._width/2;
    this._y -= this._height/2;
    this._xscale = 200;
    this._yscale = 200;
};
box_mc.onRollOut = function() {
    this._xscale = 100;
    this._yscale = 100;
    this._x += this._width/2;
    this._y += this._height/2;
};

_y Property

public _y : Number

this.attachMovie("cursor_id", "cursor_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth(), 
    {_x:_xmouse, _y:_ymouse});
Mouse.hide();
var mouseListener:Object = new Object();
mouseListener.onMouseMove = function() {
    cursor_mc._x = _xmouse;
    cursor_mc._y = _ymouse;
    updateAfterEvent();
};
Mouse.addListener(mouseListener);

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

_ymouse Property

public _ymouse : Number  [read-only]

this.createTextField("mouse_txt", this.getNextHighestDepth(), 0, 0, 150, 66);
mouse_txt.html = true;
mouse_txt.multiline = true;
var row1_str:String = "&nbsp;\t<b>_xmouse\t</b><b>_ymouse</b>";
my_mc.onMouseMove = function() {
    mouse_txt.htmlText = "<textformat tabStops='[50,100]'>";
    mouse_txt.htmlText += row1_str;
    mouse_txt.htmlText += "<b>_level0</b>\t"+_xmouse+"\t"+_ymouse;
    mouse_txt.htmlText += "<b>my_mc</b>\t"+this._xmouse+"\t"+this._ymouse;
    mouse_txt.htmlText += "</textformat>";
};

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

_yscale Property

public _yscale : Number

Scaling the local coordinate system affects the _x and _y property settings, which are defined in whole pixels. For example, if the parent movie clip is scaled to 50%, setting the _x property moves an object in the movie clip by half the number of pixels as it would if the movie were at 100%.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("box_mc", 1);
box_mc._x = 100;
box_mc._y = 100;
with (box_mc) {
    lineStyle(1, 0xCCCCCC);
    beginFill(0xEEEEEE);
    moveTo(0, 0);
    lineTo(80, 0);
    lineTo(80, 60);
    lineTo(0, 60);
    lineTo(0, 0);
    endFill();
};
box_mc.onRollOver = function() {
    this._x -= this._width/2;
    this._y -= this._height/2;
    this._xscale = 200;
    this._yscale = 200;
};
box_mc.onRollOut = function() {
    this._xscale = 100;
    this._yscale = 100;
    this._x += this._width/2;
    this._y += this._height/2;
};

onData Event Handler

public onData = function() {}

You can use this handler only with the MovieClip.loadVariables() method or the loadVariables() global function. If you want an event handler to be invoked with MovieClip.loadMovie() method or the loadMovie() function, you must use onClipEvent(data) instead of this handler.

var mc:MovieClip = this.createEmptyMovieClip("mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());

mc.onData = function() {
    for(var i in this) {
        trace(">> " + i + ": " + this[i]);
    }
}

mc.loadVariables("OnData.txt");

onDragOut Event Handler

public onDragOut = function() {}

my_mc.onDragOut = function () {
    trace ("onDragOut called");
}

onDragOver Event Handler

public onDragOver = function() {}

my_mc.onDragOver = function () {
    trace ("onDragOver called");
}

onEnterFrame Event Handler

public onEnterFrame = function() {}

You must define a function that executes when the event handler is invoked. You can define the function on the timeline or in a class file that extends the MovieClip class or that is linked to a symbol in the library.

my_mc.onEnterFrame = function () {
    trace ("onEnterFrame called");
}

onKeyDown Event Handler

public onKeyDown = function() {}

The onKeyDown event handler works only if the movie clip has input focus enabled and set. First, the MovieClip.focusEnabled property must be set to true for the movie clip. Then, the clip must be given focus. You can do this by using Selection.setFocus() or by setting the Tab key to navigate to the movie clip.

If you use Selection.setFocus(), you must pass the path for the movie clip to Selection.setFocus(). It is very easy for other elements to take the focus back after a user moves the mouse.

my_mc.onKeyDown = function () {
    trace ("key was pressed");
}

The movie clip must have focus for the onKeyDown event handler to work. Add the following ActionScript to set input focus:

my_mc.tabEnabled = true;
my_mc.focusEnabled = true;
Selection.setFocus(my_mc);

When the user presses a key, key was pressed displays in the Output panel.When the user presses a key, key was pressed is written to the log file. However, this does not occur after you move the mouse, because the movie clip loses focus. Therefore, you should use Key.onKeyDown in most cases.

onKeyUp Event Handler

public onKeyUp = function() {}

The onKeyUp event handler works only if the movie clip has input focus enabled and set. First, the MovieClip.focusEnabled property must be set to true for the movie clip. Then, the movie clip must be given focus. You can do this by using Selection.setFocus() or by setting the Tab key to navigate to the movie clip.

If you use Selection.setFocus(), you must pass the path for the movie clip to Selection.setFocus(). It is very easy for other elements to take the focus back after the user moves the mouse.

my_mc.onKeyUp = function () {
    trace ("onKey called");
}

The following example sets input focus:

my_mc.focusEnabled = true;
Selection.setFocus(my_mc);

onKillFocus Event Handler

public onKillFocus = function(newFocus:Object) {}

You must define a function that executes when the event handler is invoked. You can define the function on the timeline or in a class file that extends the MovieClip class or is linked to a symbol in the library.

my_mc.onRelease = Void;
other_mc.onRelease = Void;
my_mc.onKillFocus = function(newFocus) {
    trace("onKillFocus called, new focus is: "+newFocus);
};

Tab between the two instances, and information displays in the Output panel.

Tab between the two instances, and information writes to the log file.

onLoad Event Handler

public onLoad = function() {}

You use this handler only with movie clips for which you have a symbol in the library that is associated with a class. If you want an event handler to be invoked when a specific movie clip loads, you must use onClipEvent(load) or the MovieClipLoader class instead of this handlerl; for example, when you use MovieClip.loadMovie() to load a SWF file dynamically. Unlike MovieClip.onLoad, the other handlers are invoked when any movie clip loads.

// contents of Oval.as
class Oval extends MovieClip{
    public function onLoad () {
        trace ("onLoad called");
    }
}

Second, create a movie clip symbol in your library and name it Oval. Context-click (usually right-click) on the symbol in the Library panel and select Linkage... from the pop-up menu. Click the Export for ActionScript option and enter Oval in the Identifier and ActionScript 2.0 Class fields. Leave the "Export in First Frame" option selected, and click OK.

Third, go to the first frame of your file and enter the following code in the Actions Panel:

var myOval:Oval = Oval(attachMovie("Oval","Oval_1",1));

Finally, do a test movie, and you should see the output text "onLoad called".

onMouseDown Event Handler

public onMouseDown = function() {}

my_mc.onMouseDown = function () {
    trace ("onMouseDown called");
}

onMouseMove Event Handler

public onMouseMove = function() {}

my_mc.onMouseMove = function () {
    trace ("onMouseMove called");
}

onMouseUp Event Handler

public onMouseUp = function() {}

my_mc.onMouseUp = function () {
    trace ("onMouseUp called");
}

onPress Event Handler

public onPress = function() {}

my_mc.onPress = function () {
    trace ("onPress called");
}

onRelease Event Handler

public onRelease = function() {}

my_mc.onRelease = function () {
    trace ("onRelease called");
}

onReleaseOutside Event Handler

public onReleaseOutside = function() {}

You must define a function that executes when the event handler is invoked. You can define the function on the timeline or in a class file that extends the MovieClip class or is linked to a symbol in the library.

my_mc.onReleaseOutside = function () {
    trace ("onReleaseOutside called");
}

onRollOut Event Handler

public onRollOut = function() {}

You must define a function that executes when the event handler is invoked. You can define the function on the timeline or in a class file that extends the MovieClip class or is linked to a symbol in the library.

my_mc.onRollOut = function () {
    trace ("onRollOut called");
}

onRollOver Event Handler

public onRollOver = function() {}

You must define a function that executes when the event handler is invoked. You can define the function on the timeline or in a class file that extends the MovieClip class or is linked to a symbol in the library.

my_mc.onRollOver = function () {
    trace ("onRollOver called");
}

onSetFocus Event Handler

public onSetFocus = function(oldFocus:Object) {}

If there is no previously focused object, oldFocus contains a null value.

You must define a function that executes when the event handler in invoked. You can define the function on the timeline or in a class file that extends the MovieClip class or is linked to a symbol in the library.

my_mc.onRelease = Void;
other_mc.onRelease = Void;
my_mc.onSetFocus = function(oldFocus) {
    trace("onSetFocus called, previous focus was: "+oldFocus);
}

Tab between the two instances, and information displays in the Output panel.Tab between the two instances, and information writes to the log file

onUnload Event Handler

public onUnload = function() {}

my_mc.onUnload = function () {
    trace ("onUnload called");
}

attachAudio Method

public attachAudio(id:Object) : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

var my_nc:NetConnection = new NetConnection();
my_nc.connect(null);
var my_ns:NetStream = new NetStream(my_nc);
my_video.attachVideo(my_ns);
my_ns.play("yourVideo.flv");
this.createEmptyMovieClip("flv_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
flv_mc.attachAudio(my_ns);
var audio_sound:Sound = new Sound(flv_mc);

// Add volume buttons.
volUp_btn.onRelease = function() {
    if (audio_sound.getVolume()<100) {
    audio_sound.setVolume(audio_sound.getVolume()+10);
    updateVolume();
    }
};
volDown_btn.onRelease = function() {
    if (audio_sound.getVolume()>0) {
    audio_sound.setVolume(audio_sound.getVolume()-10);
    updateVolume();
    }
};

// Updates the volume.
this.createTextField("volume_txt", this.getNextHighestDepth(), 0, 0, 100, 22);
updateVolume();
function updateVolume() {
    volume_txt.text = "Volume: "+audio_sound.getVolume();
}

The following example specifies a microphone as the audio source for a dynamically created movie clip instance called audio_mc:

var active_mic:Microphone = Microphone.get();
this.createEmptyMovieClip("audio_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
audio_mc.attachAudio(active_mic);

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

attachBitmap Method

public attachBitmap(bmp:BitmapData, depth:Number, [pixelSnapping:String], [smoothing:Boolean]) : Void

After the bitmap is attached to the movie clip, a reference is made from the movie clip to the bitmap object. When attaching a bitmap, you can specify pixelSnapping and smoothing parameters to affect the appearance of the bitmap.

After an object is added to the movie clip, it is not an accessible object. The depth, pixelSnapping, and smoothing parameters can only be set during the attachBitmap() method call and cannot be changed later.

First use the createEmptyMovieClip() to create an empty movie clip, then use the attachBitmap() method. This way, you can apply transformations to the movie clip to transform the bitmap; for example, by using the matrix property of the movie clip.

Pixel snapping forces the position of the bitmap to the nearest whole pixel value instead of positioning to be on a partial pixel. There are three pixel snapping modes:

• Auto mode does pixel snapping as long as the bitmap is not stretched or rotated.
• Always mode always does pixel snapping, regardless of stretching and rotation.
• Never mode turns off pixel snapping for the movie clip.

Smoothing mode affects the appearance of the image when it is scaled.

import flash.display.*;

this.createEmptyMovieClip("bmp1", this.getNextHighestDepth());
var bmpData1:BitmapData = new BitmapData(200, 200, false, 0xaa3344);
bmp1.attachBitmap(bmpData1, 2, "auto", true);

If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method, which is used in this example.

attachMovie Method

public attachMovie(id:String, name:String, depth:Number, [initObject:Object]) : MovieClip

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

The following example attaches the symbol with the linkage identifier circle to the movie clip instance, which is on the Stage in the SWF file:

this.attachMovie("circle", "circle1_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
this.attachMovie("circle", "circle2_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth(), {_x:100, _y:100});

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

beginBitmapFill Method

public beginBitmapFill(bmp:BitmapData, [matrix:Matrix], [repeat:Boolean], [smoothing:Boolean]) : Void

var matrix = new flash.geom.Matrix(); 
matrix.rotate(Math.PI/4);

import flash.display.*;
import flash.geom.*;

var bmpd:BitmapData = new BitmapData(20,20);
var rect1:Rectangle = new Rectangle(0,0,10,10);
var rect2:Rectangle = new Rectangle(0, 10, 10, 20);
var rect3:Rectangle = new Rectangle(10, 0, 20, 10);
var rect4:Rectangle = new Rectangle(10, 10, 20, 20);
bmpd.fillRect(rect1, 0xAA0000FF);
bmpd.fillRect(rect2, 0xAA00FF00);
bmpd.fillRect(rect3, 0xAAFF0000);
bmpd.fillRect(rect4, 0xAA999999);

this.createEmptyMovieClip("bmp_fill_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
with (bmp_fill_mc) {
    matrix = new Matrix(); 
    matrix.rotate(Math.PI/8);
    repeat = true;
    smoothing = true;
    beginBitmapFill(bmpd, matrix, repeat, smoothing);
    moveTo(0, 0);
    lineTo(0, 60);
    lineTo(60, 60);
    lineTo(60, 0);
    lineTo(0, 0);
    endFill();
}

bmp_fill_mc._xscale = 200;
bmp_fill_mc._yscale = 200;

If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method, which is used in this example.

beginFill Method

public beginFill(rgb:Number, [alpha:Number]) : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("square_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
square_mc.beginFill(0xFF0000);
square_mc.moveTo(10, 10);
square_mc.lineTo(100, 10);
square_mc.lineTo(100, 100);
square_mc.lineTo(10, 100);
square_mc.lineTo(10, 10);
square_mc.endFill();

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

beginGradientFill Method

public beginGradientFill(fillType:String, colors:Array, alphas:Array, ratios:Array, matrix:Object, [spreadMethod:String], [interpolationMethod:String], [focalPointRatio:Number]) : Void

This method fails if any of the following conditions exist:

• The number of items in the colors, alphas, and ratios parameters are not equal.
• The fillType parameter is not "linear" or "radial".
• Any of the fields in the object for the matrix parameter are missing or invalid.

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

	fillType:String — Valid values are the string "linear" and the string "radial".
	colors:Array — An array of RGB hexadecimal color values you can use in the gradient; for example; red is 0xFF0000, blue is 0x0000FF. You can specify up to 15 colors. For each color, ensure to specify a corresponding value in the alphas and ratios parameters.
	alphas:Array — An array of alpha values for the corresponding colors in the colors array; valid values are 0 to 100. If the value is less than 0, Flash uses 0. If the value is greater than 100, Flash uses 100.
	ratios:Array — An array of color distribution ratios; valid values are 0 to 255. This value defines the percentage of the width where the color is sampled at 100%. Specify a value for each value in the colors parameter. For example, for a linear gradient that includes two colors, blue and green, the following figure illustrates the placement of the colors in the gradient based on different values in the ratios array: ratios Gradient [0, 127] [0, 255] [127, 255] The values in the array must increase sequentially; for example, [0, 63, 127, 190, 255].
	matrix:Object — A transformation matrix that can be in any one of three forms: A matrix object (supported by Flash Player 8 and later only), as defined by the flash.geom.Matrix class. The flash.geom.Matrix class includes a createGradientBox() method, which lets you conveniently set up the matrix for use with the beginGradientFill() method of MovieClip class. Macromedia recommends that you use this form of matrix for Flash Player 8 and later. The following example uses the beginGradientFill() method with a matrix parameter of this type: import flash.geom.* this.createEmptyMovieClip("gradient_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth()); with (gradient_mc) { colors = [0xFF0000, 0x0000FF]; fillType = "radial" alphas = [100, 100]; ratios = [0, 0xFF]; spreadMethod = "reflect"; interpolationMethod = "linearRGB"; focalPointRatio = 0.9; matrix = new Matrix(); matrix.createGradientBox(100, 100, Math.PI, 0, 0); beginGradientFill(fillType, colors, alphas, ratios, matrix, spreadMethod, interpolationMethod, focalPointRatio); moveTo(100, 100); lineTo(100, 300); lineTo(300, 300); lineTo(300, 100); lineTo(100, 100); endFill(); } This code draws the following image onscreen: You can use the properties a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, and i, which can be used to describe a 3 x 3 matrix of the following form: a b c d e f g h i Note: For Flash Player 8 and later, Macromedia recommends that you define the matrix parameter in the form of a flash.geom.Matrix object (as described in the first item in this list). The following example uses the beginGradientFill() method with a matrix parameter of this type: this.createEmptyMovieClip("gradient_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth()); with (gradient_mc) { colors = [0xFF0000, 0x0000FF]; fillType = "radial" alphas = [100, 100]; ratios = [0, 0xFF]; spreadMethod = "reflect"; interpolationMethod = "linearRGB"; focalPointRatio = 0.9; matrix = {a:200, b:0, c:0, d:0, e:200, f:0, g:200, h:200, i:1}; beginGradientFill(fillType, colors, alphas, ratios, matrix, spreadMethod, interpolationMethod, focalPointRatio); moveTo(100, 100); lineTo(100, 300); lineTo(300, 300); lineTo(300, 100); lineTo(100, 100); endFill(); } This code draws the following image onscreen: An object with the following properties: matrixType, x, y, w, h, r. The properties indicate the following: matrixType is the string "box", x is the horizontal position relative to the registration point of the parent clip for the upper-left corner of the gradient, y is the vertical position relative to the registration point of the parent clip for the upper-left corner of the gradient, w is the width of the gradient, h is the height of the gradient, and r is the rotation in radians of the gradient. Note: For Flash Player 8 and later, Macromedia recommends that you define the matrix parameter in the form of a flash.geom.Matrix object (as described in the first item in this list). The following example uses the beginGradientFill() method with a matrix parameter of this type: this.createEmptyMovieClip("gradient_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth()); with (gradient_mc) { colors = [0xFF0000, 0x0000FF]; fillType = "radial" alphas = [100, 100]; ratios = [0, 0xFF]; spreadMethod = "reflect"; interpolationMethod = "linearRGB"; focalPointRatio = 0.9; matrix = {matrixType:"box", x:100, y:100, w:200, h:200, r:(45/180)*Math.PI}; beginGradientFill(fillType, colors, alphas, ratios, matrix, spreadMethod, interpolationMethod, focalPointRatio); moveTo(100, 100); lineTo(100, 300); lineTo(300, 300); lineTo(300, 100); lineTo(100, 100); endFill(); } This code draws the following image onscreen:
	spreadMethod:String [optional] — Added in Flash Player 8. Either "pad", "reflect," or "repeat," which controls the mode of the gradient fill. The default value is "pad". For example, consider a simple linear gradient between two colors: import flash.geom.*; var fillType:String = "linear" var colors:Array = [0xFF0000, 0x0000FF]; var alphas:Array = [100, 100]; var ratios:Array = [0x00, 0xFF]; var matrix:Matrix = new Matrix(); matrix.createGradientBox(20, 20, 0, 0, 0); var spreadMethod:String = "pad"; this.beginGradientFill(fillType, colors, alphas, ratios, matrix, spreadMethod); this.moveTo(0, 0); this.lineTo(0, 100); this.lineTo(100, 100); this.lineTo(100, 0); this.lineTo(0, 0); this.endFill(); This example uses "pad" for the spread method, so the gradient fill looks like the following: If you used "reflect" for the spread method, the gradient fill would look like the following: If you used "repeat" for the spread method, the gradient fill would look like the following:
	interpolationMethod:String [optional] — Added in Flash Player 8. Either "RGB" or "linearRGB". With "linearRGB", the colors are distributed linearly in the gradient. The default value is "RGB". For example, consider a simple linear gradient between two colors (with the spreadMethod parameter set to "reflect"). The different interpoliation methods affect the appearance as follows: "linearRGB" "RGB"
	focalPointRatio:Number [optional] — Added in Flash Player 8. A number that controls the location of the focal point of the gradient. The value 0 means the focal point is in the center. The value 1 means the focal point is at one border of the gradient circle. The value -1 means the focal point is at the other border of the gradient circle. A value less than -1 or greater than 1 is rounded to -1 or 1. For example, the following image shows a focalPointRatio set to 0.75:

import flash.geom.*
this.createEmptyMovieClip("gradient_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
with (gradient_mc) 
    {
        fillType = "radial"
    colors = [0x000000, 0xFFFFFF];
        alphas = [50, 90];
        ratios = [0, 0xFF];
        spreadMethod = "pad";
        interpolationMethod = "RGB";
    focalPointRatio = 0.3;
    matrix = new Matrix();
    matrix.createGradientBox(100, 100, 0, 0, 0);
    beginGradientFill(fillType, colors, alphas, ratios, matrix, 
        spreadMethod, interpolationMethod, focalPointRatio);
    moveTo(0, 0);
    lineTo(0, 100);
    lineTo(100, 100);
    lineTo(100, 0);
    lineTo(0, 0);
    endFill();
}

This draws the following image (the image is scaled by 50%):

If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method, which is used in this example.

clear Method

public clear() : Void

this.createEmptyMovieClip("box_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
box_mc.onRelease = function() {
    this.clear();
};
drawBox(box_mc, 10, 10, 320, 240);
function drawBox(mc:MovieClip, x:Number, y:Number, w:Number, h:Number):Void {
    mc.lineStyle(0);
    mc.beginFill(0xEEEEEE);
    mc.moveTo(x, y);
    mc.lineTo(x+w, y);
    mc.lineTo(x+w, y+h);
    mc.lineTo(x, y+h);
    mc.lineTo(x, y);
    mc.endFill();
}

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

createEmptyMovieClip Method

public createEmptyMovieClip(name:String, depth:Number) : MovieClip

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

var container:MovieClip = this.createEmptyMovieClip("container", this.getNextHighestDepth());
var label:TextField = container.createTextField("label", 1, 0, 0, 150, 20);
label.text = "Hello World";

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

createTextField Method

public createTextField(instanceName:String, depth:Number, x:Number, y:Number, width:Number, height:Number) : TextField

The default properties of a text field are as follows:

type = "dynamic"
border = false
background = false
password = false
multiline = false
html = false
embedFonts = false
selectable = true
wordWrap = false
mouseWheelEnabled = true
condenseWhite = false
restrict = null
variable = null
maxChars = null
styleSheet = undefined
tabInded = undefined

A text field created with createTextField() receives the following default TextFormat object settings:

font = "Times New Roman" // "Times" on Mac OS
size = 12
color = 0x000000
bold = false
italic = false
underline = false
url = ""
target = ""
align = "left"
leftMargin = 0
rightMargin = 0
indent = 0
leading = 0
blockIndent = 0
bullet = false
display = block
tabStops = []  // (empty array)

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createTextField("my_txt", 1, 100, 100, 300, 100);
my_txt.multiline = true;
my_txt.wordWrap = true;
var my_fmt:TextFormat = new TextFormat();
my_fmt.color = 0xFF0000;
my_fmt.underline = true;
my_txt.text = "This is my first test field object text.";
my_txt.setTextFormat(my_fmt);

curveTo Method

public curveTo(controlX:Number, controlY:Number, anchorX:Number, anchorY:Number) : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("circle_mc", 1);
with (circle_mc) {
    lineStyle(0, 0x0000FF, 100);
    beginFill(0xFF0000);
    moveTo(0, 100);
    curveTo(0,200,100,200);
    curveTo(200,200,200,100);
    curveTo(200,0,100,0);
    curveTo(0,0,0,100);
    endFill();
}

The curve drawn in this example is a quadratic Bezier curve. Quadratic Bezier curves consist of two anchor points and a control point. The curve interpolates the two anchor points, and curves toward the control point.

The following script uses the curveTo() method and the Math class to create a circle:

this.createEmptyMovieClip("circle2_mc", 2);
circle2_mc.lineStyle(0, 0x000000);
drawCircle(circle2_mc, 100, 100, 100);
function drawCircle(mc:MovieClip, x:Number, y:Number, r:Number):Void {
    mc.moveTo(x+r, y);
    mc.curveTo(r+x, Math.tan(Math.PI/8)*r+y, Math.sin(Math.PI/4)*r+x, 
Math.sin(Math.PI/4)*r+y);
    mc.curveTo(Math.tan(Math.PI/8)*r+x, r+y, x, r+y);
    mc.curveTo(-Math.tan(Math.PI/8)*r+x, r+y, -Math.sin(Math.PI/4)*r+x, 
Math.sin(Math.PI/4)*r+y);
    mc.curveTo(-r+x, Math.tan(Math.PI/8)*r+y, -r+x, y);
    mc.curveTo(-r+x, -Math.tan(Math.PI/8)*r+y, -Math.sin(Math.PI/4)*r+x, 
-Math.sin(Math.PI/4)*r+y);
    mc.curveTo(-Math.tan(Math.PI/8)*r+x, -r+y, x, -r+y);
    mc.curveTo(Math.tan(Math.PI/8)*r+x, -r+y, Math.sin(Math.PI/4)*r+x, 
-Math.sin(Math.PI/4)*r+y);
    mc.curveTo(r+x, -Math.tan(Math.PI/8)*r+y, r+x, y);
}

duplicateMovieClip Method

public duplicateMovieClip(name:String, depth:Number, [initObject:Object]) : MovieClip

Contrast this method with the global function version of duplicateMovieClip(). The global version of this method requires a parameter that specifies the target movie clip to duplicate. Such a parameter is unnecessary for the MovieClip class version, because the target of the method is the movie clip instance on which the method is invoked. Moreover, the global version of duplicateMovieClip() supports neither the initobject parameter nor the return value of a reference to the newly created MovieClip instance.

var container:MovieClip = setUpContainer();
var ln:Number = 10;
var spacer:Number = 1;
var duplicate:MovieClip;
for(var i:Number = 1; i < ln; i++) {
    var newY:Number = i * (container._height + spacer);
    duplicate = container.duplicateMovieClip("clip-" + i, i, {_y:newY});
    trace(duplicate); // _level0.clip-[number]
}

function setUpContainer():MovieClip {
    var mc:MovieClip = this.createEmptyMovieClip("container", this.getNextHighestDepth());
    var w:Number = 100;
    var h:Number = 20;
    mc.beginFill(0x333333);
    mc.lineTo(w, 0);
    mc.lineTo(w, h);
    mc.lineTo(0, h);
    mc.lineTo(0, 0);
    mc.endFill();
    return mc;
}

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

endFill Method

public endFill() : Void

this.createEmptyMovieClip("square_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
square_mc.beginFill(0xFF0000);
square_mc.moveTo(10, 10);
square_mc.lineTo(100, 10);
square_mc.lineTo(100, 100);
square_mc.lineTo(10, 100);
square_mc.lineTo(10, 10);
square_mc.endFill();

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

getBounds Method

public getBounds(bounds:Object) : Object

Note: Use MovieClip.localToGlobal() and MovieClip.globalToLocal() methods to convert the movie clip's local coordinates to Stage coordinates, or Stage coordinates to local coordinates, respectively.

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("square_mc", 1);
square_mc._x = 10;
square_mc._y = 10;
square_mc.beginFill(0xFF0000);
square_mc.moveTo(0, 0);
square_mc.lineTo(100, 0);
square_mc.lineTo(100, 100);
square_mc.lineTo(0, 100);
square_mc.lineTo(0, 0);
square_mc.endFill();

var bounds_obj:Object = square_mc.getBounds(this);
for (var i in bounds_obj) {
    trace(i+" --> "+bounds_obj[i]);
}

The following information appears in the Output panel:The following information writes to the log file:

yMax --> 110
yMin --> 10
xMax --> 110
xMin --> 10

getBytesLoaded Method

public getBytesLoaded() : Number

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

var pctLoaded:Number = Math.round(this.getBytesLoaded()/this.getBytesTotal() * 100);
bar_mc._xscale = pctLoaded;

if (this._framesloaded<this._totalframes) {
    this.gotoAndPlay(1);
} else {
    this.gotoAndStop(3);
}

stop();

getBytesTotal Method

public getBytesTotal() : Number

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

var pctLoaded:Number = Math.round(this.getBytesLoaded()/this.getBytesTotal()*100);
bar_mc._xscale = pctLoaded;

if (this._framesloaded<this._totalframes) {
    this.gotoAndPlay(1);
} else {
    this.gotoAndStop(3);
}

stop();

getDepth Method

public getDepth() : Number

Each movie clip, button, and text field has a unique depth associated with it that determines how the object appears in front of or in back of other objects. Objects with larger values for depths appear in front. Content created at design time (in the authoring tool) starts at depth -16383.

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

for (var i in this) {
    if (typeof (this[i]) == "movieclip") {
    trace("movie clip '"+this[i]._name+"' is at depth "+this[i].getDepth());
    }
}

getInstanceAtDepth Method

public getInstanceAtDepth(depth:Number) : MovieClip

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("triangle", 1);

triangle.beginFill(0x0000FF, 100);
triangle.moveTo(100, 100);
triangle.lineTo(100, 150);
triangle.lineTo(150, 100);
triangle.lineTo(100, 100);

trace(this.getInstanceAtDepth(1)); // output: _level0.triangle

getNextHighestDepth Method

public getNextHighestDepth() : Number

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

Note: If you are using version 2 components, do not use this method. If you place a version 2 component either on the Stage or in the Library, the getNextHighestDepth() method can sometimes return depth 1048676, which is outside the valid range. If you are using version 2 components, you should always use the version 2 components DepthManager class.

for (i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
    drawClip(i);
}

function drawClip(n:Number):Void {
    this.createEmptyMovieClip("triangle" + n, this.getNextHighestDepth());
    var mc:MovieClip = eval("triangle" + n);
    mc.beginFill(0x00aaFF, 100);
    mc.lineStyle(4, 0xFF0000, 100);
    mc.moveTo(0, 0);
    mc.lineTo(100, 100);
    mc.lineTo(0, 100);
    mc.lineTo(0, 0);
    mc._x = n * 30;
    mc._y = n * 50
    mc.createTextField("label", this.getNextHighestDepth(), 20, 50, 200, 200)
    mc.label.text = mc.getDepth();
}

getRect Method

public getRect(bounds:Object) : Object

Note: Use MovieClip.localToGlobal() and MovieClip.globalToLocal() methods to convert the movie clip's local coordinates to Stage coordinates, or Stage coordinates to local coordinates, respectively.

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("square_mc", 1);
square_mc._x = 10;
square_mc._y = 10;
square_mc.beginFill(0xFF0000);
square_mc.lineStyle(4, 0xFF00FF, 100, true, "none", "round", "miter", 1);
square_mc.moveTo(0, 0);
square_mc.lineTo(100, 0);
square_mc.lineTo(100, 100);
square_mc.lineTo(0, 100);
square_mc.lineTo(0, 0);
square_mc.endFill();

var bounds_obj:Object = square_mc.getBounds(this);
trace("getBounds() output:");
for (var i in bounds_obj) {
    trace(i+" --> "+bounds_obj[i]);
}

var rect_obj:Object = square_mc.getRect(this);
trace("getRect() output:");
for (var i in rect_obj) {
    trace(i+" --> "+rect_obj[i]);
}

The trace() statement results in the following output.

      getBounds() output:
      yMax --> 112
      yMin --> 8
      xMax --> 112
      xMin --> 8
      getRect() output:
      yMax --> 110
      yMin --> 10
      xMax --> 110
      xMin --> 10
      

getSWFVersion Method

public getSWFVersion() : Number

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

var container:MovieClip = this.createEmptyMovieClip("container", this.getUpperEmptyDepth());
var listener:Object = new Object();
listener.onLoadInit = function(target:MovieClip):Void {
    trace("target: " + target.getSWFVersion()); // target: 7
}
var mcLoader:MovieClipLoader = new MovieClipLoader();
mcLoader.addListener(listener);
trace("container: " + container.getSWFVersion()); // container: 8
mcLoader.loadClip("FlashPlayer7.swf", container);

getTextSnapshot Method

public getTextSnapshot() : TextSnapshot

Flash concatenates text and places it in the TextSnapshot object in an order that reflects the tab index order of the static text fields in the movie clip. Text fields that don't have tab index values are placed in a random order in the object, and precede any text from fields that do have tab index values. No line breaks or formatting indicates where one field ends and the next begins.

Note: You can't specify a tab index value for static text in Flash. However, other products may do so (for example, Macromedia FlashPaper).

The contents of the TextSnapshot object aren't dynamic; that is, if the movie clip moves to a different frame, or is altered in some way (for example, objects in the movie clip are added or removed), the TextSnapshot object might not represent the current text in the movie clip. To ensure that the object's contents are current, reissue this command as needed.

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

var textSnap:TextSnapshot = this.getTextSnapshot();
trace(textSnap.getText(0, textSnap.getCount(), false));

getURL Method

public getURL(url:String, [window:String], [method:String]) : Void

Web pages that host Flash content must explicitly set the allowScriptAccess attribute to allow or deny scripting for the Flash Player from the HTML code (in the PARAM tag for Internet Explorer or the EMBED tag for Netscape Navigator):

• When allowScriptAccess is "never", outbound scripting always fails.
• When allowScriptAccess is "always", outbound scripting always succeeds.
• When allowScriptAccess is "sameDomain" (supported by SWF files starting with version 8 ), outbound scripting is allowed if the SWF file is from the same domain as the hosting web page.
• If allowScriptAccess is not specified by an HTML page, the default value is "sameDomain" for version 8 SWF files, and the default value is "always" for earlier version SWF files.

When using this method, consider the Flash Player security model. For Flash Player 8, the method is not allowed if the calling SWF file is in the local-with-file-system sandbox and the resource is nonlocal.

For more information, see the following:

• "Understanding Security" in Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Flash
• The Flash Player 8 Security white paper at http://www.macromedia.com/go/fp8_security
• The Flash Player 8 Security-Related API white paper at http://www.macromedia.com/go/fp8_security_apis

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("loader_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
loader_mc.getURL("http://www.macromedia.com", "_blank");

The getURL() method also allows you to send variables to a remote server-side script, as seen in the following code:

this.createEmptyMovieClip("loader_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
loader_mc.username = "some user input";
loader_mc.password = "random string";
loader_mc.getURL("http://www.flash-mx.com/mm/viewscope.cfm", "_blank", "GET");

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in these examples requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

When using this method, consider the Flash Player security model.

• For Flash Player 8, MovieClip.getURL() is not allowed if the calling SWF file is in the local-with-file-system sandbox and the resource is nonlocal.

For more information, see the following:

• "Understanding Security" in Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Flash
• The Flash Player 8 Security white paper at http://www.macromedia.com/go/fp8_security
• The Flash Player 8 Security-Related API white paper at http://www.macromedia.com/go/fp8_security_apis

globalToLocal Method

public globalToLocal(pt:Object) : Void

The MovieClip.globalToLocal() method allows you to convert any given x and y coordinates from values that are relative to the top-left corner of the Stage to values that are relative to the top-left corner of a specific movie clip.

You must first create a generic object that has two properties, x and y. These x and y values (and they must be called x and y) are called the global coordinates because they relate to the top-left corner of the Stage. The x property represents the horizontal offset from the top-left corner. In other words, it represents how far to the right the point lies. For example, if x = 50, the point lies 50 pixels to the right of the top-left corner. The y property represents the vertical offset from the top-left corner. In other words, it represents how far down the point lies. For example, if y = 20, the point lies 20 pixels below the top-left corner. The following code creates a generic object with these coordinates:

var myPoint:Object = new Object();
myPoint.x = 50;
myPoint.y = 20;

Alternatively, you can create the object and assign the values at the same time with a literal Object value:

var myPoint:Object = {x:50, y:20};

After you create a point object with global coordinates, you can convert the coordinates to local coordinates. The globalToLocal() method doesn't return a value because it changes the values of x and y in the generic object that you send as the parameter. It changes them from values relative to the Stage (global coordinates) to values relative to a specific movie clip (local coordinates).

For example, if you create a movie clip that is positioned at the point (_x:100, _y:100), and you pass the global point representing the top-left corner of the Stage (x:0, y:0) to the globalToLocal() method, the method should convert the x and y values to the local coordinates, which in this case is (x:-100, y:-100). This is because the x and y coordinates are now expressed relative to the top-left corner of your movie clip rather than the top-left corner of the Stage. The values are negative because to get from the top-left corner of your movie clip to the top-left corner of the Stage you have to move 100 pixels to the left (negative x) and 100 pixels up (negative y).

The movie clip coordinates were expressed using _x and _y, because those are the MovieClip properties that you use to set the x and y values for MovieClips. However, your generic object uses x and y without the underscore. The following code converts the x and y values to the local coordinates:

var myPoint:Object = {x:0, y:0}; // Create your generic point object.
this.createEmptyMovieClip("myMovieClip", this.getNextHighestDepth());
myMovieClip._x = 100; // _x for movieclip x position
myMovieClip._y = 100; // _y for movieclip y position

myMovieClip.globalToLocal(myPoint);
trace ("x: " + myPoint.x); // output: -100
trace ("y: " + myPoint.y); // output: -100

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createTextField("coords_txt", this.getNextHighestDepth(), 10, 10, 100, 22);
coords_txt.html = true;
coords_txt.multiline = true;
coords_txt.autoSize = true;
this.createEmptyMovieClip("target_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
target_mc._x = 100;
target_mc._y = 100;
target_mc.loadMovie("photo1.jpg");

var mouseListener:Object = new Object();
mouseListener.onMouseMove = function() {
    var point:Object = {x:_xmouse, y:_ymouse};
    target_mc.globalToLocal(point);
    var rowHeaders = "<b> &nbsp; \t</b><b>_x\t</b><b>_y</b>";
    var row_1 = "_root\t"+_xmouse+"\t"+_ymouse;
    var row_2 = "target_mc\t"+point.x+"\t"+point.y;
    coords_txt.htmlText = "<textformat tabstops='[100, 150]'>";
    coords_txt.htmlText += rowHeaders;
    coords_txt.htmlText += row_1;
    coords_txt.htmlText += row_2;
    coords_txt.htmlText += "</textformat>";
};
Mouse.addListener(mouseListener);

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

gotoAndPlay Method

public gotoAndPlay(frame:Object) : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

var pctLoaded:Number = Math.round(this.getBytesLoaded()/this.getBytesTotal()*100);
bar_mc._xscale = pctLoaded;

if (this._framesloaded<this._totalframes) {
    this.gotoAndPlay(1);
} else {
    this.gotoAndStop(3);
}

stop();

gotoAndStop Method

public gotoAndStop(frame:Object) : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

var pctLoaded:Number = Math.round(this.getBytesLoaded()/this.getBytesTotal()*100);
bar_mc._xscale = pctLoaded;

if (this._framesloaded<this._totalframes) {
    this.gotoAndPlay(1);
} else {
    this.gotoAndStop(3);
}

stop();

hitTest Method

public hitTest() : Boolean

Usage 1: Compares the x and y coordinates to the shape or bounding box of the specified instance, according to the shapeFlag setting. If shapeFlag is set to true, only the area actually occupied by the instance on the Stage is evaluated, and if x and y overlap at any point, a value of true is returned. This evaluation is useful for determining if the movie clip is within a specified hit or hotspot area.

Usage 2: Evaluates the bounding boxes of the target and specified instance, and returns true if they overlap or intersect at any point.

Parameters
x: Number
The x coordinate of the hit area on the Stage.

y: Number
The y coordinate of the hit area on the Stage.

The x and y coordinates are defined in the global coordinate space.

shapeFlag: Boolean
A Boolean value specifying whether to evaluate the entire shape of the specified instance (true), or just the bounding box (false). This parameter can be specified only if the hit area is identified by using x and y coordinate parameters.

target: Object
The target path of the hit area that may intersect or overlap with the movie clip. The target parameter usually represents a button or text-entry field.

square_mc.onPress = function() {
    this.startDrag();
};
square_mc.onRelease = function() {
    this.stopDrag();
    if (this.hitTest(circle_mc)) {
    trace("you hit the circle");
    }
};

lineGradientStyle Method

public lineGradientStyle(fillType:String, colors:Array, alphas:Array, ratios:Array, matrix:Object, [spreadMethod:String], [interpolationMethod:String], [focalPointRatio:Number]) : Void

Note: Call lineStyle() before you call lineGradientStyle() to enable a stroke, otherwise the value of line style remains undefined.

Note: Calls to clear() set the line style back to undefined.

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

	fillType:String — Valid values are "linear" or "radial".
	colors:Array — An array of RGB hexadecimal color values that you use in the gradient (for example, red is 0xFF0000, blue is 0x0000FF, and so on). You can specify up to 15 colors. For each color, ensure that you specify a corresponding value in the alphas and ratios parameters.
	alphas:Array — An array of alpha values for the corresponding colors in the colors array; valid values are 0 to 100. If the value is less than 0, Flash uses 0. If the value is greater than 100, Flash uses 100.
	ratios:Array — An array of color distribution ratios; valid values are from 0 to 255. This value defines the percentage of the width where the color is sampled at 100%. Specify a value for each value in the colors parameter. For example, for a linear gradient that includes two colors, blue and green, the following figure illustrates the placement of the colors in the gradient based on different values in the ratios array: ratios Gradient [0, 127] [0, 255] [127, 255] The values in the array must increase, sequentially; for example, [0, 63, 127, 190, 255].
	matrix:Object — A transformation matrix that is an object with one of the following sets of properties: You can use the properties a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i to describe a 3 x 3 matrix of the following form: a b c d e f g h i The following example uses the lineGradientFill() method with a matrix parameter that is an object with the following properties: this.createEmptyMovieClip("gradient_mc", 1); with (gradient_mc) { colors = [0xFF0000, 0x0000FF]; alphas = [100, 100]; ratios = [0, 0xFF]; matrix = {a:200, b:0, c:0, d:0, e:200, f:0, g:200, h:200, i:1}; spreadMethod = "reflect"; interpolationMethod = "linearRGB"; focalPointRatio = 0.9; lineStyle(8); lineGradientStyle("linear", colors, alphas, ratios, matrix, spreadMethod, interpolationMethod, focalPointRatio); moveTo(100, 100); lineTo(100, 300); lineTo(300, 300); lineTo(300, 100); lineTo(100, 100); endFill(); } This code draws the following image onscreen: matrixType, x, y, w, h, r. The properties indicate the following: matrixType is the string "box", x is the horizontal position relative to the registration point of the parent clip for the upper-left corner of the gradient, y is the vertical position relative to the registration point of the parent clip for the upper-left corner of the gradient, w is the width of the gradient, h is the height of the gradient, and r is the rotation in radians of the gradient. The following example uses the lineGradientFill() method with a matrix parameter that is an object with these properties: this.createEmptyMovieClip("gradient_mc", 1); with (gradient_mc) { colors = [0xFF0000, 0x0000FF]; alphas = [100, 100]; ratios = [0, 0xFF]; matrix = {matrixType:"box", x:100, y:100, w:200, h:200, r:(45/180)*Math.PI}; spreadMethod = "reflect"; interpolationMethod = "linearRGB"; lineStyle(8); lineGradientStyle("linear", colors, alphas, ratios, matrix, spreadMethod, interpolationMethod); moveTo(100, 100); lineTo(100, 300); lineTo(300, 300); lineTo(300, 100); lineTo(100, 100); endFill(); } This code draws the following image onscreen:
	spreadMethod:String [optional] — Valid values are "pad", "reflect," or "repeat," which controls the mode of the gradient fill.
	interpolationMethod:String [optional] — Valid values are "RGB" or "linearRGB".
	focalPointRatio:Number [optional] — A Number that controls the location of the focal point of the gradient. The value 0 means the focal point is in the center. The value 1 means the focal point is at one border of the gradient circle. The value -1 means that the focal point is at the other border of the gradient circle. Values less than -1 or greater than 1 are rounded to -1 or 1. The following image shows a gradient with a focalPointRatio of -0.75:

this.createEmptyMovieClip("gradient_mc", 1);
with (gradient_mc) {
    colors = [0xFF0000, 0x0000FF];
    alphas = [100, 100];
    ratios = [0, 0xFF];
    matrix = {a:500, b:0, c:0, d:0, e:200, f:0, g:350, h:200, i:1};
    lineStyle(16);
    lineGradientStyle("linear", colors, alphas, ratios, matrix);
    moveTo(100, 100);
    lineTo(100, 300);
    lineTo(600, 300);
    lineTo(600, 100);
    lineTo(100, 100);
    endFill();
    matrix2 = {matrixType:"box", x:100, y:310, w:500, h:200, r:(30/180)*Math.PI};
    lineGradientStyle("linear", colors, alphas, ratios, matrix2);
    moveTo(100, 320);
    lineTo(100, 520);
    lineTo(600, 520);
    lineTo(600, 320);
    lineTo(100, 320);
    endFill();
}

This code draws the following image (the image is scaled by 50%):

lineStyle Method

public lineStyle(thickness:Number, rgb:Number, alpha:Number, pixelHinting:Boolean, noScale:String, capsStyle:String, jointStyle:String, miterLimit:Number) : Void

Note: Calls to the clear() method set the value of line style back to undefined.

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("triangle_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
triangle_mc.lineStyle(5, 0xff00ff, 100, true, "none", "round", "miter", 1);
triangle_mc.moveTo(200, 200);
triangle_mc.lineTo(300, 300);
triangle_mc.lineTo(100, 300);
triangle_mc.lineTo(200, 200);

If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method, which is used in this example.

lineTo Method

public lineTo(x:Number, y:Number) : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("triangle_mc", 1);
triangle_mc.beginFill(0x0000FF, 30);
triangle_mc.lineStyle(5, 0xFF00FF, 100);
triangle_mc.moveTo(200, 200);
triangle_mc.lineTo(300, 300);
triangle_mc.lineTo(100, 300);
triangle_mc.lineTo(200, 200);
triangle_mc.endFill();

loadMovie Method

public loadMovie(url:String, [method:String]) : Void

Tip: To monitor the progress of the download, use the MovieClipLoader.loadClip() method instead of the loadMovie() method.

Without the loadMovie() method, Flash Player displays a single SWF file and then closes. The loadMovie() method lets you display several SWF files at once and switch between SWF files without loading another HTML document.

A SWF file or image loaded into a movie clip inherits the position, rotation, and scale properties of the movie clip. You can use the target path of the movie clip to target the loaded SWF file.

When you call the loadMovie() method, set the MovieClip._lockroot property to true in the loader movie, as the following code example shows. If you don't set _lockroot to true in the loader movie, any references to _root in the loaded movie point to the _root of the loader instead of the _root of the loaded movie:

myMovieClip._lockroot = true;

Use the MovieClip.unloadMovie() method to remove SWF files or images loaded with the loadMovie() method.

Use the MovieClip.loadVariables() method, the XML object, Flash Remoting, or Runtime Shared Objects to keep the active SWF file and load new data into it.

Using event handlers with MovieClip.loadMovie() can be unpredictable. If you attach an event handler to a button by using on(), or if you create a dynamic handler by using an event handler method such as MovieClip.onPress(), and then you call loadMovie(), the event handler does not remain after the new content is loaded. However, if you attach an event handler to a movie clip by using onClipEvent() or on(), and then call loadMovie() on that movie clip, the event handler remains after the new content is loaded.

When using this method, consider the Flash Player security model.

For Flash Player 8:

• Loading is not allowed if the calling movie clip is in the local-with-file-system sandbox and the loaded movie clip is from a network sandbox.
• Loading is not allowed if the calling SWF file is in a network sandbox and the movie clip to be loaded is local.
• Network sandbox access from the local-trusted or local-with-networking sandbox requires permission from the website by means of a cross-domain policy file.
• Movie clips in the local-with-file-system sandbox may not script movie clips in the local-with-networking sandbox (and the reverse is also prevented).

For Flash Player 7 and later:

• Websites can permit cross-domain access to a resource by means of a cross-domain policy file.
• Scripting between SWF files is restricted based on the origin domain of the SWF files. Use the System.security.allowDomain() method to adjust these restrictions.

For more information, see the following:

• "Understanding Security" in Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Flash
• The Flash Player 8 Security white paper at http://www.macromedia.com/go/fp8_security
• The Flash Player 8 Security-Related API white paper at http://www.macromedia.com/go/fp8_security_apis

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

var mc:MovieClip = this.createEmptyMovieClip("mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
mc.onRelease = function():Void {
    trace(this.image._url); // http://www.w3.org/Icons/w3c_main.png
}
var image:MovieClip = mc.createEmptyMovieClip("image", mc.getNextHighestDepth());
image.loadMovie("http://www.w3.org/Icons/w3c_main.png");

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

loadVariables Method

public loadVariables(url:String, [method:String]) : Void

You can also use the loadVariables() method to update variables in the active movie clip with new values.

The loadVariables() method requires that the text of the URL be in the standard MIME format: application/x-www-form-urlencoded (CGI script format).

this.createEmptyMovieClip("target_mc", this.getNextHighestDepth());
target_mc.loadVariables("params.txt");
function checkParamsLoaded() {
    if (target_mc.done == undefined) {
    trace("not yet.");
    } else {
    trace("finished loading. killing interval.");
    trace("-------------");
    for (i in target_mc) {
        trace(i+": "+target_mc[i]);
    }
    trace("-------------");
    clearInterval(param_interval);
    }
}
var param_interval = setInterval(checkParamsLoaded, 100);

The params.txt file includes the following text:

var1="hello"&var2="goodbye"&done="done"

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

localToGlobal Method

public localToGlobal(pt:Object) : Void

The MovieClip.localToGlobal() method allows you to convert any given x and y coordinates from values that are relative to the top-left corner of a specific movie clip to values that are relative to the top-left corner of the Stage.

You must first create a generic object that has two properties, x and y. These x and y values (and they must be called x and y) are called the local coordinates because they relate to the top-left corner of the movie clip. The x property represents the horizontal offset from the top-left corner of the movie clip. In other words, it represents how far to the right the point lies. For example, if x = 50, the point lies 50 pixels to the right of the top-left corner. The y property represents the vertical offset from the top-left corner of the movie clip. In other words, it represents how far down the point lies. For example, if y = 20, the point lies 20 pixels below the top-left corner. The following code creates a generic object with these coordinates.

var myPoint:Object = new Object();
myPoint.x = 50;
myPoint.y = 20;

Alternatively, you can create the object and assign the values at the same time with a literal Object value.

var myPoint:Object = {x:50, y:20};

After you create a point object with local coordinates, you can convert the coordinates to global coordinates. The localToGlobal() method doesn't return a value because it changes the values of x and y in the generic object that you send as the parameter. It changes them from values relative to a specific movie clip (local coordinates) to values relative to the Stage (global coordinates).

For example, if you create a movie clip that is positioned at the point (_x:100, _y:100), and you pass a local point representing a point near the top-left corner of the movie clip (x:10, y:10) to the localToGlobal() method, the method should convert the x and y values to global coordinates, which in this case is (x:110, y:110). This conversion occurs because the x and y coordinates are now expressed relative to the top-left corner of the Stage rather than the top-left corner of your movie clip.

The movie clip coordinates were expressed using _x and _y, because those are the MovieClip properties that you use to set the x and y values for MovieClips. However, your generic object uses x and y without the underscore. The following code converts the x and y coordinates to global coordinates:

var myPoint:Object = {x:10, y:10}; // create your generic point object
this.createEmptyMovieClip("myMovieClip", this.getNextHighestDepth());
myMovieClip._x = 100; // _x for movieclip x position
myMovieClip._y = 100; // _y for movieclip y position

myMovieClip.localToGlobal(myPoint);
trace ("x: " + myPoint.x); // output: 110
trace ("y: " + myPoint.y); // output: 110

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createTextField("point_txt", this.getNextHighestDepth(), 0, 0, 100, 22);
var mouseListener:Object = new Object();
mouseListener.onMouseMove = function() {
  var point:Object = {x:my_mc._width/2, y:my_mc._height/2};
  my_mc.localToGlobal(point);
  point_txt.text = "x:"+point.x+", y:"+point.y;
};
Mouse.addListener(mouseListener);
my_mc.onPress = function() {
  this.startDrag();
};
my_mc.onRelease = function() {
  this.stopDrag();
};

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player 7 or later. If your SWF file includes a version 2 component, use the version 2 components DepthManager class instead of the MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

moveTo Method

public moveTo(x:Number, y:Number) : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("triangle_mc", 1);
triangle_mc.beginFill(0x0000FF, 30);
triangle_mc.lineStyle(5, 0xFF00FF, 100);
triangle_mc.moveTo(200, 200);
triangle_mc.lineTo(300, 300);
triangle_mc.lineTo(100, 300);
triangle_mc.lineTo(200, 200);
triangle_mc.endFill();

nextFrame Method

public nextFrame() : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

if (this._framesloaded >= 3) {
    this.nextFrame();
} else {
    this.gotoAndPlay(1);
}

stop();

play Method

public play() : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

Use the following ActionScript to play the main timeline of a SWF file. This ActionScript is for a movie clip button called my_mc on the main Timeline:

stop();
my_mc.onRelease = function() {
    this._parent.play();
};

Use the following ActionScript to play the timeline of a movie clip in a SWF file. This ActionScript is for a button called my_btn on the main Timeline that plays a movie clip called animation_mc:

animation_mc.stop();
my_btn.onRelease = function(){
    animation_mc.play();
};

prevFrame Method

public prevFrame() : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

stop();
prev_mc.onRelease = function() {
    var parent_mc:MovieClip = this._parent;
    if (parent_mc._currentframe>1) {
    parent_mc.prevFrame();
    } else {
    parent_mc.gotoAndStop(parent_mc._totalframes);
    }
};
next_mc.onRelease = function() {
    var parent_mc:MovieClip = this._parent;
    if (parent_mc._currentframe<parent_mc._totalframes) {
    parent_mc.nextFrame();
    } else {
    parent_mc.gotoAndStop(1);
    }
};

removeMovieClip Method

public removeMovieClip() : Void

This method does not remove a movie clip assigned to a negative depth value. Movie clips created in the authoring tool are assigned negative depth values by default. To remove a movie clip that is assigned to a negative depth value, first use the MovieClip.swapDepths() method to move the movie clip to a positive depth value.

Note: If you are using version 2 components, do not use this method. If you place a version 2 component either on the Stage or in the Library, the getNextHighestDepth() method can sometimes return depth 1048676, which is outside the valid range. If you are using version 2 components, you should always use the version 2 components DepthManager class.

Note: If you are using version 2 components, and use MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() instead of the version 2 components DepthManager class to assign depth values, you may find that removeMovieClip() fails silently. When any version 2 component is used, the DepthManager class automatically reserves the highest (1048575) and lowest (-16383) available depths for cursors and tooltips. A subsequent call to getNextHighestDepth() returns 1048576, which is outside the valid range. The removeMovieClip() method fails silently if it encounters a depth value outside the valid range. If you must use getNextHighestDepth() with version 2 components, you can use swapDepths() to assign a valid depth value or use MovieClip.unloadMovie() to remove the contents of the movie clip. Alternatively, you can use the DepthManager class to assign depth values within the valid range.

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

function randRange(min:Number, max:Number):Number {
    var randNum:Number = Math.round(Math.random()*(max-min))+min;
    return randNum;
}
var bugNum:Number = 0;
addBug_btn.onRelease = addBug;
function addBug() {
    var thisBug:MovieClip = this._parent.attachMovie("bug_id", "bug"+bugNum+"_mc", bugNum, 
{_x:randRange(50, 500), _y:randRange(50, 350)});
    thisBug.onRelease = function() {
    this.removeMovieClip();
    };
    bugNum++;
}

setMask Method

public setMask(mc:Object) : Void

The setMask() method allows multiple-frame movie clips with complex, multilayered content to act as masks (which is possible by using mask layers). If you have device fonts in a masked movie clip, they are drawn but not masked. You can't set a movie clip to be its own mask; for example, my_mc.setMask(my_mc).

If you create a mask layer that contains a movie clip, and then apply the setMask() method to it, the setMask() call takes priority and this is not reversible. For example, you could have a movie clip in a mask layer called UIMask that masks another layer that contains another movie clip called UIMaskee. If, as the SWF file plays, you call UIMask.setMask(UIMaskee), from that point on, UIMask is masked by UIMaskee.

To cancel a mask created with ActionScript, pass the value null to the setMask() method. The following code cancels the mask without affecting the mask layer in the timeline.

UIMask.setMask(null);

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

theMaskee_mc.setMask(circleMask_mc);

startDrag Method

public startDrag([lockCenter:Boolean], [left:Number], [top:Number], [right:Number], [bottom:Number]) : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("mc_1", 1);

with (mc_1) {
    lineStyle(1, 0xCCCCCC);
    beginFill(0x4827CF);
    moveTo(0, 0);
    lineTo(80, 0);
    lineTo(80, 60);
    lineTo(0, 60);
    lineTo(0, 0);
    endFill();
}
    
mc_1.onPress = function() { 
    this.startDrag();
};
mc_1.onRelease = function() {
    this.stopDrag();
};

stop Method

public stop() : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

aMovieClip.stop();

stopDrag Method

public stopDrag() : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("mc_1", 1);

with (mc_1) {
    lineStyle(1, 0xCCCCCC);
    beginFill(0x4827CF);
    moveTo(0, 0);
    lineTo(80, 0);
    lineTo(80, 60);
    lineTo(0, 60);
    lineTo(0, 0);
    endFill();
}
    
mc_1.onPress = function() { 
    this.startDrag();
};
mc_1.onRelease = function() {
    this.stopDrag();
};

swapDepths Method

public swapDepths(target:Object) : Void

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

myMC1_mc.onRelease = function() {
    this.swapDepths(myMC2_mc);
};
myMC2_mc.onRelease = function() {
    this.swapDepths(myMC1_mc);
};

unloadMovie Method

public unloadMovie() : Void

To remove the instance, including its properties and clip handlers, use MovieClip.removeMovieClip().

You can extend the methods and event handlers of the MovieClip class by creating a subclass.

this.createEmptyMovieClip("box", 1);

with (box) {
    lineStyle(1, 0xCCCCCC);
    beginFill(0x4827CF);
    moveTo(0, 0);
    lineTo(80, 0);
    lineTo(80, 60);
    lineTo(0, 60);
    lineTo(0, 0);
    endFill();
}

box.onRelease = function() {
        box.unloadMovie();
};