Syntax help with accessing instance name, dynamically...

[nizamm]

Hey guys, n00b needs help,

I need to play a movie clip whose instance name is set into a dynamic text field. Say, if I were to have a dynamic text field named 'holder', containing the instance name 'mc1', how would I play it?

Considering incorrect syntax, this is what I'm trying to do:

_root.holder.text.gotoAndPlay(10);  //which is incorrect

alternatively,

var instance_name = _root.holder.text;
_root.instance_name.gotoAndPlay(10); // which is also incorrect.

Hope I'm making sense. That ^ is what I wanna do but I'm looking for the right syntax.

HALP!

[deldelfarrom]

I asume this is what you mean...
(Pseudo-example)

You have made a text field
you have converted it to a movie instance and named it textField
you have entered the movie and added frames and stuff.

so you have tried
_root.textField.gotoAndPlay(10)
that failed.

This is what I usualy do as gotoAndPlay tends to be tempermental...
Inside the movieclip
onClipEvent (load) {
function goTo10() {
gotoAndPlay(10);
}
}

Then to go to the frame simply type textField.goTo10();

I am sure there are more eligent ways to do it but it works for me.

[nizamm]

Thanks for the post del, but a bit different from what you've said. Let me try to give a clearer picture.

I have a dynamic text field with an instance name of its own called 'txt1'.

I have a movie clip with its own instance name as 'mc1'.

Both objects are on the root of the timeline.

Now, I want to play 'mc1', once I assign txt1.text = mc1; I do not want to play 'mc1' directly by coding _root.mc1.play(); Instead, I want it to wait for the instance name to pop up in 'txt1' to play there and then. Currently I have a conditional statement which is hard coded to each of the instance names. I do not want that and hence am trying to directly access the 'mc1' via 'txt1' which makes the code flexible to play MCs of any instance name.

Am I making sense, anyone?

[deldelfarrom]

So you want a movie to load that is named in txt1....

There is an obvious problem in that there is no 'onChange' event in flash so you will either have to make a list of usable movie names or make a button to use when it is right. I'd use the button method.

// txt1 = text field
// button1 = button

function(loadmov) {
_root.createEmptyMovieClip("mc"+counter,_root.getN extHighestDepth());
loadmovie("_root.mc"+counter,_root.txt1.text);
counter ++;
}

button1.onPress = function(success) {
_root.loadmov();
}

Will that do?

[nizamm]

So you want a movie to load that is named in txt1....

There is an obvious problem in that there is no 'onChange' event in flash so you will either have to make a list of usable movie names or make a button to use when it is right. I'd use the button method.

// txt1 = text field
// button1 = button

function(loadmov) {
_root.createEmptyMovieClip("mc"+counter,_root.getN extHighestDepth());
loadmovie("_root.mc"+counter,_root.txt1.text);
counter ++;
}

button1.onPress = function(success) {
_root.loadmov();
}

Will that do?

Well I am using 'onEnterFrame' to check that onChange event. Besides I see you got a counter attached as a string to the movie clip. My 'mc1' name was just an example. In reality, my instance names are all different and don't have a uniform name. All I need to do is read a string from the dynamic text file which has the SAME name of an instance present in my movie, to do whatever action I require it to do.

I've attached a fla. Run it and see what I'm trying to do. All I want now is to remove the switch cases for the 3 rectangles below. I do not want to restrict the conditions to just red, yellow and green, but instead looking for a solution which would simply read whatever string I have to play the corresponding movie clip, which in this case, I have named them as per color.

Now, am I making sense?

[nizamm]

BooHoo! Help!