As 2.0 class objects- how to swap depths of a movie clip

Question

How do you bring an object to the top? if it's just a movie
clip, I could do a swapdepths, but if it's a movieclip that's part
of an AS 2.0 object, how do you swap depths of the whole object?
I create 2 objects (same class) which each have a movieclip
within them. The movie clip is created on a unique level with
getNextHighestDepth().
I have a button which tries to swapDepths of the 2 objects,
but I can't get it to work. Can anyone help?
here's the detail:
1. create a symbol in the library called "someShape_mc" and
put some shape in it - a circle, a square, whatever - this symbol
is exported for action script, and has an AS 2.0 Class of
"ClassObject" ( I also put a dynamic text field in the shape to
display the current depth - it's called "depth_txt")
2. create a button called "swap_btn" on the stage.
Frame 1 has the following actionscript:
var BottomObject:ClassObject = new ClassObject(this,100,150);
var topObject:ClassObject = new ClassObject(this,110,160);
// for the button add this:
Swap_btn.onRelease=function() {
// try it with the full path:
_root.BottomObject.__LocalMovieClip.swapDepths(_root.topObject.__LocalMovieClip);
// try it with with just the objects:
BottomObject.__LocalMovieClip.swapDepths(topObject.__LocalMovieClip);
// try it with the object as a movieclip
BottomObject.swapDepths(topObject);
trace("Did it Swap?");
// try it with a method in the class....
BottomObject.swapIt(topObject.__LocalMovieClip);
BottomObject.swapIt(topObject);
trace("nope... no swapping going on...");
================================
here's the AS file: "ClassObject.as"
class ClassObject extends MovieClip{
var __LocalMovieClip;
var __Depth;
function ClassObject(passedIn_mc:MovieClip,x:Number,y:Number)
__Depth = passedIn_mc.getNextHighestDepth();
__LocalMovieClip =
passedIn_mc.attachMovie("someShape_mc","__LocalMovieClip",__Depth);
trace("made a shape at " + __Depth);
__LocalMovieClip._x = x;
__LocalMovieClip._y = y;
__LocalMovieClip.depth_txt.text = __Depth;
public function swapIt(targetMc) {
__LocalMovieClip.swapDepths(targetMc);
__LocalMovieClip.depth_txt.text =
__LocalMovieClip.getDepth(); // no difference.
trace("Tried to swap from within the class...");
========================
so- the goal is to bring the "bottom" Class object on top of
the "top" object. The button tries various methods of swapping the
depths of the movie clips - but there is not one that works. What
am I missing?
tia
ferd

Answer 1

Thank you for your response - and here I have included the
code I reworked to show how it works, and doesn't work. you're
right about not needing the extra containers, but this example is
part of a bigger thing...
I'm confused - it works ONLY if I attach the movie outside
the class, even though the "attachment" occurs, I'm thinking, at
the same scope level, that is, _root.holder_mc, in both examples.
it seems that the advantage of having a class is defeated
since I have to do the extra coding for each object that will be
created. It's like the class can only have a reference to the
movieclip outside itself, and not have a clip INSIDE that is fully
functioning. am I right about this? Is there someplace good I can
learn more about class objects and movieclip usage?
also, my class object IS a movieclip, but " this.getDepth() "
is meaningless inside the class object. hmmm...
This one works..... attaching the movies at the root level
(to a holder_mc)
// Frame 1
tmp1 =
holder_mc.attachMovie("someShape_mc","tmp1",holder_mc.getNextHighestDepth());
var BottomObject:ClassObject3 = new
ClassObject3(tmp1,100,150);
tmp2 =
holder_mc.attachMovie("someShape_mc","tmp2",holder_mc.getNextHighestDepth());
var topObject:ClassObject3 = new ClassObject3(tmp2,110,160);
// for the button add this:
Swap_btn.onRelease=function() {
BottomObject.swapIt(topObject);
trace("clicked button");
// ClassObject3.as
class ClassObject3 extends MovieClip{
var __LocalMovieClip:MovieClip;
function
ClassObject3(passedInMovieClip:MovieClip,x:Number,y:Number) {
trace(" this class object is at ["+this.getDepth()+"]");
__LocalMovieClip = passedInMovieClip;
__LocalMovieClip._x = x;
__LocalMovieClip._y = y;
public function swapIt(targetMc:MovieClip):Void {
trace("do the swap in the class");
trace("===========================");
trace("target type :" + typeof(targetMc));
trace("__LocalMovieClip type :" + typeof(__LocalMovieClip));
__LocalMovieClip.swapDepths(targetMc.__LocalMovieClip);
This one does NOT work..... attaching the movies within the
class object...
// Frame 1
var BottomObject:ClassObject2 = new
ClassObject2(holder_mc,100,150);
var topObject:ClassObject2 = new
ClassObject2(holder_mc,110,160);
// for the button add this:
Swap_btn.onRelease=function() {
BottomObject.swapIt(topObject);
trace("clicked button");
// ClassObject2.as
class ClassObject2 extends MovieClip{
var __LocalMovieClip:MovieClip;
function
ClassObject2(passedInMovieClip:MovieClip,x:Number,y:Number) {
__LocalMovieClip =
passedInMovieClip.attachMovie("someShape_mc","stuff1",passedInMovieClip.getNextHighestDep th());
__LocalMovieClip._x = x;
__LocalMovieClip._y = y;
public function swapIt(targetMc:MovieClip):Void {
trace("do the swap in the class");
trace("===========================");
trace("target type :" + typeof(targetMc));
trace("__LocalMovieClip type :" + typeof(__LocalMovieClip));
__LocalMovieClip.swapDepths(targetMc.__LocalMovieClip);