I am creating an auto solve function for a sliding puzzle - actionscript-3

Question

I am new to actionscript and I am trying to make a "cheat" way of completing a sliding puzzle where when I click the [s] key it calls a solve puzzle function which makes a for loop put all the puzzle pieces in the correct location. This function must call a for loop, those were the instructions I was given. Could anyone help me understand the code that I need to make this happen. I have already made the function and it does properly call when I hit the s key but everything past that doesn't seem to make the code actually move the pieces. Thank you for any help I can get.
package {
import flash.display.*;
import flash.events.*;
import flash.net.URLRequest;
import flash.geom.*;
import flash.utils.Timer;
public class SlidingPuzzle extends MovieClip {
// space between pieces and offset
static const pieceSpace:Number = 2;
static const horizOffset:Number = 50;
static const vertOffset:Number = 50;
// number of pieces
static const numPiecesHoriz:int = 5;
static const numPiecesVert:int = 5;
// random shuffle steps
static const numShuffle:int = 200;
// animation steps and time
static const slideSteps:int = 10;
static const slideTime:int = 250;
// size of pieces
private var pieceWidth:Number;
private var pieceHeight:Number;
// game pieces
private var puzzleObjects:Array;
// tracking moves
private var blankPoint:Point;
private var slidingPiece:Object;
private var slideDirection:Point;
private var slideAnimation:Timer;
public function startSlidingPuzzle() {
// blank spot is the bottom right
blankPoint = new Point(numPiecesHoriz-1,numPiecesVert-1);
// load the bitmap
loadBitmap("oceanshore.jpg");
// event to complete the puzzle for you.
stage.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_UP, solvePuzzle);
}
// get the bitmap from an external source
public function loadBitmap(bitmapFile:String) {
var loader:Loader = new Loader();
loader.contentLoaderInfo.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, loadingDone);
var request:URLRequest = new URLRequest(bitmapFile);
loader.load(request);
}
// bitmap done loading, cut into pieces
public function loadingDone(event:Event):void {
// create new image to hold loaded bitmap
var image:Bitmap = Bitmap(event.target.loader.content);
pieceWidth = image.width/numPiecesHoriz;
pieceHeight = image.height/numPiecesVert;
// cut into puzzle pieces
makePuzzlePieces(image.bitmapData);
// shuffle them
shufflePuzzlePieces();
}
// cut bitmap into pieces
public function makePuzzlePieces(bitmapData:BitmapData) {
puzzleObjects = new Array();
for(var x:uint=0;x<numPiecesHoriz;x++) {
for (var y:uint=0;y<numPiecesVert;y++) {
// skip blank spot
if (blankPoint.equals(new Point(x,y))) continue;
// create new puzzle piece bitmap and sprite
var newPuzzlePieceBitmap:Bitmap = new Bitmap(new BitmapData(pieceWidth,pieceHeight));
newPuzzlePieceBitmap.bitmapData.copyPixels(bitmapData,new Rectangle(x*pieceWidth,y*pieceHeight,pieceWidth,pieceHeight),new Point(0,0));
var newPuzzlePiece:Sprite = new Sprite();
newPuzzlePiece.addChild(newPuzzlePieceBitmap);
addChild(newPuzzlePiece);
// set location
newPuzzlePiece.x = x*(pieceWidth+pieceSpace) + horizOffset;
newPuzzlePiece.y = y*(pieceHeight+pieceSpace) + vertOffset;
// create object to store in array
var newPuzzleObject:Object = new Object();
newPuzzleObject.currentLoc = new Point(x,y);
newPuzzleObject.homeLoc = new Point(newPuzzlePiece.x,newPuzzlePiece.y);
newPuzzleObject.piece = newPuzzlePiece;
newPuzzlePiece.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK,clickPuzzlePiece);
puzzleObjects.push(newPuzzleObject);
}
}
}
//make the puzzle solve itself
public function solvePuzzle(evt:KeyboardEvent)
{
if (evt.keyCode == 83)
{
for(var i:int = 0; i<puzzleObjects.length; i++)
{
}
}
}
// make a number of random moves
public function shufflePuzzlePieces() {
for(var i:int=0;i<numShuffle;i++) {
shuffleRandom();
}
}
// random move
public function shuffleRandom() {
// loop to find valid moves
var validPuzzleObjects:Array = new Array();
for(var i:uint=0;i<puzzleObjects.length;i++) {
if (validMove(puzzleObjects[i]) != "none") {
validPuzzleObjects.push(puzzleObjects[i]);
}
}
// pick a random move
var pick:uint = Math.floor(Math.random()*validPuzzleObjects.length);
movePiece(validPuzzleObjects[pick],false);
}
public function validMove(puzzleObject:Object): String {
// is the blank spot above
if ((puzzleObject.currentLoc.x == blankPoint.x) &&
(puzzleObject.currentLoc.y == blankPoint.y+1)) {
return "up";
}
// is the blank spot below
if ((puzzleObject.currentLoc.x == blankPoint.x) &&
(puzzleObject.currentLoc.y == blankPoint.y-1)) {
return "down";
}
// is the blank to the left
if ((puzzleObject.currentLoc.y == blankPoint.y) &&
(puzzleObject.currentLoc.x == blankPoint.x+1)) {
return "left";
}
// is the blank to the right
if ((puzzleObject.currentLoc.y == blankPoint.y) &&
(puzzleObject.currentLoc.x == blankPoint.x-1)) {
return "right";
}
// no valid moves
return "none";
}
// puzzle piece clicked
public function clickPuzzlePiece(event:MouseEvent) {
// find piece clicked and move it
for(var i:int=0;i<puzzleObjects.length;i++) {
if (puzzleObjects[i].piece == event.currentTarget) {
movePiece(puzzleObjects[i],true);
break;
}
}
}
// move a piece into the blank space
public function movePiece(puzzleObject:Object, slideEffect:Boolean) {
// get direction of blank space
switch (validMove(puzzleObject)) {
case "up":
movePieceInDirection(puzzleObject,0,-1,slideEffect);
break;
case "down":
movePieceInDirection(puzzleObject,0,1,slideEffect);
break;
case "left":
movePieceInDirection(puzzleObject,-1,0,slideEffect);
break;
case "right":
movePieceInDirection(puzzleObject,1,0,slideEffect);
break;
}
}
// move the piece into the blank spot
public function movePieceInDirection(puzzleObject:Object, dx,dy:int, slideEffect:Boolean) {
puzzleObject.currentLoc.x += dx;
puzzleObject.currentLoc.y += dy;
blankPoint.x -= dx;
blankPoint.y -= dy;
// animate or not
if (slideEffect) {
// start animation
startSlide(puzzleObject,dx*(pieceWidth+pieceSpace),dy*(pieceHeight+pieceSpace));
} else {
// no animation, just move
puzzleObject.piece.x = puzzleObject.currentLoc.x*(pieceWidth+pieceSpace) + horizOffset;
puzzleObject.piece.y = puzzleObject.currentLoc.y*(pieceHeight+pieceSpace) + vertOffset;
}
}
// set up a slide
public function startSlide(puzzleObject:Object, dx, dy:Number) {
if (slideAnimation != null) slideDone(null);
slidingPiece = puzzleObject;
slideDirection = new Point(dx,dy);
slideAnimation = new Timer(slideTime/slideSteps,slideSteps);
slideAnimation.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER,slidePiece);
slideAnimation.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER_COMPLETE,slideDone);
slideAnimation.start();
}
// move one step in slide
public function slidePiece(event:Event) {
slidingPiece.piece.x += slideDirection.x/slideSteps;
slidingPiece.piece.y += slideDirection.y/slideSteps;
}
// complete slide
public function slideDone(event:Event) {
slidingPiece.piece.x = slidingPiece.currentLoc.x*(pieceWidth+pieceSpace) + horizOffset;
slidingPiece.piece.y = slidingPiece.currentLoc.y*(pieceHeight+pieceSpace) + vertOffset;
slideAnimation.stop();
slideAnimation = null;
// check to see if puzzle is complete now
if (puzzleComplete()) {
clearPuzzle();
gotoAndStop("gameover");
}
}
// check to see if all pieces are in place
public function puzzleComplete():Boolean {
for(var i:int=0;i<puzzleObjects.length;i++) {
if (!puzzleObjects[i].currentLoc.equals(puzzleObjects[i].homeLoc)) {
return false;
}
}
return true;
}
// remove all puzzle pieces
public function clearPuzzle() {
for (var i in puzzleObjects) {
puzzleObjects[i].piece.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK,clickPuzzlePiece);
removeChild(puzzleObjects[i].piece);
}
puzzleObjects = null;
}
}

Answer 1

First, program must know where to place the objects, for them to placed correctly. And best way to do it, is to record piece's initial positions.
Before you set piece's new location, create the Object and take it's initial location.
newPuzzleObject.initialLoc = new Point(newPuzzlePiece.x,newPuzzlePiece.y);
Object creation must come before this part, before piece's initial position changed;
// set location
newPuzzlePiece.x = x*(pieceWidth+pieceSpace) + horizOffset;
newPuzzlePiece.y = y*(pieceHeight+pieceSpace) + vertOffset;
And at the solvePuzzle, place them all back to their initial location.
for(i:uint; i < puzzleObjects.length; i++)
{
puzzleObjects[i].x = puzzleObjects[i].initialLoc.x;
puzzleObjects[i].y = puzzleObjects[i].initialLoc.y;
}