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Flash Tutorial - Intro to Arrays

Free Flash Tutorial

Arrays: Example D

This is a better solution than the previous example (C). In this example there is also a back and a forward button to scroll through the listings. If you are at the beginning of the listings, the back button disappears and if you are at the end of the listing the forward button disappears. This means that you do not have to display a silly message like: You are at the end!

You cannot get beyond the end of the listings as the buttons are not available to press!

Example: Download the Flash file  Int 128d

Buttons enable the user to go either forward or backwards.

Note: Remember that ordinarily the user would not see the myNumber display.

Example D - Step One: Building the Movie

Building the Movie is similar to in Step One of the first example (A), except that this time the Movie only has two buttons. There is also one other important difference:

• The Back button has an Instance Name: back
• The Forward button has an Instance Name: forward

You give the button an Instance name in the Property Inspector.

Example D - Step Two: Building the Array

The Array is set up in frame one of the Movie in exactly the same fashion as in example C. The only difference is:

• This time I have set myNumber to 0. So the Array starts at the beginning.
• The back button is set to invisible as default.

var myArray = new Array();
myArray[0] = "You can have text or a number here or anything you like really!";
myArray[1] = "More text here.";
myArray[2] = "A number here: 123";
myArray[3] = "Other stuff";
myNumber = 0;
// Makes the Back button invisible
back._visible = 0;

Example D - Step Three: The Button ActionScript

The Back Button

// On release of the Mouse Button
on (release) {

    // Subtract 1 from my number
    myNumber = myNumber-1;

    // If myNumber is equal to or less than 0 then...
    if (myNumber <= 0) {

        // Display the following
        myText = myArray[myNumber];

        // Makes the back button invisible
        back._visible = 0;

        // Makes the forward button visible
        forward._visible = 1;

    // If myNumber is greater than or equal to 3 then...
    } else if (myNumber >= 3) {

        // Reset myNumber to 3 and ...
        myNumber = 3;

        // Display the Array listing for myNumber (which is 3)
        myText = myArray[myNumber];

        // Makes the back button visible
        back._visible = 1;

        // Makes the forward button invisible
        forward._visible = 0;

    // Otherwise ...
    } else {

        // Display the Array listing for myNumber
        myText = myArray[myNumber];

        // Makes the back button visible
        back._visible = 1;

        // Makes the forward button visible
        forward._visible = 1;

    // Close if-else statement
    }

// Close on(release) statement
}

The Forward Button

// On release of the Mouse Button
on (release) {

    // Add 1 to my number
    myNumber = myNumber+1;

    // If myNumber is greater than 3 then...
    if (myNumber >= 3) {

        // Resets myNumber to 3
        myNumber = 3;

        // Display the Array listing for myNumber (which is 3)
        myText = myText = myArray[myNumber];;

        // Makes the back button visible
        back._visible = 1;

        // Makes the forward button invisible
        forward._visible = 0;

    // If myNumber is equal to or less than 0 then...
    } else if (myNumber <= 0) {

        //Reset myNumber to: 0 and ...
        myNumber = 0;

        // Display the Array listing for myNumber (which is 0)
        myText = myArray[myNumber];

        // Makes the back button invisible
        back._visible = 0;

        // Makes the forward button visible
        forward._visible = 1;

    // Otherwise ...
    } else {

        // Display the Array listing for myNumber
        myText = myArray[myNumber];

        // Makes the back button visible
        back._visible = 1;

        // Makes the forward button visible
        forward._visible = 1;

    // Close if-else statement
    }

// Close on(release) statement
}

That's it. I hope you are now an Array Whiz!