A simple Loop, but problem with positioning

[Cindy]

Hi. I've tried many different times to get this thing to work, and I've given up.
Could somebody please tell me how to do this:

I have a movie clip on my main timeline, given the instance name of "myText". I have script on the first frame of the
main timeline that should loop and duplicate this mc 8 times. (I think I have this part working). My problem is that I
want each duplicated mc vertically positioned 20 pixels below the previous one. I thought the code below would work, but
it's not.

----------
var i=1;
while (i <= 8) {
duplicateMovieClip ("myTest", "myTest"+i, i);
myTest[i]._y += 20;
trace ("myTest is " +i);
i++;
}
----------


Any suggestions? Thanks VERY much!
--cindy

[Cindy]

Typo in my message there...sorry.
Instance name is "myTest".




Cindy wrote:

> Hi. I've tried many different times to get this thing to work, and I've
> given up.
> Could somebody please tell me how to do this:
>
> I have a movie clip on my main timeline, given the instance name of
> "myText". I have script on the first frame of the main timeline that
> should loop and duplicate this mc 8 times. (I think I have this part
> working). My problem is that I want each duplicated mc vertically
> positioned 20 pixels below the previous one. I thought the code below
> would work, but it's not.
>
> ----------
> var i=1;
> while (i <= 8) {
> duplicateMovieClip ("myTest", "myTest"+i, i);
> myTest[i]._y += 20;
> trace ("myTest is " +i);
> i++;
> }
> ----------
>
>
> Any suggestions? Thanks VERY much!
> --cindy
>

[Jack]

this["myTest"+i]._y = i*20;

hth,


"Cindy" <cflorig@highmark.com> wrote in message
news:4044B0E5.40406@highmark.com...

> Hi. I've tried many different times to get this thing to work, and I've

given up.

> Could somebody please tell me how to do this:
>
> I have a movie clip on my main timeline, given the instance name of

"myText". I have script on the first frame of the

> main timeline that should loop and duplicate this mc 8 times. (I think I

have this part working). My problem is that I

> want each duplicated mc vertically positioned 20 pixels below the previous

one. I thought the code below would work, but

> it's not.
>
> ----------
> var i=1;
> while (i <= 8) {
> duplicateMovieClip ("myTest", "myTest"+i, i);
> myTest[i]._y += 20;
> trace ("myTest is " +i);
> i++;
> }
> ----------
>
>
> Any suggestions? Thanks VERY much!
> --cindy
>

[Cindy]

You are WONDERFUL!!!!!
Thank you so much, Jack. That works now. (Now all I have to do is understand the logic behind it. I thought for sure it
had to have that "+=" in it. Sigh)

--cindy



Jack wrote:

> this["myTest"+i]._y = i*20;
>
> hth,
>
>
> "Cindy" <cflorig@highmark.com> wrote in message
> news:4044B0E5.40406@highmark.com...
>

>>Hi. I've tried many different times to get this thing to work, and I've

>
> given up.
>

>>Could somebody please tell me how to do this:
>>
>>I have a movie clip on my main timeline, given the instance name of

>
> "myText". I have script on the first frame of the
>

>>main timeline that should loop and duplicate this mc 8 times. (I think I

>
> have this part working). My problem is that I
>

>>want each duplicated mc vertically positioned 20 pixels below the previous

>
> one. I thought the code below would work, but
>

>>it's not.
>>
>>----------
>>var i=1;
>>while (i <= 8) {
>>duplicateMovieClip ("myTest", "myTest"+i, i);
>>myTest[i]._y += 20;
>>trace ("myTest is " +i);
>>i++;
>>}
>>----------
>>
>>
>>Any suggestions? Thanks VERY much!
>>--cindy
>>

>
>
>

[Cindy]

Actually, there is one more thing:

The _y spacing is not consistent between clips. It's increasing with each pass of the loop.

i.e., the space between the first and second clips may be 21; the space between the second and third clips may be 22;
the next 23; etc.

Not sure what to do about that.
Suggestions?

--cindy




Jack wrote:

> this["myTest"+i]._y = i*20;
>
> hth,
>
>
> "Cindy" <cflorig@highmark.com> wrote in message
> news:4044B0E5.40406@highmark.com...
>

>>Hi. I've tried many different times to get this thing to work, and I've

>
> given up.
>

>>Could somebody please tell me how to do this:
>>
>>I have a movie clip on my main timeline, given the instance name of

>
> "myText". I have script on the first frame of the
>

>>main timeline that should loop and duplicate this mc 8 times. (I think I

>
> have this part working). My problem is that I
>

>>want each duplicated mc vertically positioned 20 pixels below the previous

>
> one. I thought the code below would work, but
>

>>it's not.
>>
>>----------
>>var i=1;
>>while (i <= 8) {
>>duplicateMovieClip ("myTest", "myTest"+i, i);
>>myTest[i]._y += 20;
>>trace ("myTest is " +i);
>>i++;
>>}
>>----------
>>
>>
>>Any suggestions? Thanks VERY much!
>>--cindy
>>

>
>
>

[Cindy]

I tried this, which seems to work. The only thing though, is that the first one starts at a _y position of "0" because
I'm multiplying the first one by zero.

Any ideas how I can get it started from a different _y position, without having the spacing incrementally increased with
each pass?


----------
var About = ["The Organization", "Vision", "Management & Offices", "History", "Helping Others", "Our Parent Company",
"Financial Ratings", "Careers with Us"];

var i=0;
while (i <= 7) {
duplicateMovieClip ("myTest", "myTest"+i, i);
this["myTest"+i]._y = i * 38;
this["myTest"+i].myText=About[i];
i++;
}

----------


Cindy wrote:

> Actually, there is one more thing:
>
> The _y spacing is not consistent between clips. It's increasing with
> each pass of the loop.
>
> i.e., the space between the first and second clips may be 21; the space
> between the second and third clips may be 22; the next 23; etc.
>
> Not sure what to do about that.
> Suggestions?
>
> --cindy
>
>
>
>
> Jack wrote:
>

>> this["myTest"+i]._y = i*20;
>>
>> hth,
>>
>>
>> "Cindy" <cflorig@highmark.com> wrote in message
>> news:4044B0E5.40406@highmark.com...
>>

>>> Hi. I've tried many different times to get this thing to work, and I've

>>
>>
>> given up.
>>

>>> Could somebody please tell me how to do this:
>>>
>>> I have a movie clip on my main timeline, given the instance name of

>>
>>
>> "myText". I have script on the first frame of the
>>

>>> main timeline that should loop and duplicate this mc 8 times. (I think I

>>
>>
>> have this part working). My problem is that I
>>

>>> want each duplicated mc vertically positioned 20 pixels below the
>>> previous

>>
>>
>> one. I thought the code below would work, but
>>

>>> it's not.
>>>
>>> ----------
>>> var i=1;
>>> while (i <= 8) {
>>> duplicateMovieClip ("myTest", "myTest"+i, i);
>>> myTest[i]._y += 20;
>>> trace ("myTest is " +i);
>>> i++;
>>> }
>>> ----------
>>>
>>>
>>> Any suggestions? Thanks VERY much!
>>> --cindy
>>>

>>
>>
>>

>

[Jack]

About = ["The Organization", "Vision", "Management & Offices", "History",
"Helping Others", "Our Parent Company","Financial Ratings", "Careers with
Us"];

/*var i=1;
while (i <= 7) {
duplicateMovieClip ("myTest", "myTest"+i, i);
this["myTest"+i]._y = i * 38;
trace(this["myTest"+i]._y); // 38,76,114.. multiples of 38 in _y
this["myTest"+i].myText=About[i-1];
i++;
}*/

// alternative method
for(var d=0; d!=About.length; d++){
myTest.duplicateMovieClip("myTest"+d, d);
ref = this["myTest"+d];
ref._y = (d+1)*38
ref.myText = About[d];
}

[Cindy]

That did it. Thank you!!!!
I'll stick with your first coding rather than the alternative method because I understand that one a little bit better.

Looks like the only line that makes a difference is this one:

this["myTest"+i].myText=About[i-1];

But I don't understand why the "About[i-1]" line works. Isn't that the code that determines what part of the array gets
put into the variable? It then looks to me like you're telling it to put the previous item in the array in there
instead. I dunno.

But it works anyway. Thanks again!

--cindy



Jack wrote:

> About = ["The Organization", "Vision", "Management & Offices", "History",
> "Helping Others", "Our Parent Company","Financial Ratings", "Careers with
> Us"];
>
> /*var i=1;
> while (i <= 7) {
> duplicateMovieClip ("myTest", "myTest"+i, i);
> this["myTest"+i]._y = i * 38;
> trace(this["myTest"+i]._y); // 38,76,114.. multiples of 38 in _y
> this["myTest"+i].myText=About[i-1];
> i++;
> }*/
>
> // alternative method
> for(var d=0; d!=About.length; d++){
> myTest.duplicateMovieClip("myTest"+d, d);
> ref = this["myTest"+d];
> ref._y = (d+1)*38
> ref.myText = About[d];
> }
>
>

[Jack]

Arrays are indexed from 0
when you use Test Movie, from the menubar select Debug > List Variables,
this will show you how the array is indexed,

Variable _level0.About = [object #1, class 'Array'] [
0:"The Organization",
1:"Vision",
2:"Management & Offices",
3:"History",
4:"Helping Others",
5:"Our Parent Company",
6:"Financial Ratings",
7:"Careers with Us"
]

hth,


"Cindy" <cflorig@highmark.com> wrote in message
news:4044E7AB.8060408@highmark.com...

> But I don't understand why the "About[i-1]" line works. Isn't that the

code that determines what part of the array gets

> put into the variable? It then looks to me like you're telling it to put

the previous item in the array in there

> instead. I dunno.

[Cindy]

I see. I wasn't even aware of the Debug > List Variables menu.
I'm starting to get the hang of this now. I went ahead and put all this code nested inside another empty movie clip.
Now, from the main timeline, I can use AS to move the entire clip wherever I want and the loop still works just great.

Very cool.
Thank you for all your help and information.



Jack wrote:

> Arrays are indexed from 0
> when you use Test Movie, from the menubar select Debug > List Variables,
> this will show you how the array is indexed,
>
> Variable _level0.About = [object #1, class 'Array'] [
> 0:"The Organization",
> 1:"Vision",
> 2:"Management & Offices",
> 3:"History",
> 4:"Helping Others",
> 5:"Our Parent Company",
> 6:"Financial Ratings",
> 7:"Careers with Us"
> ]
>
> hth,
>
>
> "Cindy" <cflorig@highmark.com> wrote in message
> news:4044E7AB.8060408@highmark.com...
>

>>But I don't understand why the "About[i-1]" line works. Isn't that the

>
> code that determines what part of the array gets
>

>>put into the variable? It then looks to me like you're telling it to put

>
> the previous item in the array in there
>

>>instead. I dunno.

>
>
>