XML- Is it possible to assign more than 1 "action" to the button - Senocular tutorial

[Beebs]

I have studied Senocular tutorial at Kirupa : XML- Driven Drop Down Menu at this link (http://www.kirupa.com/developer/actionscript/xml_dropdown_menu.htm) an I learnt a lot.

The menu1.xml has a structure like this :
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<menu name="example">
<item name="example" action="message" variables="this shows an example menu with no real functionality"/>
<menu name="submenu">
<menu name="submenu">
<item name="item"/>
<item name="item"/>
<item name="item"/>
</menu>
<menu name="submenu">
<item name="item"/>
<item name="item"/>
<item name="item"/>
</menu>
<item name="item"/>
</menu>
<menu name="submenu">
<item name="item"/>
<item name="item"/>
<item name="item"/>
</menu>
<item name="item"/>
<item name="item"/>
<menu name="load menu">
<item name="example" action="newMenu" variables="xmlstuff/menu1.xml"/>
<item name="messages" action="newMenu" variables="xmlstuff/menu2.xml"/>
<item name="links" action="newMenu" variables="xmlstuff/menu3.xml"/>
</menu>
</menu>

and the snippet code for action are :

Actions = Object();
Actions.gotoURL = function(urlVar){
getURL(urlVar, "_blank");
};
Actions.message = function(msg){
message_txt.text = msg;
};
Actions.newMenu = function(menuxml){
menu_xml.load(menuxml);
};


Please have a look at the item name ="example" above. It has an action"message".

So, my question is :Is it possible to assign more than 1 "action" to the item name ="example"? How?

I desperately need your help.

[mariachi77]

Why don't you try something like this:

<menu name="example">
<item name="example"variables="this shows an example menu with no real functionality">
<actions>
<action>mesage</action>
<action>message2</action>
.... etc.
</actions>
</item>

[Beebs]

Sorry mariachi,
I tried instanly and it does not work. The structure that you gave is actually giving a "new item" rather than assign the item to do something.

In the Senocolar method above, for example, the item name= "example" is assigned to the message action. Again my question is, instead of only assigned tpo the message action, can it also be assigned to gotoURL, or newMenu, or maybe to loadVariable.

[mariachi77]

Hi Beebs,

After reading the tute, I understand your point. If you go to this page:

http://www.kirupa.com/developer/actionscript/xml_dropdown_menu6.htm

near the bottom is the answer to your question:

Just define a new function under the Actions object for each different function that you want to call.

Anyway, you can read it there.

Cheers,

Mike


Sorry mariachi,
I tried instanly and it does not work. The structure that you gave is actually giving a "new item" rather than assign the item to do something.

In the Senocolar method above, for example, the item name= "example" is assigned to the message action. Again my question is, instead of only assigned tpo the message action, can it also be assigned to gotoURL, or newMenu, or maybe to loadVariable.

[Beebs]

Hi Mike,

Yeah, I've read that paragraph too, but my point is not how to define new function, but how can one item can execute more than 1 action. So, for item name="example" instead only doing action="message", it can also doing action="newMenu" at only one onRelease action.

The workaround in my brain are :

1. Rework the any available action, by:
- adding LoadMovie action ( this is going to be used to load any external file - jpg, swf and such) to the target movieclip on the stage called "container")
- adding loadVariables ( this is going to be used to load external text, or html text into multiline dynamic text on the stage called "info-txt" and variable name is = "displayText")

2. Adding new properties(variable) from xml:
-properties "picture" is assigned to the picture
-properties "article" is assigned to the article.
I know and I did to rework the menu.xml but it just dont work.

That's all my idea, I've been trying to work it out and no luck until this hour..