undefined method in object? - actionscript-3

Question

I get an error when I want to compile the following code...
I get undefined method when I'm trying to set a variable with the Filters class..
trace(filters.txt()); // returns undefined method
trace(filters); // returns [object Filters]
but I'm using this same object in other scripts without problems?
package player {
import flash.display.Sprite;
import filters.Filters;
public class Time_bar extends Sprite {
private var bar = null;
public var color = null;
public var _w = 0;
public var _h = 0;
public var _x = 0;
public var _y = 0;
public function Time_bar(){
this.bar = new Sprite();
addChild(this.bar);
}
public function cnstr(){
this.bar.graphics.beginFill('0x'+this.color);
this.bar.graphics.drawRect(0, 0, this._w, this._h);
this.bar.graphics.endFill();
this.bar.x = this._x;
this.bar.y = this._y;
this.bar.alpha = 0.75;
this.bar.scaleX = 0;
var filters = new Filters();
trace(filters);
trace(filters.txt());
//filters.txt(this.bar);
}
public function progress(float){
this.bar.scaleX = float;
}
}
}
the Filters class looks like this:
package filters {
import flash.display.Sprite;
import filters.Filters_glow;
public class Filters extends Sprite {
private var Glow = new Filters_glow();
public function txt(instance){
Glow.color = '93fafe';
instance.filters = [Glow.filter()];
}
public function loader(instance){
Glow.color = '93fafe';
Glow.alpha = 0.5;
instance.filters = [Glow.filter()];
}
}
}
Filter_glow:
package filters {
import flash.filters.GlowFilter;
public class Filters_glow {
public var color = '000000';
public var alpha = 0.25; // range: 0-1
public var blurX = 4; // range: 0-255; optimized values: 2,4,8,16 etc
public var blurY = 4; // range: 0-255; optimized values: 2,4,8,16 etc
public var strength = 1; // range: 0-255
public var quality = 3; // range: 0-15
public var inner = false;
public var knockout = false;
public function filter(){
this.color = '0x'+this.color;
return new GlowFilter(this.color, this.alpha, this.blurX, this.blurY, this.strength, this.quality, this.inner, this.knockout);
}
}
}

Answer 1

var _filters = new Filters();
_filters.txt(this.bar);
aparently filters is a reserved property name.. after changing filters to _filters the error disapeared :)

Answer 2

To verify whether the method "txt" exists on the filters object you'd have to write trace(filters.txt);. Instead you're executing the txt-method with a missing parameter by adding the brackets. And while executing, it tries to access instance which is undefined. I agree with Matti though that the error message should say something else.
As to why filters.txt(this.bar); doesn't work, I suspect the problem lies elsewhere, can you include the invoking code and the Filters_glow class?

Answer 3

The error is clearly visible. You are not passing the only required argument to the function txt.
public function txt(instance){
Glow.color = '93fafe';
instance.filters = [Glow.filter()];
}
So you can only call txt function by passing it an instance even. something like:
trace(filters.txt(YourObject));
I assume the argument is an instance of the object you want to apply the filter to or something like that. Well it's your function...

Answer 4

try modifying your code as follows, this might help with the error:
//...
public class Filters extends Sprite {
private var Glow: Filters_glow;
public function Filters(){
Glow = new Filters_glow();
}
public function txt(instance: DisplayObject = null): Boolean{
if(!instance){
return false;
}
Glow.color = '93fafe';
instance.filters = [Glow.filter()];
return true;
}
//...