Accessing components vars.

Question

Hi,
How do I access a var in a differint component? I have two custom components in the same application and need to get the variable (arrayCollection) from one to populate a chart in the other.

Answer 1

Thanks Benji,
ListItems Component
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:Canvas xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml" creationComplete="init(), reloadData()" height="95%" width="100%" backgroundAlpha="0">
<mx:Script>
     <![CDATA[
          import mx.core.Application;
          import mx.collections.ArrayCollection;
          import mx.containers.Box;
          import mx.controls.Alert;
          import mx.events.DragEvent;
          import flash.net.navigateToURL;
          import mx.events.StateChangeEvent;
          import mx.controls.ComboBox;
          import mx.controls.LinkButton;
          import mx.containers.VBox;
          import mx.controls.CheckBox;
          import mx.controls.Text;
          import mx.containers.HBox;
          import mx.collections.XMLListCollection;
          import mx.rpc.events.ResultEvent;
          import mx.managers.CursorManager;
          import flash.text.TextField;
          namespace ink = "http://www.inktomi.com/";
          use namespace ink;
          //     Archive Vars
          [Bindable] private var xmlList:XMLList;
          [Bindable] private var listCollection:XMLListCollection;
          [Bindable] private var listData:XML;
          [Bindable] public var serviceURL:String = "http://boss.yahooapis.com/ysearch/news/v1/";
          [Bindable] public var searchFor:String = "biotechnology%20AND%20biotech";  
          private const PROXY:String = "http://localhost/employeePhoneDesktop/src/php/proxy.php?url=";
          private const APIID:String = "?appid=######
          private const PARAMS:String = "&format=xml&orderby=date";
          private var reload:Timer;
          //     Archive Vars
          private var vBox:VBox;
          private var hBox:HBox;
          private var titleText:LinkButton;
          private var itemInfo:Text;
          private var abstract:Text;
          private var archive:CheckBox;
          private var rateItem:ComboBox;
          private var category:ComboBox;
          private var container:VBox;
          private var clickURL:Text;
          private var canvas:Canvas;
          private var titleFormat:TextFormat;
          //     Archive Vars
          /*[Bindable]
          public var newsDB:ArrayCollection = new ArrayCollection( [
                 { title: null, clickURL: null, info: null, abstract: null, category: null, rateItem: null }
         public var newsDB:ArrayCollection = new ArrayCollection;
          private function init():void {
               listService.send()
               CursorManager.setBusyCursor();
          private function getData(e:TimerEvent):void{
               listService.send()
               CursorManager.setBusyCursor();
               removeChild(container);
          private function reloadData():void {
               reload = new Timer(10000, 10);
               //reload.start();
               reload.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, getData);
               //trace(reload.delay);
               //reload.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER_COMPLETE,
          private function resultHandler(e:ResultEvent):void {
               listData = e.result as XML;
               // add the imems to an XMLList and XMLListCollection
               // so that they can be used with the repeater class
               // and update automatically
               xmlList = e.result.resultset_news.result as XMLList;
               listCollection = new XMLListCollection(xmlList);
               CursorManager.removeBusyCursor();
               // populate the layout with datd
               createLayout();
          private function createLayout():void {
               container = new VBox();
               var categoryLabels:Array = new Array("Health","Industrial","Emerging Tech","Food & Ag");
               var rateLabels:Array = new Array("Positive","Neutral","Negative");
               for(var i:int=0; i<listCollection.length; i++) {
                    //vBox = new VBox();
                    canvas = new Canvas();
                    hBox = new HBox();
                    titleText = new LinkButton();
                    titleFormat = new TextFormat();
                    itemInfo = new Text();
                    abstract = new Text();
                    archive = new CheckBox();
                    rateItem = new ComboBox();
                    category = new ComboBox();
                    clickURL = new Text();
                    titleText.label = listCollection.getItemAt(i).title;
                    //titleText.addEventListener(MouseEvent.DOUBLE_CLICK, getURL);
                    titleText.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, getURL);
                    titleText.width = 400;
                    clickURL.text = listCollection.getItemAt(i).clickurl;
                    clickURL.visible = false;
                    clickURL.includeInLayout = false;
                    itemInfo.text = listCollection.getItemAt(i).source + " | " + listCollection.getItemAt(i).date;
                    itemInfo.y = 25;
                    abstract.text = listCollection.getItemAt(i).abstract;
                    abstract.y = 42;
                    abstract.visible = true;
                    abstract.includeInLayout = true;
                    abstract.width = 400;
                    abstract.height= 60;;
                    archive.label = "Archive";
                    category.prompt = "Category";
                    category.dataProvider = categoryLabels;
                    category.rowCount = categoryLabels.length;
                    category.visible = false;
                    category.includeInLayout = false;
                    category.width = 95;
                    category.height = 20;
                    rateItem.prompt = "Rate";
                    rateItem.dataProvider = rateLabels;
                    rateItem.visible = false;
                    rateItem.includeInLayout = false;
                    rateItem.width = 95;
                    rateItem.height = 20;
                    canvas.addChild(titleText);
                    canvas.addChild(clickURL);
                    canvas.addChild(itemInfo);
                    canvas.addChild(abstract);
                    canvas.addChild(hBox);
                    hBox.addChild(archive);     
                    hBox.addChild(category);
                    hBox.addChild(rateItem);
                    hBox.y = abstract.y + 60;
                    hBox.percentWidth = 80;
                    hBox.percentHeight = 80;
                    archive.addEventListener(Event.CHANGE, toggleArchive);     
                    container.addChild(canvas);          
               container.x = 10;
               container.y = 10;
               addChild(container);
   // If someone chooses to archive the item, set the properties of the
   // ComboBoxes (visible & includeInLayout) to true
   private function toggleArchive(e:Event):void {
         var chb:CheckBox = e.currentTarget as CheckBox;
         var hBox:HBox = chb.parent as HBox;
         var len:int = hBox.numChildren;
         for(var i:int=0; i<len; i++) {
               var cb:DisplayObject = hBox.getChildAt(i);
               if((cb is ComboBox)) {
                // toogle visibility and include in layout
                (cb as ComboBox).visible = chb.selected;
                (cb as ComboBox).includeInLayout = chb.selected;
   // Called when someone clicks on the titleLink. This function pulls the
   // origional website URL up in a seperate browser window
   private function getURL(e:MouseEvent):void {
             var link:LinkButton = e.currentTarget as LinkButton;
             var canvas:Canvas = link.parent as Canvas;
             var clickURL:Text = canvas.getChildAt(1) as Text;
             var url:URLRequest = new URLRequest(clickURL.text);
             navigateToURL(url);
          trace(clickURL.text);
  /* private function showAbstract(e:MouseEvent):void {
                var link:LinkButton = e.currentTarget as LinkButton;
             var canvas:Canvas = link.parent as Canvas;
             var abstract:Text = canvas.getChildAt(3) as Text;
             var hBox:HBox = canvas.getChildAt(4) as HBox;
             link.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, showAbstract);
             link.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, hideAbstract);
             abstract.visible = true;
             abstract.includeInLayout = true;
             while(abstract.hitTestObject(hBox) == true){
                  hBox.y += 1;
             trace(canvas.getChildren());
   private function hideAbstract(e:MouseEvent):void {
                var link:LinkButton = e.currentTarget as LinkButton;
             var canvas:Canvas = link.parent as Canvas;
             var abstract:Text = canvas.getChildAt(3) as Text;
             var hBox:HBox = canvas.getChildAt(4) as HBox;
             link.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, hideAbstract);
             link.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, showAbstract);
             abstract.visible = false;
             abstract.includeInLayout = false;
          hBox.y = 35;
             trace(abstract.text);
   public function archiveData():void {
             var containerArray:Array = container.getChildren() as Array;
             for(var i:int=0;i<containerArray.length;i++){
             //for(var i:int=0;i<1;i++){
                  var canvas:Canvas = container.getChildAt(i) as Canvas;
                  var titleText:LinkButton = canvas.getChildAt(0) as LinkButton;
                  var clickURL:Text = canvas.getChildAt(1) as Text;
                  var itemInfo:Text = canvas.getChildAt(2) as Text;
                  var abstract:Text = canvas.getChildAt(3) as Text;
                  var hBox:HBox = canvas.getChildAt(4) as HBox;
                  var archive:CheckBox = hBox.getChildAt(0) as CheckBox;
                  var category:ComboBox = hBox.getChildAt(1) as ComboBox;
                  var rateItem:ComboBox = hBox.getChildAt(2) as ComboBox;     
                  if(archive.selected == true){
                    newsDB.addItem( {
                    title: titleText.label,
                    clickURL: clickURL.text,
                    info: itemInfo.text,
                    abstract: abstract.text,
                    category: category.selectedLabel,
                    rateItem: rateItem.selectedItem });                    
                  trace(newsDB[0].title);
   private function archiveSuccess():void {
             Alert.show("Your clips have been successfully saved","Archive Complete");        
   private function archiveFault():void {
             Alert.show("Your clips have not been saved. Please contact an administrator.","Archive Error");
     ]]>
</mx:Script>
     <mx:HTTPService id="listService" url="{serviceURL + searchFor + APIID + PARAMS}" result="resultHandler(event)" resultFormat="e4x"/>
</mx:Canvas>
Main mxml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:WindowedApplication xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
     layout="absolute"
     xmlns:com="components.*"
     backgroundGradientAlphas="[1.0, 1.0]"
     backgroundGradientColors="[#EDF4FF, #C6D9FF]"
     width="800" height="600"
     backgroundAlpha=".75"
     title="  Media Trap Beta V1.1"
     titleAlignment="left"
     creationComplete="init()">
     <mx:Script>
          <![CDATA[
          ]]>
     </mx:Script>
     <mx:Style source="assets/style.css" />
     <mx:Label x="19" y="14" text="Media Trap" fontWeight="bold" fontSize="20"/>
     <mx:Label x="20" y="38" text="beta 1.1"/>
     <mx:TabNavigator id="navigator" width="450" height="89%"  x="20" y="61">
          <mx:VBox label="News">
               <com:listItems id="newsFeed" name="newsFeed" backgroundColor="#FFFFFF" x="0" y="0" height="100%">
               </com:listItems>
          </mx:VBox>
          <mx:VBox label="Blogs">
               <mx:Text text="Blog Coverage"/>
          </mx:VBox>
          <mx:VBox label="Twitter">
               <mx:Text text="Twitter Coverage"/>
          </mx:VBox>
          <mx:VBox label="Video">
               <mx:Text text="Video Coverage"/>
          </mx:VBox>
     </mx:TabNavigator>
     <mx:Button x="348" y="36" label="Archive Selected" click="newsFeed.archiveData()"/>
     <!--<com:currentArchiveChart id="currentCats" x="478" y="81" height="212" />-->
</mx:WindowedApplication>
Charting Component
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:Canvas xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml" width="300" height="346" xmlns:com="components.*" creationComplete="init()" >
    <mx:Script>
        <![CDATA[
        import mx.core.Application;
        import mx.collections.ArrayCollection;
          // testing variable
        [Bindable]
        private var medalsAC:ArrayCollection = new ArrayCollection( [
            { Country: "USA", Gold: 35, Silver:39, Bronze: 29, Test: 20000 }
        private function init():void{
             trace(mx.core.Application.application.myListItems.newsDB as ArrayCollection);
             medalsAC.addItem( { Country: "Canada", Gold: 75, Silver:39, Bronze: 29 });
             medalsAC.addItem( { Country: "England", Gold: 100, Silver: 200, Bronze: 100 });
        private function displayGold(data:Object, field:String, index:Number, percentValue:Number):String {
            var temp:String= (" " + percentValue).substr(0,6);
            return data.Country + ": " + '\n' + "Total Gold: " + data.Gold + '\n' + temp + "%";
        ]]>
    </mx:Script>
         <mx:Label id="archiveTitle" x="10" y="10" text="Current Archive " fontSize="14" fontWeight="bold"/>
         <mx:PieChart id="chart" height="130" width="300" color="0x323232"
            showDataTips="false" dataProvider="{medalsAC}"  y="22">
            <mx:series>
                <mx:PieSeries labelPosition="callout" field="Gold">
                </mx:PieSeries>
            </mx:series>
        </mx:PieChart>
</mx:Canvas>