Make Objects behave like Radio Buttons in AS3 - actionscript-3

Question

I would like to implement a very simple way to store a variable containing the last specific "CustomObject" I clicked. I'd like clicks on other objects to be ignored. Take the following sample code for example, given CustomObject extends MovieClip:
//Code within the Document Class:
var square1:CustomObject = new CustomObject();
var square2:CustomObject = new CustomObject();
var square3:CustomObject = new CustomObject();
var triangle1:DifferentObject= new DifferentObject();
square1.x=100; square2.x=200; square3.x=300;
addChild(square1);
addChild(square2);
addChild(square3);
addChild(triangle1);
//Code within the CustomObject Class:
this.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK,radioButtonGlow);
public function radioButtonGlow(e:MouseEvent):void
{
var myGlow:GlowFilter = new GlowFilter();
myGlow.color = 0xFF0000;
myGlow.blurX = 25;
myGlow.blurY = 25;
this.filters = [myGlow];
}
This works great for whenever I click on squares- they light up exactly as expected. However, I'd like to implement a functionality that:
1) Stores the last square I clicked into a variable in the document class
2) Removes the glow from all other squares when I click on another one
Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

I suggest creating a class that acts as a collection of CustomObject instances and manages them in that manner (i.e. ensuring only one of that collection can be selected, etc).
Sample:
public class CustomCollection
{
// Properties.
private var _selected:CustomObject;
private var _items:Array = [];
// Filters.
private const GLOW:GlowFilter = new GlowFilter(0xFF0000, 25, 25);
// Constructor.
// #param amt The amount of CustomObjects that should belong to this collection.
// #param container The container to add the CustomObjects to.
public function CustomCollection(amt:int, container:Sprite)
{
for(var i:int = 0; i < amt; i++)
{
var rb:CustomObject = new CustomObject();
rb.x = i * 100;
_items.push(rb);
container.addChild(rb);
}
}
// Selects a CustomObject at the specified index.
// #param index The index of the CustomObject to select.
public function select(index:int):void
{
for(var i:int = 0; i < _items.length; i++)
{
if(i == index)
{
_selected = _items[i];
_selected.filters = [GLOW];
continue;
}
_items[i].filters = [];
}
}
// The currently selected CustomObject.
public function get selected():CustomObject
{
return _selected;
}
// A copy of the array of CustomObjects associated with this collection.
public function get items():Array
{
return _items.slice();
}
}
Then you can revise your code in the document class to something like:
var collection:CustomCollection = new CustomCollection(3, this);
collection.select(1);
You will need to add your own logic for the click event that deals with selecting the buttons. I suggest adding an index property to each CustomObject as well as a reference to the collection it was added to. That way, you can simply add the click event into the CustomObject class and have the handler function something like:
private function _click(e:MouseEvent):void
{
_collection.select(index);
}