I'm dabbling with game design and trying to create some characters for the game. Right now I've just created a single MovieClip that contains a rectangle. The MovieClip symbol extends a class that I've created in Flash Builder that implements the logic of a monster. I can then drag an instance of this monster symbol from the library to the stage and the code works when I run the simulation. So far, so good.
Now I want to create several monsters, all slightly different:
public class Monster extends MovieClip
{
public var isFriendly:Boolean = true;
public var strength:int = 10;
public var catchPhrase:String = "Booyah!";
public function Monster()
{
}
}
One way to do this is to write a new class for each monster that extends Monster and sets the properties I want in the constructor (I'd also have to create a unique symbol in the library for each of these variations too). However, this seems to be overkill if my monsters only differ by their property values.
Looking at the Flash Professional use interface, I see that at the very bottom of the Properties panel is a section that looks like a small table headed by 'Properties/Value'. Can I use this to somehow set the properties of my classes from within the Flash Professional UI? I can't find any info on how this is used.
Okay, I figured it out. The key is converting my symbol into a flash Component.
First I edited my ActionScript class to export the properties I wanted to set (including the Inspectable tag):
public class Monster
{
private var _catchPhrase:String;
public function Monster()
{
}
public function get catchPhrase():String
{
return _catchPhrase;
}
[Inspectable(name = "catchPhrase", type = String, defaultValue = "Booyah!")]
public function set catchPhrase(value:String):void
{
_catchPhrase = value;
}
}
Then I right clicked on the Monster symbol in my library and selected 'Component Definition...'. This brought up the Component Definition dialog. I then entered the name of my ActionScript class in the Class field and clicked the checkmark to validate it. Flash then automatically generated the properties I needed.
I also found this tutorial helpful:
http://redbjarne.wordpress.com/actionscript-3-0-custom-components-from-hell/
Related
I am creating a platformer in flash as3 and i want to pass the var Score for my score from Scene 1 to the next. However, I realized the best way to do this was to store the score inside a class, but I am having trouble referencing the variable inside the scenes. Please help. This is the code currently inside the class
package file_as{
public class CS{
public function CS(){
public var Score:Number = 0;
}
}
}
I tried to reference the score in scene in the frame containing my code my stating
CS.Score
But that didn't work so I'm lost.
To access it by doing CS.Score you would need to make that property static.
Static vars/methods belong to the class itself (CS in this case), if not static, they belong to instances of that class (eg var csInstance:CS = new CS(); csInstance.Score = 6;)
Here is how to make it static:
package file_as{
public class CS{
public static var Score:Number = 0;
}
}
As an aside, your current class code should be throwing an error, as you can't have the public/private keywords inside a function. Also, since you defined the var inside a function (the constructor in your case) it would only be available in that function. Notice how in my example above the var definition is at the class level.
All this said, I believe that if you defined a score var on your main timeline, it should be available across different scenes.
Kind of new Actionscript and I'm just trying to make a simple tamagoci game. I've wrote all the code out but and receiving no compiler errors but for some reason I'm also not receiving any output messages for my mouse event listeners. Here is all my code, I really can't find the problem and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
package{
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.events.MouseEvent;
public class Main extends MovieClip{
public var feedButton:MovieClip;
public var tamagoci:MovieClip;
public var disButton:MovieClip;
public var dietButton:MovieClip;
public function Main() {
this.init();
}
private function init():void {
this.feedButton.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, onfeedMouseDownHandler);
this.disButton.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, ondisMouseDownHandler);
this.dietButton.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, ondietMouseDownHandler);
}
private function onfeedMouseDownHandler(event:MouseEvent)void{
this.tamagoci.scaleX += 0.1;
this.tamagoci.scaleY += 0.1;
}
private function ondisMouseDownHandler(event:MouseEvent)void{
this.tamagoci.gotoAndPlay(5);
}
private function ondietMouseDownHandler(event:MouseEvent)void{
this.tamagoci.scaleX -= 0.1;
this.tamagoci.scaleY -= 0.1;
}
Are you using Flash Professional?
You're declaring your variable types in your class here;
public var feedButton:MovieClip;
public var tamagoci:MovieClip;
public var disButton:MovieClip;
public var dietButton:MovieClip;
But then in your constructor, all you are doing is running init();
public function Main() {
this.init();
}
So, this could one of a few things. The most likely is that you have declared your variables, but you haven't initialised them. You've created the variables to hold your objects, but according to your code, they're empty. More specifically, a variable or class property that doesn't assign an object to a variable of an object type will contain a default value of null.
You could prove this in your code by simply putting a condition inside your init(); method;
if(tamagoci == null){
trace("I haven't been assigned an object of type class yet!")
}
So it could be 1 of these 3 things:
1: If you have written your own classes for these class properties/variables, then you need to instantiate them with the new keyword. The general syntax is;
variable_name = new ClassName(parameter_1, parameter_2);
If you are using classes you have written yourself, you have to create an instance of the object, assign it to a variable, and then add it to the stage using addChild();. For example, lets say you've written your own Tamagoci class;
tamagoci = new Tamagoci();
tamagoci.x = 100; // set the x location
tamagoci.y = 200; // set the y location
addChild(tamagoci);
Notice the use of Tamagoci. This is just an example, but this is the class name, which shouldn't be confused with variable/property name. It could just have easily been;
tamagoci = new MovieClip();
But then, this is just an empty MovieClip. It needs a property to display on the screen. A Shape, A Bitmap, or another container class object like MovieClip or Sprite (container classes allow you to nest display objects inside them). But on a basic level, it must contain a visual component to appear on the stage.
2:
Have you made Main your document class? This is the class which will get automatically called when your Flash movie plays. To set this, click on your stage, and in the properties dialogue box on the right, under PUBLISH, type in the name of your class, which is "Main".
3:
If you have created MovieClips in your library in Flash Professional, then you need to go to your library, right click the MovieClips, and select properties. From there, you need to make sure Export for Actionscript is ticked.
Now, if you click on your MovieClips on the stage, then open the Properties tab in the top right of Flash Professional's default layout, then right at the top should be a text field, and if you hover over it, Instance name will pop up as a tool tip. This is where you name your stage objects. Once that is done, you have access to them in your timeline.
If this is how you've done this, then you don't need to declare the variables in your main class, as they are already declared on your stage by Flash Professional and instantiated automatically.
I have just started learning AS3 and my school has provided some Class files with the basic structure already written. Here is an example:
package {
//Add in your import statements here
//...
public class MathsQuiz extends MovieClip
{
//Add in your class variables here
//...
public function MathsQuiz()
{
}
public function startGame()
{
//Get the game loop to execute
addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME,update);
}
public function update(evt:Event)
{
//This is the game loop
//Handle user input
//Handle game logic
//Handle display
}
}//end class
}//end package
My Question is, what does "extends MovieClip" actually do?
Thank you for your time!
The MovieClip class inherits from the following classes: Sprite, DisplayObjectContainer, InteractiveObject, DisplayObject (can be added to the display list, moved around via its x and y properties as Marcela said), and EventDispatcher, but unlike the Sprite object, a MovieClip object is Dynamic (A dynamic class defines an object that can be altered at run time by adding or changing properties and methods. A class that is not dynamic, such as the String class, is a sealed class. You cannot add properties or methods to a sealed class at run time.) and has a timeline.
If your class doesn't use timeline (looks like that is the case), you can extends Sprite and will have the same results and better performance. If you want a dynamic class you can just use the dynamic attribute when you declare a class.
The extends keyword allows a class to inherit any publicly-accessible or protected member variables and functions of a base class (in this case, MovieClip).
In this example, this means that MathsQuiz, on top of any functionality you may add, will also function as a MovieClip. On a basic level, this means that it is a display object that can be added to the display list and moved around via its x and y properties.
For a more in-depth understanding, do some research on OOP Inheritance.
here is my problem. In my document class TowerDefenseGame.as, I defined a variable Turrent1Flag:
package
{
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.events.*;
import flash.display.Sprite;
import flash.display.Shape;
import flash.text.TextField;
import flash.text.TextFormat;
import flash.text.TextFieldType;
public class TowerDefenseGame extends MovieClip
{
public var Turrent1Flag==0;
}
public function TowerDefenseGame()
{
......
}
Now, in another class Turrent1Button.as, I need to create a mouse click event, by which the Turrent1Flag is set to 1:
package
{
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.events.*;
import flash.display.Sprite;
import TowerDefenseGame;
public class TurretButton1 extends MovieClip
{
public var ButtonBase:Sprite=new Sprite();
public var TurretBase:Sprite=new Sprite();
public var Gun:Sprite=new Sprite();
public function TurretButton1()
{
......
this.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, MouseClick);
}
public function MouseClick(event:MouseEvent):void
{
MovieClip(root).Turret1Flag = 1;
}
Well, this does not work. I am using Adobe flash cs6 and it says the value cannot be accessed. Someone know how to do this?
try this:
private static var _instance:TowerDefenseGame;
public static function get instance():TowerDefenseGame { return _instance; }
public function TowerDefenseGame()
{
_instance = this;
}
public function MouseClick(event:MouseEvent):void
{
TowerDefenseGame.instance.Turret1Flag = 1;
}
So, to start out, AS3 makes it difficult to so what you've been used to doing in AS2 on purpose, to allow for better Object Oriented practices. When you maintain high and tight walls between Classes, it becomes easier to change Class A without having any effect whatsoever on Class B. Class B only knows about the doors and windows that are the "official" ways into the house of Class A, so it doesn't matter if you move the couch. You also make it extremely easy to replace Class A with Class C that has similar doors and windows.
When you reach through the walls by introducing global state, you can't replace Class B with Class C without changing Class A, because Class A has a direct reference to Class B and knows exactly where the couch is.
One way to handle this is through Inversion of Control (IoC). So, for our house, the couch might be supplied from outside and whatever component supplied it might keep a reference to it, so it would be able to access the couch no matter where in the house it went. So, you might choose to create your TurretButton and pass that into whoever owns that, while your TowerDefenseGame keeps a reference to it and listens directly to it, changing its own flag in response to the click.
Looking at your code, you probably don't need to go that far, because I don't see any sign that your TurretButton is actually nested. In that case, you can listen directly to it, whether you're creating it on the stage or creating it through code (which I'm not a fan of). If you're using the stage in the IDE and it exists on the stage, then just create a public variable of type TurretButton (or you could probably use SimpleButton since you no longer have need for a special Class here based on the code you've shown). That instance will be available in the constructor of your TowerDefenseGame. Just add your event listener to it, and then the listener and the variable you want to change are in the same scope. Ergo, the problem you were trying to solve never existed--you were simply looking at the problem from a perspective that overcomplicated things.
If, in fact, your code is nested in a way that's not shown, you can use ActionScript 3's event system, which is fabulous, to handle the issue without introducing direct coupling and without having to create the button through code and push it down to where it's used. One way is to just listen for any mouse click (since that is a bubbling event) and look to see what was clicked. Another solution is to generate a custom event from the button that you can then listen to from the top level to change the flag. That would look something like:
package view.button {
public class TurretButton extends MovieClip {
public function TurretButton() {
super();
mouseChildren = false;
addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, broadcastTurretEvent);
}
protected function broadcastTurretEvent(e:Event):void {
dispatchEvent(new Event('turretClicked', true));//the true parameter makes it bubble
}
}
}
Then your tower Class would look like
package {
public class TowerDefenseGame extends MovieClip {
//the fact that you're calling it Turret1Flag suggests you're going to have more than 1
protected var turretFlags:Array /*of Boolean*/ = [false, false];
//your turret button instances
//doesn't show nesting, this is just to indicate that
//these are named instances so you know how what they're called
//they could be nested at any level
public var turret1:TurretButton;
public var turret2:TurretButton;
//...etc.
public function TowerDefenseGame() {
super();
addEventListener('turretClicked', onTurretClicked);
}
protected function onTurretClicked(e:Event):void {
//you can also just extract the number and do the math
//to get the correct array index
switch(e.target.name) {
case 'turret1':
turretFlags[0] = !turretFlags[0];
break;
case 'turret2':
turretFlags[1] = !turretFlags[1];
break;
}
}
}
}
Note how well this scales. You don't have to have a different Class for each button to change each separate flag. It's also easy to add more buttons without a whole lot of code changes. You could take this solution further and create a custom event that has a property that says which button was clicked, and you could supply the value to use to that for the button through dependency injection, etc.
I also made the assumption in my code that flags should be boolean and that they're turning on with the first click and off with the second click, etc. You could take the same idea and change it to, for example, increment with every click. I suspect you don't actually want to do what your code was showing and just turn it on with the first click and just leave it on forever.
Another note is that if you think you might want to code in AS3 over the longer term, you should probably learn the coding conventions that are used in AS3. One of these is that Class names start with a capital letter, but properties and methods do not.
It's probably not a great habit to get into for everything, but a static variable looks like it would work here.
public class TowerDefenseGame extends MovieClip
{
public static var Turrent1Flag = 0;
}
In Turrent1Button.as:
public function MouseClick(event:MouseEvent):void
{
TowerDefenseGame.Turret1Flag = 1;
}
I've started building a rough game engine framework in Flash Professional and I'm curious how I can create objects in the Flash library that I'm able to drag onto the stage and assign properties that are accessible from AS3.
Example:
I want to create a switch object (e.g. a light switch), so that when the player interactes with it, it triggers something specific in code such as a light in the room turns on.
I understand that Flash has built in UI components that you can define properties within the Flash Professional environment (see image below), and I'm wondering if there's a way to create my own custom style components so that I can essentially have my level file open in flash (.fla) and then drag a switch component from my library, and type in some information such as what light it is controlling, and any other information I want.
(above is an example of the type of parameter control I'm looking for)
I've read a bit about extending the flash UIComponent class but I feel that that's not the right approach because it's overkill for what I want. All I want is to pass some basic parameters from a library stage instance into AS3. I do not want to pass data via the instance name because this seems very messy if I want to have more complex interaction.
Thanks!
I would create a "switch" movie clip and export it to actionscrip, same with a "light" movie clip. The in the main class .as file I would inset them into the stage, using addChild (clips) and then add a click listener to the "switch" movie clip to control the "light".
This can be easily done.
Component(s) are wrong approach in my opinion.
Firstly you would want to setup Actionscript linkage / label your Library item.
In Library Panel.
- Right Click on "yourMC" >> click "Properties".
- In Properties dialog Tick "Export for Action Script"
- Then Name your Class eg "yourMC_Class"
now MC is ready to be referenced in your code.
next you would want to Dynamically add your "yourMC" from library to stage.
which can be done like such.
// first reference library item
var yourMC_ref:yourMC_Class = new yourMC_Class();
// Then load dynamic mc item into var
var your_MC_OBJ = yourMC_ref;
// then add your MC to stage.
this.addChild(your_MC_OBJ);
your_MC_OBJ.x = 200;
your_MC_OBJ.y = 100;
in a nutshell that's how I add library items to stage.
Obviously thats the basic function / code.
In a project I would have all code in an external class, in which case you would just set vars as public vars
public var yourMC_ref:yourMC_Class = new yourMC_Class();
public var your_MC_OBJ = yourMC_ref;
and the last 3 lines of code into a public function
public function ADD_First_MC()
{
this.addChild(your_MC_OBJ);
your_MC_OBJ.x = 200;
your_MC_OBJ.y = 100;
}
Now 'your_MC_OBJ' can be used in more complex ways.
eg. to create a light switch there are many options depending on how you need to approch functionality.
eg. Apply a different MC library item to "your_MC_OBJ"
play specific frame within MCs.
However If it was me I would just use mouse function to switch light on or off using addChild removeChild.
eg.
public var LightON = 0;
public var yourMC_ref:yourMC_Class = new yourMC_Class();
public var your_MC_OBJ = yourMC_ref;
then create a public function that handles on / off events
public function LightON_OFF()
{
if(LightON == 1)
{
this.addChild(your_MC_OBJ);
your_MC_OBJ.x = 200;
your_MC_OBJ.y = 100;
}
if(LightON == 0)
{
this.removeChild(your_MC_OBJ);
}
}
Hope this helps.
So, for what you want, while it may not be the best way to do what you want, I understand it's your experience you are constructing.
Use components, yes...in the following way (the most simple one):
Create a Movie Clip
Right-click it in library
Click on "Component Definitions"
Add a property, set a name, a variable name (var test, for this matter) and a default value
Click OK
Open your movie clip
Open code for the first frame and declare the variable without an initial value (var test:String;)
Trace it's value ( trace( test ); )
Go back to the stage root
Drag and drop the item from library to stage
Test it (Cmd/Ctrl + Enter) (maybe it will print null, dunno why, it ignores the default value sometimes)
Select your component on stage
Open the properties panel (Windows > Properties)
Go to Component Parameters on this panel and change the property value
You should see the value traced on console
And, I think, like this you can use properties from components for what you want, like using a String and getting the controlled mc by its name.
Good luck
I think what people are trying to say is that you can have the whole thing is data driven, and so you can combine the IDE with the data to come up with your final game.
But consider this ... it might be what you want.
If you have, for instance, a BaseSwitch Class:
public Class BaseSwitch extends MovieClip {
private var _lightName:String;
private var _light:Light;
public function get lightName():String {
return lightName;
}
public function set lightName(value:String):void {
if (value != _lightName) {
_lightnName = value;
//Note I don't advocate having children reach into their parents like this,
//but you sound like you don't want the parent involved in the process, so
//this is one way you could do it.
if (parent.hasOwnProperty(lightName) && parent[lightName] is Light) {
_light = parent[lightName];
} else {
trace('Could not find light', _lightName);
}
}
}
//other code to listen for gestures and operate the light
}
Now, when you want a switch to operate a specific light name, create a library instance and set its base class to BaseSwitch. When you close the dialog where you set the base Class, you'll notice that it gives you a dialogue that it couldn't find the Class in the Class path and one will be generated. You're going to replace it with a Class that sets the lightName. Create a new AS3 Class in the root directory with the same name as your library instance. It should look something like this:
public class SpecificSwitch {
public function SpecificSwitch() {
super();
lightName = 'theSwitch';
}
}
Other possible choices involve having the parent Class match up instances of switch with instances of light based on name, so if it finds a light1 and a light1Switch, it either gives a reference to the light to the switch or it simply sets up a mapping in its own event listening system.