AS3 Global Variables - actionscript-3

Question

Ok so I have managed to do this once before but I simply cannot remember how or find the source I found back then. I am making a simple flash game. There are several characters moving. To make each level more difficult than the other I have decided to alter the movement speed of each character from level to level. If I declare and assign values to these variables on my main timeline in frame 1 it doesn't work the way I want it. When you go to level 2, which is in another frame, the speed goes up like it should. But when you go to the next level, which is level 1 with higher movement speed, the value assignment is processed again, which means the movement speed goes back to scratch.
//frame 1
var speed:int = 5;
//level accomplished, speed++, goto frame 2
//frame 2
//level accomplished, speed++, goto frame 1
And then all the code on frame 1 runs again, setting the value of "speed" back to 5.
I have tried putting the variable in a class, but the problem is still the same, everytime it goes back to frame 1 the code "var speed:Speed = new Speed();" runs again and the value of the variable goes back to whatever I assigned in the speed.as file.
I have tried so many different combinations to just make the global variables inside a package but outside any class so that it is always globally accessible without creating a new object.
Here is my current code:
//speed.as
package
{
public var speed:int = 5;
}
//game.fla
import speed;
trace(speed);
This throws the error "Access of possibly undefined property speed..."
As I said, I have tried many different combinations and got a lot of different errors, been googling and digging for 8-9 hours and it's driving me crazy. You guys are now my last hope, I would be very grateful for an answer easily telling me how to use my global variables (I know global variables are bad, seen a lot of people writing it even though I don't really know why), if there is another easy and better solution please do tell, but I don't want to rewrite the entire code or anything to make it compatible with some other solution. I know that global variables will solve this problem for me, I just don't know how to use them.
I will need instructions on what to do in both the .as file and the .fla file. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Does it cycle between frame 1 and 2? If it does, use functions to do it instead. You don't need the .fla.
//Declare variables
var speed:int = 5;
//In this case I use a button to transit into the frame. Edit the code as you wish.
btnLevel1.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, level1);
private function level1(e:MouseEvent):void
{
MovieClip(root).gotoAndStop(2);
speed++;
//Your other code for the level goes here
btnLevel2.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, level2);
}
private function level2(e:MouseEvent):void
{
MovieClip(root).gotoandStop(3);
speed++;
//Again, your other code goes here
btnLevel1.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, level1);
}
Should work, I think.

Answer 2

I think you should try changing it to
package{
public class Speed{
public static var SPEED:int = 5;
}
}
and then access it via
trace(Speed.SPEED)
But: this is very dirty :)

Answer 3

Ok so I found a little workaround, not global variables in a separate package, but variables that can be accessed by my entire timeline.
I simply made an extra frame with just code. In this frame I put my variables + a frameCounter variable. On my first frame I put this code:
if (frameCount == 0)
{
gotoAndStop(7);
}
So the code declaring the variables only runs once. Probably not the best solution but atleast it works as intended =)