How to add duplicate movieclip "box_mc" in attached code?

[Manx Mariner]

I would like the "box_mc" movieClip to remain on the stage and a duplicate created when clicked on and dragged to a new location on the stage.

box_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateBox);

var startX:Number;
var startY:Number;

function duplicateBox(event:MouseEvent):void {
    event.target.parent.addChild(event.target);
    startX = event.target.x;
    startY = event.target.y;    
    event.target.startDrag(true);
}

Thanks for any help.

[cancerinform]

If it does not contain any content added later, just create a new instance of the MovieClip. However, the way you are doing will not work. You need to give an identifier and use the new word plus classname.

[Manx Mariner]

If it does not contain any content added later, just create a new instance of the MovieClip. However, the way you are doing will not work. You need to give an identifier and use the new word plus classname.

Can you give an example using the code above?

[cancerinform]

I need the classname of the MovieClip. If you did not create any, rightclick on the MovieClip in the library and check "Export for Actionscript". Then you write something like this:

var box_mcCopy:Classnamehere = new Classnamehere();
box_mcCopy.x = event.currentTarget.x;
box_mcCopy.y = event.currentTarget.y;
addChild(box_mcCopy);

It will be automatically created on the timeline.

[Manx Mariner]

The classname is "myBox". How would I use your code below in my code above?

Also, I have many objects on the stage that will be dragged on the stage and I would like copies made of all of them when dragged to a new location on the stage. I am using this "duplicateBox" function with all the objects on the page so won't the code you provide be for only one object? Hope that was clear enough...

Thank you for your help.

I need the classname of the MovieClip. If you did not create any, rightclick on the MovieClip in the library and check "Export for Actionscript". Then you write something like this:

var box_mcCopy:Classnamehere = new Classnamehere();
box_mcCopy.x = event.currentTarget.x;
box_mcCopy.y = event.currentTarget.y;
addChild(box_mcCopy);

It will be automatically created on the timeline.

[cancerinform]

Just replace Classnamehere with myBox and place the script inside of the function.

[Manx Mariner]

Dang, you are too fast :-) I was trying to clarify my post by editing it before you replied:

Also, I have many objects on the stage that will be dragged on the stage and I would like copies made of all of them when dragged to a new location on the stage. I am using this "duplicateBox" function with all the objects on the page so won't the code you provide be for only one object? Hope that was clear enough...

The MCs on the stage would be:

box_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, pickUp);
circle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, pickUp);
triangle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, pickUp);

Just replace Classnamehere with myBox and place the script inside of the function.

[Manx Mariner]

Sorry, I don't know why I didn't put this in the original post.

Below is what I'm wanting to do except I would like the items "box_mc", "circle_mc", and "triangle_mc" to be duplicated when dragged.

Sorry for the misinformation originally.

box_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);
box_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);
circle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);
circle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);
triangle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);
triangle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);

var startX:Number;
var startY:Number;

function duplicateItem(event:MouseEvent):void {
    event.target.parent.addChild(event.target);
    startX = event.target.x;
    startY = event.target.y;    
    event.target.startDrag(true);
}

function dropItem(event:MouseEvent):void {
    event.target.stopDrag();
}

[5TonsOfFlax]

You'll need to get the class of the item, then create a new instance of that class

function duplicateItem(event:MouseEvent):void{
    var target:DisplayObject = DisplayObject(event.target);
    var clazz:Class = Class(target.constructor);
    var newOne:Sprite = Sprite(new clazz());
    newOne.x = target.x;
    newOne.y = target.y;
    target.parent.addChild(newOne);
    startX = target.x;
    startY = target.y;
    newOne.startDrag(true);
}

[Manx Mariner]

With function below I get an error 1119: Access of possibly undefined property constructor through a reference with static type flash.display: DisplayObject. This error is from the 3rd line of the function. Any ideas?

You'll need to get the class of the item, then create a new instance of that class

function duplicateItem(event:MouseEvent):void{
    var target:DisplayObject = DisplayObject(event.target);
    var clazz:Class = Class(target.constructor);
    var newOne:Sprite = Sprite(new clazz());
    newOne.x = target.x;
    newOne.y = target.y;
    target.parent.addChild(newOne);
    startX = target.x;
    startY = target.y;
    newOne.startDrag(true);
}

[5TonsOfFlax]

That doesn't make sense. The constructor property is defined by Object, everything has it. I'll try to actually run the code and see what happens.

[5TonsOfFlax]

That's silly. I had to cast it to Object before it would work. Seems like a compiler error, but who knows.

		private function duplicateItem(event:MouseEvent):void{
			var target:Sprite = Sprite(event.target);
			var clazz:Class = Class(Object(target).constructor);
			var newOne:Sprite = Sprite(new clazz());
			newOne.x = target.x;
			newOne.y = target.y;
			target.parent.addChild(newOne);
			newOne.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);
			newOne.startDrag(true);
		}

[Manx Mariner]

Thank you very much! It is working great!

What do you mean when you say "cast it"? That's a new one to me...

That's silly. I had to cast it to Object before it would work. Seems like a compiler error, but who knows.

		private function duplicateItem(event:MouseEvent):void{
			var target:Sprite = Sprite(event.target);
			var clazz:Class = Class(Object(target).constructor);
			var newOne:Sprite = Sprite(new clazz());
			newOne.x = target.x;
			newOne.y = target.y;
			target.parent.addChild(newOne);
			newOne.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);
			newOne.startDrag(true);
		}

[5TonsOfFlax]

Casting is telling the compiler that an object of one type should be treated as another type. Above, we are casting event.target to Sprite (because event.target is typed as Object), and casing that back to Object (which I guess we could have just used event.target there instead of re-casting). We also cast the new instance of the class to Sprite so that we know it's a DisplayObject that has startDrag.

[Manx Mariner]

Thanks 5TonsOfFlax for your great help. I am hoping you can now help me with the second part of my script in the function "dropItem". What I have below was working with my original script in this thread but with you new code in function "duplicateItem" it no longer works. Would you mind looking at "function dropItem" and see if you can see why it won't work anymore?

Also, since we changed the "startX" and "startY" the shapes box, circle, and triangle no longer go back to their original position. Any ideas on how to make them go back to their original position?

What I have is three shapes on the stage with three matching targets that the shapes are dropped on. If the shapes are not dropped on the target shapes then I want them to go back to their original position.

box_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);
box_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);
circle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);
circle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);
triangle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);
triangle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);

var startX:Number;
var startY:Number;

function duplicateItem(event:MouseEvent):void{
            var target:Sprite = Sprite(event.target);
            var clazz:Class = Class(event.target.constructor);
            var newOne:Sprite = Sprite(new clazz());
            newOne.x = target.x;
            newOne.y = target.y;
            target.parent.addChild(newOne);
            newOne.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);
            newOne.startDrag(true);
        }

function dropItem(event:MouseEvent):void {
    event.target.stopDrag();
    var myTargetName:String = "target" + event.target.name;
    var myTarget:DisplayObject = getChildByName(myTargetName);
    if (event.target.dropTarget != null && event.target.dropTarget.parent == myTarget){
        event.target.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);
        event.target.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);
        event.target.buttonMode = false;
        event.target.x = myTarget.x;
        event.target.y = myTarget.y;
    } else {
        event.target.x = startX;
        event.target.y = startY;
    }

}

[5TonsOfFlax]

I'm confused as to what you're trying to do. Since you're dragging the duplicate and not the original, there's no need to have a mouse_up listener on the originals and no need to remove the mouse_down listener in dropItem, because it never had that listener.
You can set startX and startY in duplicateItem as you did before, but that will put the duplicate in the same physical place as the original. You probably want to remove it entirely instead of moving it.

Also, look at this:

    var myTargetName:String = "target" + event.target.name;
    var myTarget:DisplayObject = getChildByName(myTargetName);

Do you see how silly that is?

Flax: "Hi, nice to meet you.  What's your name?"
Manx: "Manx Mariner"
Flax (to the room): "Hey, can someone find me Manx Mariner?"

event.target is already the reference you want. You don't need to get its name then look it up by its name!

var myTarget:DisplayObject = DisplayObject(event.target);

[Manx Mariner]

This is what I'm after: I have 3 shapes at the top of the stage -- "box_mc", "triangle_mc", and "circle_mc". When the user clicks on one of these 3 shapes a duplicate will be created that can dragged on top of a matching shape at the bottom of the page and it will snap to that bottom target shape and remain there. If the shape is dragged upon the wrong shape, at the bottom, then it would be removed.

As for the shape moving back to its original position, I think you are correct, I should probably just remove them since it is a duplicate. Would I use "removeChild()"?

How would you rewrite this to work as I stated above?

I'm confused as to what you're trying to do. Since you're dragging the duplicate and not the original, there's no need to have a mouse_up listener on the originals and no need to remove the mouse_down listener in dropItem, because it never had that listener.
You can set startX and startY in duplicateItem as you did before, but that will put the duplicate in the same physical place as the original. You probably want to remove it entirely instead of moving it.

Also, look at this:

    var myTargetName:String = "target" + event.target.name;
    var myTarget:DisplayObject = getChildByName(myTargetName);

Do you see how silly that is?

Flax: "Hi, nice to meet you.  What's your name?"
Manx: "Manx Mariner"
Flax (to the room): "Hey, can someone find me Manx Mariner?"

event.target is already the reference you want. You don't need to get its name then look it up by its name!

var myTarget:DisplayObject = DisplayObject(event.target);

[5TonsOfFlax]

box_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);
circle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);
triangle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);

function duplicateItem(event:MouseEvent):void{
            var target:Sprite = Sprite(event.target);
            var clazz:Class = Class(event.target.constructor);
            var newOne:Sprite = Sprite(new clazz());
            newOne.x = target.x;
            newOne.y = target.y;
            target.parent.addChild(newOne);
            newOne.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);
            newOne.startDrag(true);
}

function dropItem(event:MouseEvent):void {
  var myTarget:DisplayObject = DisplayObject(event.target);
  myTarget.stopDrag();
  //I don't know about this logic.  It's equivalent to yours, but it doesn't look right.
  if (myTarget.dropTarget != null && myTarget.dropTarget.parent == myTarget){
     myTarget.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);
     myTarget.buttonMode = false;
  } else {
   myTarget.parent.removeChild(myTarget);
  }
}

[Manx Mariner]

I received the following errors with the function dropItem:

1061: Call to a possibly undefined method stopDrag through a reference with static type flash.display.DisplayObject.
1119: Access of a possibly undefined property dropTarget through a reference with static type flash.display.DisplayObject.

I have also attached a .fla with my old code that works without duplication, of course, and it also contains your new code commented out.

Thanks again for your patience and kindness.

box_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);
circle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);
triangle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, duplicateItem);

function duplicateItem(event:MouseEvent):void{
            var target:Sprite = Sprite(event.target);
            var clazz:Class = Class(event.target.constructor);
            var newOne:Sprite = Sprite(new clazz());
            newOne.x = target.x;
            newOne.y = target.y;
            target.parent.addChild(newOne);
            newOne.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);
            newOne.startDrag(true);
}

function dropItem(event:MouseEvent):void {
  var myTarget:DisplayObject = DisplayObject(event.target);
  myTarget.stopDrag();
  //I don't know about this logic.  It's equivalent to yours, but it doesn't look right.
  if (myTarget.dropTarget != null && myTarget.dropTarget.parent == myTarget){
     myTarget.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, dropItem);
     myTarget.buttonMode = false;
  } else {
   myTarget.parent.removeChild(myTarget);
  }
}

[5TonsOfFlax]

flas are useless to me. I don't have or use Flash.

Those errors are because DisplayObject doesn't declare those properties or methods. Change the type of myTarget to Sprite and the cast accordingly.

var myTarget:Sprite = Sprite(event.target);