Count number of children movie clips?

Question

I have buttons that create specific movie clips such as a library object named "Clip_1":
function b_Add_Clip_1(event:MouseEvent):void
var b:MovieClip = new Clip_1();
b.name = "Clip_1";
container.addChild(b);
I can add many Clip_1's, Clip_2's and so on, by their corresponding buttons.I cannot figure out how to count the number of them that exist on the stage, however.
I would like the number of Clip_1 instances to display in a text field.
For example: If there are 20 on the stage, the text field should display 20, if one is removed, it should display 19.
I would be grateful for any helpful hints, thank you.

Answer 1

That seems to make sense, too. I will analyze it closely and give it a try, thanks!
SInce then, I've been trying another approach, I'd really appreciate opinions on it.
Setup:
In each clip variety (Clip_1, Clip_2, etc)  there is a common instance called 'control' which performs functions such as drag, rotate and removeChild by referencing its parent.
For example, In control I have code that gets its parent name and displays it in a text field at the root, on hover: Object(root).part_txt.text = Object(this).parent.name;
What I am trying currently:
In control's first frame I place code that grabs the current count in the corresponding count field (based on its parent's name) and adds 1 to it, simply by the instance appearing on the stage.
I am trying to do that by this code:
// Turn the instance name, example: "Clip_1" into a varable "this_part":
var this_part = Object(this).parent.name;
// The count fields are named Clip_1_count, Clip_2_count, etc, taking the value of that field and making it a variabe "c_this_part"
var c_this_part = Number(Object(root[this_part + "_count"].text));
// Now adding 1 to the count field value
var v_this_part:Number = c_this_part+1;
// Then update the count field with the new value
Object(root[this_part + "_count"].text) = String(v_this_part);
If I can get that to work, I can add a similar function to the delete function that subtracts from the count field.
The problem is, Object(root[this_part + "_count"].text) = String(v_this_part); produces this error: 1105: Target of assignment must be a reference value.
Am I missing something obvious? Or is this a fruitless tactic?
Thanks again for your time.