Trying to make a button that target specific Movie Clip properties that is located within multiple layers of Movie Clips - actionscript-3

Question

I want to change the opacity of a specific MovieClip (named: Red_mc) within multiple layers of Movie Clips (example layer hierarchy : Character_mc > arm_mc > weapon_mc > Attribute_mc > Red_mc).
But I also have frame by frame animation within Character_mc (each containing and using the same MovieClip). I want the button to change the properties of all the Red_mc within each frame).
I've learn Adobe Animate for a while now but I've just started learning ActionScript recently,thus I'm very new in this language. Basically I'm just trying to make a somewhat "simple" character profile "page". I've tried a few method, but they have lots of limitation. Below is what I used for a single framed Movie clip
function fl_ClickToHide(event: MouseEvent): void {
Idle_mc.Idle_hw_mc.CrystalW_mc.Attribute_mc.IntelligenceW.visible = false;
Idle_mc.Idle_hw_mc.CrystalW_mc.Attribute_mc.AgilityW.visible = false;
Idle_mc.Idle_hw_mc.CrystalW_mc.Attribute_mc.StrengthW.visible = true;
}
button_7.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, fl_ClickToHide_2);
function fl_ClickToHide_2(event: MouseEvent): void {
Idle_mc.Idle_hw_mc.CrystalW_mc.Attribute_mc.StrengthW.visible = false;
Idle_mc.Idle_hw_mc.CrystalW_mc.Attribute_mc.IntelligenceW.visible = false;
Idle_mc.Idle_hw_mc.CrystalW_mc.Attribute_mc.AgilityW.visible = true;
}
button_8.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, fl_ClickToHide_3);
function fl_ClickToHide_3(event: MouseEvent): void {
Idle_mc.Idle_hw_mc.CrystalW_mc.Attribute_mc.StrengthW.visible = false;
Idle_mc.Idle_hw_mc.CrystalW_mc.Attribute_mc.AgilityW.visible = false;
Idle_mc.Idle_hw_mc.CrystalW_mc.Attribute_mc.IntelligenceW.visible = true;
}
This works btu there's lots of limitaion, eg. when there's multiple single framed within the movie clip then it wouldn't work.
My goal is to make a button that when clicked, it'll search for a specific MovieClip and then edit the the properties of the Movie Clips within it.(ie. Red, green and Blue).
TD;DR: So is there a way for the code to search for the a target specific Movie Clip across multiple layers of Movie Clips within a frames?
thanks hope what i said make sense.

Answer 1

Info №1. Objects that are not in the current frame do not exist at the moment (for your script, at least).
Info №2. Mixing scripts and frames is a brave thing to do. Because there's a lot of pain and suffering and misery lies ahead once you decide to go that way.
If I had a task of programming a lot of pieces spread across complicated hierarchy, I think I'd do the following.
First, I'd devise a shared data class that is available from any point of your application.
package
{
import flash.events.Event;
import flash.events.EventDispatcher;
public class AppData
{
static public const D:Object = new Object;
static public const E:Event = new Event(Event.CHANGE);
static public const I:EventDispatcher = new EventDispatcher;
static public function has(key:String):Boolean
{
return D.hasOwnProperty(key);
}
static public function read(key:String):*
{
return D[key];
}
static public function write(key:String, value:*):void
{
if (value === null)
{
delete D[key];
}
else
{
D[key] = value;
}
I.dispatchEvent(E);
}
}
}
Now, if you want certain clip to behave in a certain way, without actually knowing, where this clip is on your app hierarchy might be. For example, you want to control its alpha-transparency. On the first frame of this clip you do:
import AppData;
import flash.events.Event;
// The last argument is important, because timeline objects are
// auto-removed if their parent's timeline instructs so, thus
// you won't be able to locate them and unsubscribe, which,
// in turn, means they will hang in the memory forever.
// Still, if you subscribe them with useWeakReference
// set to true, they will be removed normally
// and unsubscribed automatically.
AppData.I.addEventListener(Event.CHANGE, onChange, false, 0, true);
// Call once in order to forcibly sync the object with the data.
onChange(null);
function onChange(e:Event):void
{
if (AppData.has("red.alpha"))
{
alpha = AppData.read("red.alpha");
}
else
{
alpha = 1;
}
}
Then, once you execute the following instruction, each and every object, watching the red.alpha setting will change its alpha:
import AppData;
AppData.write("red.alpha", 0.3);
The setup above is very primitive, and, probably, can be improved in a number of ways, but that greatly depends on understanding of what you are building there, which I don't have.