Trying to access a specific movie clip with a string

Ok, what I am trying to do is create as many movie clips as I
need and then access those movie clips using string values. These
string values are stored in an array and coincide with a given
movie clips instance name. Check out the following code:
I think my problem is that Flash is trying to call movie clip
methods on a string instance. I'm not sure how to type cast in
Flash, or even if it is possible, but how would I access the
strings as movie clips?

DuhChamp,
> I think my problem is that Flash is trying to call movie
> clip methods on a string instance.
Bingo.
> I'm not sure how to type cast in Flash, or even if it is
> possible, but how would I access the strings as movie
> clips?
Use eval() or the array access operator, []. Details here
http://www.quip.net/blog/2006/flash/actionscript-20/reference-objects-dynamically
David
stiller (at) quip (dot) net
Dev essays:
http://www.quip.net/blog/
"Luck is the residue of good design."

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My desktop IMac OSX 10.6.8 : IMovie '11: Trying to upload a home movie clip from my Panosonic camera model PV-DV203D. I've had this camera several years, and used it with Windows desktop. Now trying to work with my Mac. I have a USB cable, both ends fit, but iMovie '11 does not recognize it. Is there a driver fix for this?

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Problem with accessing dynamically created movie clips, returns null...

Hopefully this is a stupid question with an easy answer, if my code is straight forward enough.
I am using this snippet of code to create menu items, and then use the jCount variable below to give the clips an index number, like so (which seems to be working just fine):
for(var j:Number=0;j<xmlSubMenuLength;j++){
    var mcSubMenuItem:mcSubMenu=new mcSubMenu();
    addChild(mcSubMenuItem);
    jCount++;
    mcSubMenuItem.name = "mcSubMenuItem" + jCount;
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    trace ("---------------------------------jCount NAME = "+ mcSubMenuItem.name);
    mcSubMenuItem.x=mcMenuHolder.x+20;
    mcSubMenuItem.y =mcMenuHolder.y;
    mcSubMenuItem.y+= nextBtnY;
    nextBtnY+=subtopicSpace;
    global_subi.text = String(jCount); //i see the proper count of 10 in the text field
However, when I try to access the clips using this snippet:
for(var j:Number=0;j<Number(global_subi.text);j++)//
trace("GLOBAL SUBI = "+ String(global_subi.text)); //traces out 10, which it should
var scSubMenuItem:String = "mcSubMenuItem" + j;
var scSubContent:Object = this.getChildByName(scSubMenuItem);
trace(">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>scSubContent:Object = "+ scSubContent); //returns null!
My last trace statement returns null. Can anyone see my error, or explain why I can't access my clips after they have been created?
Thank you muchly,
~Chipleh

Hi kglad,
Thanks for the response.
"it's not clear from the shown code that jCount is initialized." - I've posted the relevant code below, which shows that I'm initializing jCount.
"and it's not clear why you don't use j instead of jCount in that for-loop" - j is used as loop for creating the subtopic movie clips within the i for-loop. So, for each topic in i for-loop, create a group of suptopics using the j for-loop. The j for-loop re-initiates j every time the length of the subtopics is reached(if that makes any sense) - i.e. topic1>subtopic 1,2,3,4 : topic2>subtopic>1,2 : topic3>subtopic1,2,3,4
jCount is used to keep a running count of the total number of subtopcs created - i.e. per the example above, jCount will display 10.
var topicSpace:uint=button_mc.height;
var subtopicSpace:uint = button_mc.height;
var nextBtnY:uint = 0;//whatever;
var jCount:Number = 0;
function createXMLMenu(menuLength:Number,itemName:XMLList):void{
     var navItemText:XMLList = itemName;
      for(var i:Number=0;i<menuLength;i++)
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           addChild(mcMenuItem);
           mcMenuItem.btnTxt.htmlText = i+1 +". " +navItemText[i];
           mcMenuItem.ivar = i;
           mcMenuItem.name = "mcMenuItem" + i;
           mcMenuItem.x=mcMenuHolder.x;
           mcMenuItem.y =mcMenuHolder.y;
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           mcMenuItem.y+= nextBtnY;
           nextBtnY+=topicSpace;
           var subVar:Number = i;//mcMenuItem.ivar
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           var xmlSubMenuLength:Number = xml.sim.bodyText.page[i].subpage.length()
           var menuItemAttachment:MovieClip = MovieClip(mcMenuItem);
           for(var j:Number=0;j<xmlSubMenuLength;j++)
                 var xmlSubPageNumber:XMLList = xml.sim.bodyText.page[subVar].subpage;
                 var subNavLinkNumber:Number = xmlSubPageNumber[j];
                 var subTitleText:String = xml.sim.bodyText.page[subVar].subpage.subNavItem[j];
                 var mcSubMenuItem:mcSubMenu=new mcSubMenu();
                 trace("mcSubMenuItem.ivar = "+ j+1);
                 var mc2Attach2:MovieClip = MovieClip(menuItemAttachment);
                 mcSubMenuItem.btnTxt.htmlText = j+1 +". " +subTitleText;
                 mcSubMenuItem.ivar = Number(subVar);
                 mcSubMenuItem.jvar = Number(j);
                 addChild(mcSubMenuItem);
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                 mcSubMenuItem.name = "mcSubMenuItem" + jCount;
                 trace ("---------------------------------jCount NAME = "+ mcSubMenuItem.name);
                 mcSubMenuItem.x=mcMenuHolder.x+20;
                 mcSubMenuItem.y =mcMenuHolder.y;
                 //kglad's addition
                 mcSubMenuItem.y+= nextBtnY;
                 nextBtnY+=subtopicSpace;
                 global_subi.text = String(jCount);
            mcSubMenuItem.lExtend.visible = false;
global_i.text = String(i);
Then I try to access the clips like so:
-The first for-loop access the topic movie clips, no problem, and traces out scContent correctly.
-The second for-loop traces out null everytime, when I would expect it to be tracing out the names of the subtopic movie clips.
function accessClips(){
     //This will access the topic movie clips
     for(var i:Number=0;i<Number(global_i.text);i++)
           var scMenuItem:String = "mcMenuItem" + i;
           var scContent:Object = this.getChildByName(scMenuItem);
           trace(">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>scContent:Object = "+ scContent);
     //This is supposed to access the subtopic movie clips
     for(var j:Number=0;j<Number(global_subi.text);j++)//
           var scSubMenuItem:String = "mcSubMenuItem" + j;
           var scSubContent:Object = this.getChildByName(scSubMenuItem);
           trace(">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>scSubContent:Object = "+ scSubContent);
Hope this makes sense, Chipleh confused. If the code is not clear enough, let me know and I'll try to further clarify.
Thanks again,
~Chipleh

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Trying to access a specific movie clip with a string

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