AS3: class not functioning properly - actionscript-3

Question

Sorry for a blurry title, but this is probably the best way I can describe the issue that seems absurd to me by now.
I need a simple action done by an MC: going to a certain frame. I couldn't get it to work, although I had an exact same type of action done by another Movie Clip in the same class code. Here's how I did it:
if (currentItem.type == "blue") {
guy.gotoAndPlay("blue")
}
Yes, the class I'm referring to ('guy') is extended as a Movie Clip. Again, exact same code works fine with other Clips. I tried another method: switching the frame from the Clip's class, the frame it switches to is defined by a variable which is changed by main class. But somehow, this doesn't work either. It gives me the 1069 error. Here's the code of the 'guy' class:
package
{
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.events.Event;
public class guy extends MovieClip
{
public static var gotoer:String = "fffuuu"
public function shaman_armsUp()
{
super();
addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, init)
}
public function init(e:Event):void {
removeEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, init)
armLoop()
}
public function armLoop():void {
if (gotoer == "brown") {
this.gotoAndPlay("brown")
}
if (gotoer == "red") {
trace(gotoer)
this.gotoAndPlay("red")
}
}
}
}
Is there anyone who has a logical explanation for this? Can this be caused by a bug?

Answer 1

maybe the code you are writing in the method shaman_armsUp() should be moved to the constructor?
Follow my edited version of your class guy (also, renamed to Guy, follow the class name convention)
package
{
import flash.display.FrameLabel;
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.events.Event;
// renaming the class name (guy to Guy)
public class Guy extends MovieClip
{
// not sure if using an static variable for this case is the best idea, but I decided to keep because I don't know your initial idea
public static var gotoer:String = "fffuuu";
public function Guy()
{
// move the addedToStage event to the constructor
super();
addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, init, false, 0, true);
}
public function shaman_armsUp()
{
}
public function init(e:Event):void
{
removeEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, init);
armLoop();
}
public function armLoop():void
{
// Note: the value of gotoer is "fffuuu" and there is no conditional for it.
// are you chaging this value before calling armLoop? because when the init method is called it has the same value
// why not try something like:
// checking if the frame exist and if so, calling the gotoAndPlay method (try to imagine if you have 100 frame names? the old approach will be very hard to maintain
if (hasFrameLabel(gotoer))
{
this.gotoAndPlay(gotoer);
}
else
{
trace('frame: ', gotoer, ' not found');
}
/*
if (gotoer == "brown")
{
this.gotoAndPlay("brown");
}
if (gotoer == "red")
{
trace(gotoer);
this.gotoAndPlay("red");
}
*/
}
// helper function to avoid calling a frame that doesn't exist
private function hasFrameLabel(frameLabel:String):Boolean
{
var returnValue:Boolean;
const obj:Object = this.currentLabels;
for each (var i:FrameLabel in obj)
{
if (i.name == frameLabel)
{
returnValue = true;
break;
}
}
return returnValue;
}
}
}