Possible to have multiple timelines? (separate part without affecting the keyframes of other layers) AS3 - actionscript-3

Question

http://i.snag.gy/eu7iz.jpg
So im doing this generator/designer on flash. It has different features on it so the keyframes clashes with other features considering a lot of the action scripts deal with nextframes and gotos. Its getting confusing once i add little features.
Like right now i wanna add next buttons for the design part. I can do it easily with a blank stage, i can easily click next and back, but when applied to my project, its getting a little dizzying.
This is the script for the first frame:
stop();
small.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK,play1);
function play1(event:MouseEvent):void{
gotoAndStop("3");
}
medium.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK,play2);
function play2(event:MouseEvent):void{
gotoAndStop("6");
}
large.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK,play3);
function play3(event:MouseEvent):void{
gotoAndStop("8");
}
item_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, dragTheObject);
item_mc.addEventListener (MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, itemRelease);
item_mc1.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, dragTheObject);
item_mc1.addEventListener (MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, itemRelease);
item_mc2.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, dragTheObject);
item_mc2.addEventListener (MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, itemRelease);
function dragTheObject(event:MouseEvent):void {
var item:MovieClip=MovieClip(event.target);
item.startDrag();
var topPos:uint=this.numChildren-1;
this.setChildIndex(item, topPos);
}
function itemRelease(event:MouseEvent):void {
var thisItem:MovieClip=MovieClip(event.target);
thisItem.stopDrag();
};
This is the fla file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/77euop1luqjreos/FINAL.fla

Answer 1

MovieClips have their own timeline.You may want to modularize your program into Movieclip components and export for Actionscript manipulation that you can instantiate at run time as necessary. Now that is one way to do it to avoid code spread across one single timeline.But If you still want to stick to your way (use of single timeline), You still could achieve your next/previous implementation without affecting frame logic at any rate.A simple way to do this goes like this:
Encapsulate all logic into functions and put these functions solely on frame 1 and nothing else.
This keeps logic clean and separate from the components.Also, the logic layer in principal should not have nothing else.Why on Frame 1?. Well, we want to expose and keep in memory first the logic, so that whatever component related code that follows on the subsequent frames should be aware of the previous logic and hence throw no run time errors when interacting frame 1 logic.
Spread your components and related code across the subsequent frames respectively.
Put only component related code on a frame that has the component in question. registering event listeners could have targets as their dependency. define event listeners and put them on frame 1 as part of the logic and simply put code for registering listeners on the component frames as per demand.
Example:
//On Frame 1
function onAMouseClick(event:Event):void
{
//implement logic
}
function onBMouseClick(event:Event):void
{
//implement logic
}
//Implemented function for next/back buttons
//Also on Frame 1
function navigate(event:Event):void
{
var frame:int;
switch(event.target.name)
{
case "nextBtn":
frame=currenFrame<numFrames?+1:numFrames;
gotoAndStop(frame);
break;
case "backBtn":
frame=currenFrame>2?-1:currentFrame;
gotoAndStop(frame);
break;
}
}
//On Frame 2 for A component
A.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, onAMouseClick)
//On Frame 3 for B component
B.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, onAMouseClick)
Put Next/Back button components on a single layer spreading from frame 2 all the way to the end of the last frame where you want the buttons to be visible. Then implement related code having its visibility spanning across between frame 2 and the last frame as the following shows:
//navigate handler is declared and implemented on **frame 1**
nextBtn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.Click, navigate)
nextBtn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.Click, navigate)
Well, that is your way of doing things (Single timeline scripting). Not bad for simple timeline scripting.You may try the other way also of instantiating Movieclips (exported for action scripiting)
at run time and the add these to the display list as per demand as on clicks next/back buttons.In doing so you will not only have one single point of logic but will have MC code encapsulated in each individual component.
Hope the foregoing helps. Thanks.

Answer 2

Do not be scared to change code! Let alone afraid to run into errors! That's way forward you want to learn to fix things that's a beauty of it!
.....cheers!.