same instance names?

[bigbstanley]

I'm loading a movie clip onto my stage through xml (a dot). When it does this, it also creates a small list on the side. The user can rollover the different items in the list and the corresponding dot lights up. Here's my problem. Some list items need several dots. I have it working as far as putting the multiple dots on the stage, however, on the list rollover part I'm having issues.

When the list item should have multiple dots, I am making those dots have the same instance name. I then have a function tell that instance name to run (hoping to have all mc's with that instance name run) but only one dot works.

Here's my as.



function thumbnails_fn(k){
if (duplicate[k] == "yes") {
d=d+1;
// making p equal to original k
p = k-d;
flashmap.dots.attachMovie("dot", "dot"+p+"dup", d+99);
flashmap.dots["dot"+p+"dup"]._x = xpos[k];
flashmap.dots["dot"+p+"dup"]._y = ypos[k];
addbutton = false;
}

new_k = k-d;

if(addbutton) {
locations_mc.attachMovie("location_bttn", "thumb"+k, k);
locations_mc["thumb"+k]._y = new_k*18;
locations_mc["thumb"+k].location_txt.text = locations[k];
}

addbutton = true;


flashmap.dots.attachMovie("dot", "dot"+k, k);
flashmap.dots["dot"+k]._x = xpos[k];
flashmap.dots["dot"+k]._y = ypos[k];



locations_mc["thumb"+k].onRollOver = function(){
flashmap.dots["dot"+k].dot.play();
// here's where I'm trying to get all mc's with the same name to play
flashmap.dots["dot"+k+"dup"].dot.play();

}

locations_mc["thumb"+k].onRollOut = function(){
flashmap.dots["dot"+k].dot.gotoAndPlay("out");
// here's where I'm trying to get all mc's with the same name to play
flashmap.dots["dot"+k+"dup"].dot.gotoAndPlay("out");
}


}

[graylensman]

Looking at your code, you're not calling the dots properly. You've got refrences to ["dot"+p+"dup"] and you've got ["dot"+k], but nowhere to you instantiate ["dot"+k+"dup"]. The only time you reference this, is when you're trying to get your gotoAndPlay work. Try working on that angle.

[bigbstanley]

Thanx for the quick response, but it under the onRollOver and onRollout.

it's right underneath the comment where it says "here's where I'm trying to get all mc's..."

[graylensman]

yes, I see that, but that's not the same as instantiating those instances.
ActionScript Code:

flashmap.dots.attachMovie("dot", "dot"+k+"dup", k)




you need to do that first. That tells Flash that you've created instances named
flashmap.dots["dot"+k+"dup"]. Then you can tell Flash to gotoAndPlay on the rollOvers.

[bigbstanley]

d's initial value is zero, therefore, p and k are equal. I have to use two different variables for instance naming. It's confusing. I really don't think it has anything to do with what that tho, because it will always show the last child of my xml - just not all of them. That's why I think you can't have several mc's with the same instance name and have all of them do something when a button is rolled over. I did a different naming convention in which each extra dot gets it's own unique name and it works - the code is just horrendous tho - so I was trying to simplify.