ActionScript - Keyboard Events Without Stage? - actionscript-3

is it true that keyboard events can not be accessed outside of the stage on non display objects?
example:
package
{
//Imports
import flash.events.EventDispatcher;
import flash.events.KeyboardEvent;
//Class
public class TestClass extends EventDispatcher
{
//Constructor
public function TestClass()
{
init();
}
//Initialization
public function init():void
{
addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_UP, keyUpEventHandler);
}
//Key Up Event Handler
private function keyUpEventHandler(evt:KeyboardEvent):void
{
trace("Test Class: " + evt.keyCode);
}
}
}
here i would like to initialize a new TestClass() then press a on the keyboard to receive the output Test Class: a.

To my knowledge (and according to the livedocs example) you need to add a KeyboardEvent listener to a displayObject. I've done this in abstract and static classes by passing a reference to the stage (or any displayObject) to your class's init method or constructor.
So, for example, in your document class, you could do:
var testClass:TestClass = new TestClass();
testClass.init(stage);
and in TestClass.as do:
public function init(stageReference:DisplayObject):void
{
stageReference.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_UP, keyUpEventHandler);
}
While I agree it's a little wonky, I don't think there's a way to do it without using a DisplayObject.

Related

Custom events not working in AS3

I have an event called SelectEvent. Whenever I click the buyer, the select event should be launched. But that is not what is happening.
My code of base:
package
{
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.utils.Timer;
import flash.events.TimerEvent;
import flash.events.MouseEvent;
public class FashionFrenzy extends MovieClip
{
public var Buyer_mc:Buyer;
public var Buyers:Array;
private var BuyerNumber:Number;
public var xpositions:Array;
public var ypositions:Array;
public var SelectedBuyer:Number;
public function FashionFrenzy()
{
GameTimeController();
xpositions=new Array();
xpositions.push(523,563,603);
ypositions=new Array();
ypositions.push(377,377,377);
Buyers = new Array ;
BuyerNumber=0;
Time_mc.gameTimer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER,GenerateBuyers);
addEventListener(SelectEvent.BUYERSELECT,showselectbuyer);
}
public function GameTimeController()
{
Time_mc.StartGame();
}
public function showselectbuyer(event:SelectEvent):void
{
trace("Bamba");
}
public function GenerateBuyers(event:TimerEvent):void
{
if(BuyerNumber<6)
{
if (Math.random() < 0.01)
{
var position:Number = Math.floor(Math.random()*3);
var newBuyer_mc = new Buyer(xpositions[position],ypositions[position],BuyerNumber);
ypositions[position]-=40;
Buyers.push(newBuyer_mc);
addChild(newBuyer_mc);
BuyerNumber++;
}
}
for each (var buyer_mc:Buyer in Buyers)
{
if(buyer_mc.walking==true)
{
buyer_mc.Enter();
}
}
}
}
}
My code of the buyer:
package
{
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.utils.Timer;
import flash.events.TimerEvent;
import flash.events.MouseEvent;
public class Buyer extends MovieClip
{
public var buyerTimer:Timer;
public var walking:Boolean;
public var stopposition:Number;
public var buyerCode:Number;
public function Buyer(startx:Number, stopy:Number, code:Number)
{
x=startx;
stopposition=stopy;
walking=true;
buyerCode=code;
BuyerProperties();
}
public function Enter():void
{
if(y>stopposition)
{
walking=false;
StartFunction();
}
else
{
y= y+3;
}
}
public function BuyerProperties():void
{
buyerTimer = new Timer( 25 );
trace(" I am generated");
}
public function StartFunction():void
{
buyerTimer.start();
addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK,Select);
trace("My timer starts now within Buyer.as");
}
public function Select(event:MouseEvent):void
{
trace(buyerCode);
dispatchEvent( new SelectEvent(SelectEvent.BUYERSELECT));
}
}
}
Now that when I'm clicking the buyer, the MouseEvent.CLICK is activated and then in the buyer.as, buyercode is traced on the screen. But the event is not dispatched or else it is dispatched but the eventlistener is not executing the code. I'm not getting any runtime errors. the function "showselectbuyer" is never even launched.
How should I solve it?
The accepted answer is incorrect. The provided solution works but for the wrong reasons. It creates a direct dependency to the object supposed to listen to the custom event and then makes that object be the dispatcher. All together this makes the whole idea of using event/custom event unnecessary at best since in that case a simple callback would work just as well. Instead using the useCapture flag would make the whole system work as expected:
addEventListener(SelectEvent.BUYERSELECT,showselectbuyer, true);
The accepted solution is also the inverse way of dealing with non DisplayObject event propagation. The dispatcher should be the listener (no dependencies) and not the listener should be the dispatcher (dependency necessary).
The trouble with custom events is that they don't bubble up the display list, so in case your event to be registered you need to dispatch it to the class instance that has a listener to that event attached. In your case it's an instance of FashionFrenzy. Apparently buyers don't know about a fashion frenzy instance they are running in, so they dispatch the event to themselves and wonder why no one else listens. In order to resolve this, either attach the listener to the buyer, or in the buyer class dispatch the event to parent, which is apparently the instance you want to receive the event.

Send data from Flash to Starling class

I want to send data from mainClass (Flash class) to my Starling class. Here is the code of two classes. I need to pass data between them.
package
{
import flash.display.Sprite;
import flash.events.Event;
public class mainClass extends Sprite
{
private var myStarling:Starling;
public function mainClass ()
{
super();
stage.addEventListener(Event.RESIZE,onResize);
}
private function shangedOr(e:StageOrientationEvent):void
{
// code
}
private function onResize(e:Event):void
{
myStarling = new Starling(Main,stage);
myStarling.start();
}
}
}
Main.as class of starling :
package
{
import starling.core.Starling;
import starling.display.Sprite;
public class Main extends starling.display.Sprite
{
private var theme:AeonDesktopTheme;
public function Main()
{
super();
this.addEventListener(starling.events.Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE,addToStage);
}
private function addToStage(e:starling.events.Event):void
{
this.theme = new AeonDesktopTheme( this.stage );
drawComponent();
}
private function drawComponent():void
{
//code
}
}
}
Is there a way to pass data between Flash and Starling? I created an Event class to listen from Flash, then dispatch from Starling class to get the data I need from the Flash class but it didn't work.
Fast solution , useful in some cases: make static function in mainClass and call it when your Main instance is ready (in addToStage for example)
definately we can't write any event or class to interact with flash and starling for this issue we can use CALL_BACK Function. so that you can interact or send data from core flash to starling and starling to core flash. Function call won't give any error.

ActionScript 3 Event doesn't work

I'm new in AS, and trying to make my first application. I have a class, that showld manage some events, like keyboard key pressing:
public class GameObjectController extends Sprite
{
var textField:TextField;
public function GameObjectController()
{
addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN, onKeyDown);
}
private function onKeyDown(event: KeyboardEvent):void
{
trace("123");
}
}
but when I'm running it, and pressing any button, nothing happands. What am I doing wrong?
Try stage.addEventListener() for KeyboardEvents.
The reason for this is that whatever you add the event to needs focus, and the stage always has focus.
If GameObjectController isn't the document class, it will need to have stage parsed to its constructor for this to work, or it will need to be added to the stage first. The former will be less messy to implement.
public function GameObjectController(stage:Stage)
{
stage.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN, onKeyDown);
}
Add the keyboard event to the stage and import the KeyboardEvent class.
package
{
import flash.display.Sprite;
import flash.events.KeyboardEvent;
public class GameObjectController extends Sprite
{
public function GameObjectController()
{
stage.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN, keyDownEventHandler);
}
private function keyDownEventHandler(event:KeyboardEvent):void
{
trace(event);
}
}
}

AS3 Cannot access stage from custom class

How can I access the stage and especially the width and mouse position of the flash Movie from a custom class?
package classes
{
import flash.events.*;
import flash.display.*;
public class TableManager extends Sprite
{
public function TableManager() {
sayStage();
}
public function sayStage():void
{
trace(stage);
}
}
}
This will only return nill. I know that DisplayObjects don't have any stage until they have been initiated so you can't access the stage in your constructor but even if I call sayStage() later as an instance method it won't work.
What am I doing wrong?
If TableManager is on the stage you can access the stage with this.stage.
The trick is you have to wait for the instance to be added to the stage. You can listen for the ADDED_TO_STAGE event so you know when that's happened.
package classes {
import flash.events.*;
import flash.display.*;
public class TableManager extends Sprite {
public function TableManager() {
this.addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, onAddedToStage);
}
private function onAddedToStage(e:Event):void {
this.removeEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, onAddedToStage);
sayStage();
}
public function sayStage():void {
trace(this.stage);
}
}
}
The most defensive way to write this is:
public function TableManager() {
if(this.stage) init();
else this.addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, init);
}
private function init(e:Event = null):void {
if(e != null) this.removeEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, init);
sayStage();
}
If the object is already on the stage at the time of initialization, then immediately call the init function with no arguments. If not wait until its been added to the stage. Then when the init function gets called, if it was called as the result of an event, then detach the event handler, and move along.
You can pass a reference of the root movieclip (i.e. the stage) to your custom class.
e.g.
package classes
{
import flash.events.*;
import flash.display.*;
public class TableManager extends Sprite
{
private var _rootMC:MovieClip;
public function TableManager(rootMC:MovieClip) {
_rootMC = rootMC;
sayStage();
}
public function sayStage():void
{
trace(_rootMC.stage);
trace(_rootMC.stage.stageWidth);
}
}
}
Then when instantiating your instance of TableManager from the root timeline:
//the keyword 'this' is the root movieclip.
var newTM:TableManager = new TableManager(this);
stage will be null as long as the Sprite hasn't been added to the display list - it's nothing to do with initiation. E.g.
var t:TableManager = new TableManager;
stage.addChild( t ); // or your root class, or any class that's already on the displaylist
trace( t.stage ); // [Stage stage]
t.parent.removeChild( t );
trace( t.stage ); // null
As #crooksy88 suggests, either pass in the stage to the constructor, or keep it as a static somewhere, say your main document class, so that you can access it everywhere.
i think usefull for You should be create static reference to stage :
in Your main class add line and set stage :
public static var stage:Stage;
...
public function Main():void { // constructor
Main.stage = stage;
...
and than in custom class :
public function sayStage():void
{
trace(Main.stage);
trace(Main.stage.stageWidth);
}
you may access this.stage when the current object(also a sprite) is already attached to the stage.
public class TableManager extends Sprite{
public function TableManager()
{
}
public function sayStage():void
{
trace(stage);
}
}
TableManager tm=new TableManager();
//tm.sayStage(); // no
addChild(tm);
tm.sayStage(); // fine
hope this could help
here is a pretty good solution you only need to reference the stage inside your class you just pass it as a simple object, here how to do that
package {
public class Eventhndl{
private var obj:Object;
public function Eventhndl(objStage:Object):void{
obj = objStage;
trace(obj); // now the obj variable is a reference to the stage and you can work as normal you do with stage (addChild, Events Etc..)
}
}
this is how you make instance to run it, i have used the constructor method but you can change it to any function as you wish and call it whenever you need it.
import Eventhndl;
var EH:Eventhndl = new Eventhndl(stage);
here is some few Examples how to access stage from class
https://stackoverflow.com/a/40691908/1640362
https://stackoverflow.com/a/40691325/1640362

Whats the appropriate form when dispatching events in AS3?

I was wondering what the appropriate form was when creating custom events? Should one create a CustomEvent class, and then create a temporary dispatcher in the function, and dispatch the CustomEvent. or is it better to attempt to create a CustomEventDispatcher class, and create the CustomEvent class as an internal class of that class, eg:
package
{
public class CustomEventDispatcher extends EventDispatcher
{
public function CustomEventDispatcher()
{
super(new CustomEvent());
}
}
}
class CustomEvent
{
public function CustomEvent(type:String, bubbles:Boolean=false, cancelable:Boolean=false)
{
super(type, bubbles, cancelable)
}
}
Unilaterally, it is better to make events publicly accessible. This way you can type your listeners (good for code hinting and debugging) and have the Event have public static const types (which you also may want to look in to).
There are two basic questions to answer, when conceiving event mechanics.
1) How do I create dispatcher instance for my events?
General options are: extend EventDispatcher, or aggregate dispatcher instance.
Most basic and common practice (and official docs also state that), is extending EventDispatcher class, thus giving your classes event-dispatching capabilities.
Pros: simple to implement -- just type extends EventDispatcher, and you are done.
Cons: you can't extend something else. Apparently, this is the reason why many native classes are EventDispatcher's grandchildren. Just to spare us the trouble, I guess.
Second general approach is aggregating a dispatcher instance.
package
{
import flash.events.Event;
import flash.events.EventDispatcher;
import flash.events.IEventDispatcher;
public class ClassA implements IEventDispatcher
{
private var dispatcher:EventDispatcher;
public function ClassA()
{
initialize();
}
private function initialize():void
{
dispatcher = new EventDispatcher(this);
}
public function addEventListener(type:String, listener:Function, useCapture:Boolean = false, priority:int = 0, useWeakReference:Boolean = false):void
{
dispatcher.addEventListener(type, listener, useCapture, priority, useWeakReference);
}
public function removeEventListener(type:String, listener:Function, useCapture:Boolean = false):void
{
dispatcher.removeEventListener(type, listener, useCapture);
}
public function dispatchEvent(event:Event):Boolean
{
return dispatcher.dispatchEvent(event);
}
public function hasEventListener(type:String):Boolean
{
return dispatcher.hasEventListener(type);
}
public function willTrigger(type:String):Boolean
{
return dispatcher.willTrigger(type);
}
}
}
Note: we pass a reference to aggregating class to dispatcher constructor.
This is done to make event.target reference your class instance and not the dispatcher instance itself.
Pros: you are free to extend whatever you like. You may do some tricks with dispatcher hooks like maintaining listeners list or something alike.
Cons: not as simple as the first approach.
2) How do I pass custom data with my events?
General options are: pass data in an event instance, or only use event.target reference in event handler to access some data from source.
If you choose to access all necessary data through event.target -- no additional work nedded, just cast this reference in event handler to appropriate class.
If you want to pass some data along with event, you subclass Event, and this class should be publicly visible to the code that handles events, as the answer above states. AS3 is all about strict and strong typing, so why would you resist that?
Overriding clone() method in an Event subclass is only necessary if you are going to redispatch handled events. The official docs say you must do that every time you create a custom event class, just to be safe.
don't forget to override clone. it's also a good idea to override toString for debugging.
here's an example of one of my custom events:
package com.mattie.events
{
//Imports
import flash.events.Event;
//Class
public class SearchFieldEvent extends Event
{
//Constants
public static const SEARCH_COMPLETE:String = "search complete";
//Variables
public var totalResults:uint;
public var duration:uint;
public var searchText:String;
//Constructor
public function SearchFieldEvent(type:String, totalResults:uint = 0, duration:uint = 0, searchText:String = "")
{
super(type);
this.totalResults = totalResults;
this.duration = duration;
this.searchText = searchText;
}
//Override clone
public override function clone():Event
{
return new SearchFieldEvent(type, totalResults, duration, searchText);
}
//Override toString
public override function toString():String
{
return formatToString("SearchFieldEvent", "type", "totalResults", "duration", "searchText");
}
}
}