Making main timeline play from inside mc in AS3

Hi
I'm primarily a motion graphics guy but am helping out a
friend with some Flash web work. I have CS3 now but haven't touched
the app since MX so Actionscript 3 is taking me some time to get to
grips with - not that I was any more than a dabbler anyway.
I am simply trying to make the main timeline play when an MC
on the stage reaches the end of its animation. I have tried
variations of root.play("menu") or parent.play("menu") in the last
frame of the MC but I get:
"1061: Call to a possibly undefined method play through a
reference with static type flash.display:DisplayObjectContainer."
Also it breaks the previously ok code and the 'stop' on the 2
frames of the main timeline are now ignored.
Then I see stuff like this -
http://www.flepstudio.org/forum/tutorials/559-root.html"
- and I know I am way over my head.
Any help massively appreciated.
A

Many thanks but if I try -
MovieClip(root).play(2);
or
MovieClip(root).play("menu"); //menu is a frame label
I get an error.
Any idea?

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Calling a variable from inside a movieclip AS3 in Flash CS4

I am trying to trace a variable string from inside a movieclip which is inside another movieclip on the main timeline using:
trace(VariableString);
and also
trace(stage.VariableString);
Neither work
The variable is an input textfield and traces fine when it is on the main timeline but will not work from inside the movieclip. I am using Actionscript 3 in Flash CS4.
I appreciate this has probably been discussed previously on this forum but I cannot find a difinitve answer that seems to work.
Thanks

Thanks for the reply. However this did not seem to work.
I think I had better explain a little better.
On Keyfrme1 I have a MovieClip1 containing a text input component. I have created a variable on keyframe 1 using:
var VariableString1:String = new String();
When clicking on a seperate button this happens:
VariableString1 = MovieClip1.text;
I can trace this correctly on the main timeline using:
trace(VariableString1);
However, if I try to trace this from another keyframe inside a movieclip2 which is inside another movieclip3 using:
trace(MovieClip1(root).VariableString1);
I just get the error 1180 call to a possibly undefined method MovieClip1
Sorry if this is not very clear but I am getting very confused with this.
Thanks again

Attempt to move main timeline from inside a movie clip breaks menu buttons.

I am attempting to have the main timeline move from a stopped position over a movie clip to frame 1, where my start menu is.
The code I'm using does move the timeline but in doing so it somehow breaks the 4 buttons I have in frame 1.
My code in the movie clip:
stop()
function replayMovie(event:MouseEvent):void
MovieClip(parent).gotoAndStop(1);
Menu.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, replayMovie);
My code in frame 1 of the main timeline:
stop();
function bo(event:MouseEvent):void
gotoAndPlay(21)
SoundMixer.stopAll()
espesp.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, bo);
function ho(event:MouseEvent):void
gotoAndPlay(31)
SoundMixer.stopAll()
espeng.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, ho);
function yo(event:MouseEvent):void
gotoAndPlay(41)
SoundMixer.stopAll()
engesp.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, yo);
function go(event:MouseEvent):void
gotoAndPlay(51)
SoundMixer.stopAll()
engeng.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, go);
The error output when I use my Menu button at the end of the movie clip.
TypeError: Error #1009: Cannot access a property or method of a null object reference.
at SSubjunctiveProjNewgrounds_fla::MainTimeline/frame1()
at flash.display::MovieClip/gotoAndStop()
at SSubjunctiveProjNewgrounds_fla::Esp_5/replayMovie()
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

For the sake of space, I'll leave out all the package declarations and class declarations and just talk about the functions.
First, the Game class, it has two functions. The first one is the constructor function and it launches at the beginning of the game: First the Game function:
public function Game():void
//Game code goes here
}//Game
We want to listen for someone to click the mouse on the MenuPage, so lets create a new MenuPage and add a listener to the button contiained within it.
public function Game():void
menuPage = new MenuPage;
menuPage.startButton.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, startGame);
addChild(menuPage);
}//Game
You will notice that before I declared a variable var menuPage:MenuPage, but that's all I did was declare it. I didn't really make a new instance of it, I just set aside space for it. In the first line within the Game function, I'm actually turning that variable into a new instance of a MenuPage.
We don't have a picture of this imaginary menuPage instance, but lets' assume that in our MenuPage MovieClip in the library, we created a SimpleButton called startButton. Here, I'm adding an EventListener that patiently waits for someone to click that button. Once we receive that event, Flash is told to call the startGame function.
As you get better at this, you'll get into custom events, and the eventListener for the button will exist in the MenuPage class file, or even in another class file that you create just for the button. Something like StartButton.as But for now, we can do it as above.
Now the startGame function:
public function startGame(evt:MouseEvent):void
//Remove the start Page
//Add the zombie
//Add the gun
}//startGame
And we'll replace those comments with real code. It follows along with what we just did above.
public function startGame(evt:MouseEvent):void
zombie = new Zombie;
addChild(zombie);
gun = new Gun;
addChild(gun);
And we also want to clean up some by removing the menuPage, and throwing out the eventListener.
public function startGame(evt:MouseEvent):void
zombie = new Zombie;
addChild(zombie);
gun = new Gun;
addChild(gun);
menuPage.startButton.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.Click,startGame);
removeChild(menuPage);
}//startGame
Now our Game class is complete.
The Zombie Class
public function zombieWalk(evt:Event):void
this.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME,zombieWalk);
this.x = this.x + 10;
}//zombieWalk
Notice we've added a function to the Zombie Class.
The first function adds an EventListener to the zombie. We can use the word this and actionScript knows we're talking about the zombie that the class is written for. This listener fires off every frame. If our FLA file is set to 12fps, then 12 times every second it will call on the zombieWalk function.
The zombie walk function moves the zombie 10 pixels to the right every time the function is called.
On a more advanced level, you'll want to add animation in the MovieClip to move the zombie legs. You'll also want to use Timer events to space out how often the funtion fires and not ENTER_FRAME events. And you'll want to use a static constant to establish how far the zombie moves. We have it now set to 10 pixels, but that can get irritating if we want to change that value later. But again, baby steps.
And finally, the Gun class
public function Gun():void
this.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, fireGun);
}//function
public function fireGun(evt:MouseEvent):void
this.gotoAndPlay(2);
}//fireGun
First we add an EventListener for when someone clicks on the gun. Once this happens, the listener calls on the fireGun function.
The fireGun function takes advantage of the frames within the Gun MovieClip. Say we have three frames in the Gun MovieClip. The first is just a picture of the gun. The second is the gun with a flash coming out of the nozzle. And the third is the gun at rest again. The line this.gotoAndPlay(2) sends the gun to the second frame with the flash graphic.
For this to work, each frame in the Gun MovieClip has to have some stop and play commands.
But.. you said no code on our timeline!! Liar!
I know. This is the exception. You will need basic stop() commands and gotoAndPlay commands to loop animations. Any MovieClip that has more than one frame will need something to control it.
So our Gun MovieCLip has the following:
Frame 1: stop();
Frame 2: no actionScript... and I mean nothing, not even the words, "no actionScript"
Frame 3: gotoAndStop(1);
This will loop the gun to the beginning and wait for the next time the user clicks the gun.
Advanced features of the Gun class might include a Bullet.as sub-class that creates a bullet MovieClip to fly across the screen. Sound to play when the shooting takes place. Object collision detection to see if the bullet hits the target. And a means by which a custom event will tell the Game.as class that a zombie has been hit and it should be removed from the stage.
As you go down the rabbit hole of ActionScript 3, you will find yourself at a point where it's just a matter of getting the syntax right for all the built in functions and classes. Arrays, Loaders, casting variable types.. all that stuff will come.
I hope this has been helfpul. It's been on my to-do list for a long time. When I first started out, no one could provide me with basic answers for how all these classes and whatnot worked. After teaching myself AS3 for 2 years and reading a gabillion books, I think I've gotten to a point where I'm pretty comfortable with it all.

Going Back to the main frame, from inside a movie clip time line.

In flash CS5 I want to go back to the main time line, from inside a movie clip button, so when i click the the movie clip it goes to another frame on the main time line..
Can anyone help me?
Thanks
Daniel Derrick

your can use _root to reference the main timeline from anywhere though that can lead to problems if your swf is loaded by another swf. because of that eventuality, it would be better to use a relative path back to the main timeline.
so, from a movieclip's timeline (when the movieclip is on the main timeline), you can use _parent to reference the main timeline.
but even better would be to use no code on that movieclip's timeline and keep all your code on one timeline (the main one).

Targeting a nested mc timeline from a main timeline

I have a main.fla which has 3 movieclips inside it. All 3 mc's have timelines that run 40 frames. The main.fla timeline has each mc instance on a frame.
mc_1 is on frame 1
mc_2 is on frame 40
mc_3 is on frame 81
as the main timeline plays the clips each one fades to the other.
I need to know how to target this scenerio
after mc_3 plays I need to have a goToAndplay (20) set up so the animation inside mc_1 starts playing (frame 20) of mc_1.
the action needs to happen when the playhead reaches the last frame of the main timeline in main.fla
any help?
rdefr

you want to play frame 20 of the main timeline and frame 20 of mc_1? if so, on the last frame of your main timeline you can use:
stage.invalidate();
stage.addEventListener(Event.RENDER,f);
gotoAndPlay(20);
function f(e:Event){
mc_1.gotoAndPlay(20);

Toolkit for CreateJS: How to control the main timeline from outside the canvas.

Hey Everyone,
I'm currently trying to do something simple, but my animation breaks whenever I attempt to change my code. I have created a basic animation in Flash where an object moves from the left side of the canvas, to the right, and then loops from the last frame to the first frame. Nothing else. The animation is simply put on the main timeline. I exported the animation with Toolkit for CreateJS through Flash's extension and the animation runs as it should. I am trying to start and stop (restarting from the first frame) the animation with mouse over and mouse off events. I want the events to fire when moused over/off a div OUTSIDE the animation's canvas tag. Is this possible with CreateJS? I'm trying to figure out how to control the main timeline without being inside the canvas tag.
Example HTML:
http://www.thephotoncore.com/testing/example_test.html
Example Code:
<section id="container">
<canvas id="canvas" width="550" height="400" style="background-color:#cccccc"></canvas>
<section id="animation_control">
    <p>Roll over to start and stop animation.</p>
</section>
</section>
Thanks again for the help!
-DJ

Hi DjPhantasy5,
All movieclips on the stage are children of the stage,
So on the "mouseover" all movieclips on the stage could be stopped with stop and on the "mouseout" all children could be restarted with gotoAndPlay like this:
function Stop()
          if (stage && stage.children)
                    var i, l = stage.children.length;
                    for (i = 0; i < l; i++)
                              var child = stage.children[i];
                              if ("stop" in child)
                                        child.stop();
function Restart()
          if (stage && stage.children)
                    var i, l = stage.children.length;
                    for (i = 0; i < l; i++)
                              var child = stage.children[i];
                              if ("gotoAndPlay" in child)
                                        child.gotoAndPlay(0);
See http://www.liauw.nl/forums/adobe/djfantasy5/index.html
But it is also possible to expose "ball1", for example, by adding it to the document.
This can be done by adding code to "ball1" like so:
/* js
document.ball1 = this;
Then the stopping of the animation would look like:
function Stop()
     if ("ball1" in document)
          document.ball1.stop();
etc.
Have fun!
Ronald

Forcing a symbol within a symbol to play out when a button on the main timeline is clicked?

I have a buttons that play to symbols on the timeline. Once another button is clicked on the timeline the symbol will playout then start playing the next symbol. This is the code used on the onClick event on the introduction button.
var current = sym.getVariable("current");
   if (current != "") {
      sym.getSymbol(current).play("out");
      sym.getSymbol("intro").play("in");
   else {
      sym.getSymbol("intro").play("shortIn");
   sym.setVariable("current", "intro");
The problem I'm having is with the technology symbol. I have buttons within this symbol that link to other symbols. I would like these symbols to playout like the other buttons, but the content of the symbol stays on the stage and does not play out when I select a button on the Stage. Here is the code I have on the click event on the button within the symbol.
var current2 = sym.getVariable("current2");
   if (current2 != "") {
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      sym.getSymbol("optical1").play("in");
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      sym.getSymbol("optical1").play("shortIn");
   sym.setVariable("current2", "optical1");
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!

Thank you very much for responding so quickly! When I do this all of the nested timelines play from the out label on their timeline. I want the one that is currently being viewed to be the only one that plays out, not all of the symbols within the symbol. Here is the code I'm using on the buttons on the main timeline:
var current = sym.getVariable("current");
   if (current != "") {
      sym.getSymbol(current).play("out");
      sym.getSymbol("spec").play("in");
   else {
      sym.getSymbol("spec").play("shortIn");
   sym.setVariable("current", "spec");
   var techSym1 = sym.getSymbol("tech").getSymbol("techSym1")
         if (current = "techSym1") {
            sym.getComposition().getStage().getSymbol("tech").getSymbol("techSym1").play("out");
   var techSym2 = sym.getSymbol("tech").getSymbol("techSym2")
         if (current = "techSym2") {
            sym.getComposition().getStage().getSymbol("tech").getSymbol("techSym2").play("out");
   var techSym3 = sym.getSymbol("tech").getSymbol("techSym3")
         if (current = "techSym3") {
            sym.getComposition().getStage().getSymbol("tech").getSymbol("techSym3").play("out");
   var techSym4 = sym.getSymbol("tech").getSymbol("techSym4")
         if (current = "techSym4") {
            sym.getComposition().getStage().getSymbol("tech").getSymbol("techSym4").play("out");
   var techSym5 = sym.getSymbol("tech").getSymbol("techSym5")
         if (current = "techSym5") {
            sym.getComposition().getStage().getSymbol("tech").getSymbol("techSym5").play("out");
   var techSym6 = sym.getSymbol("tech").getSymbol("techSym6")
         if (current = "techSym6") {
            sym.getComposition().getStage().getSymbol("tech").getSymbol("techSym6").play("out");
If just techSym1 is being shown on the screen I don't want techSym2 and all the others to be shown going out at all, just techSym1.
Thank you,
Kristin

How to control main timeline from buttons in a movieclip - job in jeopardy!

I am trying to do a simple thing in theory. In my main timeline I have a series of images with frame labels for each. In a movieclip (with its own labels & script) below the images, I have two panels of butttons that flop back and forth (to save space). The idea is to simply have the main timeline play the frame specified by the corresponding button in the movieclip. I tried the parent.child thing but either im doing it wrong or that isnt the solution. If anyone can help me I will be saved from certain death. If you think any other part of my project may be to blame, Ill be happy to provide anything that can help. Thanks in advance.
Here is my script:
ActionScript Code:
function on1click(evt:MouseEvent):void {
gotoAndPlay("pic1");
thumbPanel.pic1_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, on1click);
this is the error:
TypeError: Error #1009: Cannot access a property or method of a null object reference.
at gallery_fla::MainTimeline/frame1()

The 1009 error indicates that one of the objects being targeted by your code is out of scope. This could mean that the object....
- is not in the display list
- doesn't have an instance name (or the instance name is mispelled)
- does not exist in the frame where that code is trying to talk to it
- is animated into place but is not assigned instance names in every keyframe for it
- is one of two or more consecutive keyframes of the same objects with no name assigned in the preceding frame(s).
If you go into your Publish Settings Flash section and select the option to Permit debugging, your error message should have a line number following the frame number which will help you isolate which object is involved.

Navigating to Frame Label in mc from main timeline

Lets say that in my main timeline, I have a number of frame
labels. On stage I have a movie clip (let's call it bg_mc) which
contains a tweened animation that has been looping repeatedly (so
it has its own timeline with its own frame labels).
I would like this to happen:
- On the main timeline, the playhead enters a specific frame
called "newBackground."
- When that happens, I want the playhead in bg_mc to jump to
the first frame in its timeline, "beginLoop."
How do I accomplish this?
Thanks so much for your help!
David

Now, this brings on another question... that is, what if the
opposite is true?
For instance:
The main timeline plays to a stop(); at frame 10.
At frame 10, a movie clip (countdown_mc) which contains a
countdown timer, begins.
When the timer reaches 00:00, I want to trigger the main
timeline to continue and play the next frame (11).
Thanks again for the great advice,
David

Layer disappears when playing from Flash Player

I have a dotted line animation in a layer. It shows up fine
when dropping to IE window but it disappears when playing from
inside Flash Player 7. Maybe it needs a newer version to play it
correctly but it's just a layer with a line in it. The SWF is
created with Flash CS3. Maybe Flash Player 7 comes from Studio 8
that is also on the PC.

I just found that it plays fine on Flash Player 9 which comes
with CS3. Some of the features probably are not compatible with
Player 7.

How to _root in as3 (buttons in movie clip referencing to main timeline)

Hi, I created buttons within a movie clip that i placed in the main timeline.I am a novice to as3. I just wanted the button to go to the frame label of the main timeline. i used to do this with _root in the old flash. how do i do this?
thumb02_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, buttonClicked);
function buttonClicked(event:MouseEvent):void
gotoAndPlay("slide2");

Thanks for the quick reply!
somehow i must be doing something wrong though. It's not working...
I added a stop to the "slide02" labeled section of the main timeline.
and I also added a stop to the beginning and end of the movieclip. Am I doing something wrong? attached is my file....thanks!!
stop();
thumb02_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, buttonClicked);
function buttonClicked(event:MouseEvent):void
MovieClip(this.root).gotoAndPlay("slide2");
stop();

Play timeline from inside symbol

I saw a post on this issue but was not sure where to put the code I read there. I would appreciate if you can tell me how exactly to edit this code line to work
I am inside a symbol "oneAnimation". At the end of the animation "backBtn1" appears. Inside this button, I have added an event on click. I want the stage timeline to play from the label "startNumber" when this button inside the symbol is clicked.
So far it's not jumping back to the main time line.
sym.getComposition().getStage().play("startNumber");

The label seems to be in that symbol, so all you need is sym.play('startNumber');
You code is to play a label on the same timeline.
See my blog on edgehero.com
http://www.edgehero.com/articles/scope

Play animation on main timeline from within a mc

this is probably the most basic question of the day, but how
do you get the main timeline to play from within a mc?
say I have a mc called jolly_mc and within it is an action on
it's timeline at keyframe 10. That action needs to jump to a
certain frame on the main timeline and play.
I've tried
_level0.gotoAndPlay(492);
_root.gotoAndPlay(492);
_level0.gotoAndPlay("animation");
_root.gotoAndPlay("animation");
and non of these work, can anyone clear the haze in my day :)
thanks in advance.

_root.mainText = "Obtain 0.2 grams of Ascorbic Acid using the
Spattula.";
This line is fine. It's fine to have full-stops inside a
string. It doesn't effect the code.
this._root.bkg.gotoAndStop(3);
Your pathing is a little strange in this line. As you can't
go any further up the hierarchical tree than _root, if you're
referencing objects via the root, it should be the first object in
the target. So if you want to refer to your target using an
absolute reference(ie by using root) then your line should read:
_root.bkg.gotoAndStop(3);
alternatively, since your AS is in a movieclip inside bkg,
you can refer to your target using a relative reference like so:
this._parent.gotoAndStop(3);
this._level0.bkg.power.powerOne.gotoAndStop(2);
similar story here. _level0 is the highest up you can go, so
putting this before it is a little strange. Fixing this using
absolute referencing:
_level0.bkg.power.powerOne.gotoAndStop(2);
or:
_root.bkg.power.powerOne.gotoAndStop(2);
or relative referencing(assuming the movieclip where the AS
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this._parent.power.powerOne.gotoAndStop(2);
if it is power then you could have simply written:
powerOne.gotoAndStop(2);
yes, the syntax you suggested for trace is correct.
but anyway, i don't think that any of this advice is helping
you with your problem. sorry i can't see the solution with the
information you've provided. maybe upload?
how'd you go with sourcing a flash book?

How do I recerence Movie Clips on the Main Timeline from inside a class?

Hey everyone, this might be a stupid question but I thought
I'd ask cause it's making me nuts. I'm all of 2 days into AS3
(coming from not using Flash at all in YEARS) so feel free to
consider me ignorant. I do have plenty of application development
experience in other areas though.
I can't seem to create a class that can reference an instance
of a movie clip on my main timeline. I'd post code of what I've
tried but I've gone through so many desperate edits & wild
guesses that it was just garbled junk before I deleted it all.
Basically here's how I figured Flash could work, though maybe
it doesn't work this way at all.
I'm assuming that with AS 3 being so big on being a true
object oriented environment, I wouldn't need to mix my code and
interface together. Preferably I'd be using the Flash authoring
tools just to design my interface. Create a button... place it
somewhere... give it an instance name. Roughly the equivilant of
Apple's InterfaceBuilder for those of you that might be familiar
with Cocoa development. I can see maybe having to put a few lines
of ActionScript onto frame 1 (though really I'm hoping Flash would
have a better method of kicking off the application at this point
that using code tied to frames) to load my classes & such, but
after that I'd like all of my code to be held in external class
files.
So maybe I've got:
Interface.fla - My interface
Button_1
Button_2
TextField_1
Main.as - My main controller class using to handle all of my
applications behavior
SomeClass.as - Some helper Class
SomeOtherClass.as - Some helper Class
Main.as would have instructions in its initialization method
to go ahead & attach events to buttons & initialize
anything else that needs to happen when the application starts.
From there on it would all be objects communicating back &
forth. Button_1 would get clicked with would fire
Main.someMethod(). Main.someMethod() would then do it's thing and
set the value of TextField_1. All very clean & code is very
separated from interface.
Unfortunately I can't for the life of me figure out how AS3
classes reference each other like that. There doesn't seem to be
any kind of a global 'root' or '_root' I can use to locate any
movie clips on the stage. I've searched the help & the web for
any kind of simple tutorial but to no avail. My job has tasked me
with building a flash app for a project but I'd really rather not
have a tone of ActionScript just shoved into frame 1. That just
seems... ugh! (::shudder::)
Can someone maybe point me in the right direction here? I'm
really willing to do my homework but I can't seem to locate the
info I need to get started. Also, is there an ActionScript IRC
channel or something maybe?
Thanks,
Cliff

I worked with the problem last night and the solution I
started coming to involved creating my own custom document class
based off which extends MovieClip. My thought is that way I have
access to the initialization routine of the timeline itself and
that all of the elements on the main timeline should be
"properties" of my custom class.
Is this correct? Is there a down side to doing this & if
so what is it & why?
Also, just for my reference, the last time I did anything
with ActionScript I think I was using '_root' to target the main
timeline. WHat are the global variable names in AS 3? Is it just
'root' & 'stage' or 'Root' & 'Stage' or what?

Play a frame in timeline from inside 2 movieclips.

Hi. I have tried everything but it just isn't working.
On my main timeline I have a MC called "rainbow." Inside "rainbow" I have a MC called "greenbow."
Inside "greenbow" I have a MC called "meetbtn2"
I want it to play frame 134 on the main timeline when you click "meetbtn2."
my code inside greenbow is as follows:
meetbtn2.onRelease = function () {
_root.gotoAndPlay(134);
however it doesn't work! is it because i am inside two MC's?
I have also tried
_root.rainbow.greenbow.meetbtn2.onRelease = function () {
_root.gotoAndPlay(134);
any help? Thanks!

i believe you miss understood me. the actionscript and the MC are on the same frame on the same timeline.
however
on the main timeline: the MC "rainbow" doesn't appear til frame103
inside "rainbow": the MC "greenbow" doesn't appear til frame 48
inside "greenbow": the movieclip that acts as the button"meetbtn2" doesn't appear til frame 11
however all instances have been named correctly and all actionscript is on the same frame-space as its objects....

Making main timeline play from inside mc in AS3

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