Fit array of movieclips in a fixed box in AS3 - actionscript-3

Question

I have this array of movieclips (there can be only one but there can also be like 100) and a big movieclip on the stage with a fixed width and height (it can't be resized).
var boxWidth:int = 500
var boxHeight:int = 300
var box:MovieClip = new Movieclip;
box.graphics.beginFill(0x444444);
box.graphics.drawRect(
0,
0,
boxWidth,
boxHeight
);
box.graphics.endFill();
addChild(box);
var movieClipsArray:Array = []; //dynamic number of movieclips
var movieClipsSpacing:int = 10;
for(var i:String in movieClipsArray){
//calculate x, y, width, and height
box.addChild(movieClipsArray[i]);
}
How can I add all the movieclips from the array to the box, while fullfilling the following requirements?
The movieclips may be resized, but they have to keep their height/width ratio
The movieclips may not overlap
The movieclips may not exceed the borders of the box movieclip
There has to be some space between the movieclips (let's say, 10px)
The space of the box movieclip has to be used as efficiently as possible
The movieclips don't have to be in the same order, e.g movieClipsArray[0] could be at the left top, but also in the right bottom or somewhere in the center
I'm sorry for not having done much myself, but I just don't have any idea where to start

Answer 1

Dunno if I'm over complicating this at all, but I'd personally do something like this:
var boxWidth:int = 500;
var boxHeight:int = 300;
// each column and row of equally sized movieclip would be 5/7 and 3/7 of the width/height of the box respectively.
mcColumns = ((movieClipsArray.length / 7) * 5); // tells you how many columns
mcRows = ((movieClipsArray.length / 7) * 3); // tells you how many rows
//calculate width
var availableWidth = boxWidth - (mcColumns * 10); //width available after 10px spaces
var mcWidth:int = availableWidth / mcColumns; //width of each box
//calculate height
var availableHeight = boxHeight - (mcRows * 10); //height available after 10px spaces
var mcHeight:int = availableHeight / mcRows; //height of each box
for(var i:int = 0; i<mcColums; i++;){
for(var j:int = 0; i<mcRows; i++;){
//calculate x
movieClipsArray[i+j].width = mcWidth;
movieClipsArray[i+j].x = (availableWidth / mcWidth) * i;
movieClipsArray[i+j].x += 10 * i; //adds the space
//calculate y
movieClipsArray[i+j].height = mcHeight;
movieClipsArray[i+j].y = (availableHeight /mcWidth) * j;
movieClipsArray[i+j].y += 10 * j; //adds the space
box.addChild(movieClipsArray[i+j]);
}
}
Please bear in mind that I haven't checked this, I just wrote it to help set you on the right track.