How to create array of object instances in vala - arrays

as I was trying to nail down the bug why my gtk4_list_clocks only ever update one of the clocks and not all of them, I've traced down the problem to be in GLib.SList.prepend().
Changing from GLib.SList to Gee.ArrayList didn't solve the problem.
In the c code example a list of all clock widgets were created by appending them to a singly linked list. I've tried to mimic that but as it turned out the list size is always 1 and only one object ever get appended.
/* This is the list of all the ticking clocks */
static Gee.ArrayList<Clock> ticking_clocks = null;
// ...
construct {
ticking_clocks = new Gee.ArrayList<Clock> ();
}
void start_ticking () {
/* if no clock is ticking yet, start */
if (ticking_clock_id == 0) {
ticking_clock_id = GLib.Timeout.add_seconds (1, tick);
}
ticking_clocks.add (this); // Bug
// Although instance pointer is different according to the number of instantiated objects!!!
print ("Clock instance %p\n", this);
// always 1 !!!
print ("Number of ticking clocks %d\n", ticking_clocks.size);
}
Could somebody please help to point out the problem?
Thanks in advance.

This works:
void main () {
var a = new SList<Clock> ();
a.append (new Clock ());
a.append (new Clock ());
a.append (new Clock ());
a.append (new Clock ());
a.append (new Clock ());
print (#"Array length is $(a.length())\n");
}
class Clock {}
I'm not sure what the problem would be in your code, but I would remove the static from the ticking_clocks field. It can also be initialised with:
private Gee.ArrayList<Clock> ticking_clocks = new Gee.ArrayList<Clock> ();
I would also move the ticker outside the instance. If your SourceFunc returns Source.CONTINUE it will carry on ticking. Here is a stripped back example using MainContext. MainContext is the event loop within GLib's MainLoop, GApplication, etc. It is useful to understand to get a good grasp of Vala's async functions/methods:
void main () {
var maincontext = MainContext.default();
var time_to_quit = false;
var count = 5;
SourceFunc quit = () => {
print (#"$count\n");
count --;
var result = Source.CONTINUE;
if (count < 1) {
time_to_quit = true;
result = Source.REMOVE;
}
return result;
};
Timeout.add_seconds (1, (owned)quit);
while (time_to_quit == false) {
maincontext.iteration( true );
}
}
Be aware the Timeout is not precise, it is at least a second. So you may want to increase the frequency and then check the time when you update the clock.

Related

How to add time delay to process more than 15 second in Actionscript?

So I have the following script to get all combination of an array :
'''
var value = new Array(40)
for (var i=0;i<value.length;i++){
value[i]=i;
}
var comb_list = getAllComb(value,24);
trace(comb_list)
function getAllComb(values:Array, r:int):Array{
var n = values.length;
var result = new Array();
var a = new Array(r);
// initialize first combination
for (var i = 0; i < r; i++) {
a[i] = i;
}
i = r - 1; // Index to keep track of maximum unsaturated element in array
// a[0] can only be n-r+1 exactly once - our termination condition!
var count = 0;
while (a[0] < n - r + 1) {
// If outer elements are saturated, keep decrementing i till you find unsaturated element
while (i > 0 && a[i] == n - r + i) {
i--;
}
result.push(a.slice())// pseudo-code to print array as space separated numbers
count++;
a[i]++;
// Reset each outer element to prev element + 1
while (i < r - 1) {
a[i + 1] = a[i] + 1;
i++;
}
}
return result;
}
'''
Running above script will get me:
Error: Error #1502: A script has executed for longer than the default timeout period of 15 seconds.
How to add time delay each 14 seconds passed so that I can run the script? So, after 14 seconds passed, the program will wait for 50ms then continue.
Any help appreciated.
So, there's a simple (well, pretty much so) and working example of how to separate the heavy calculations part from the main thread so the main thread (which also handles UI and external events like user input) would run smoothly, while being able to read the progress and the results of the heavy calculations going under the hood. It also is in a form of a single class, this could be a bit confusing (until you understand how it works) but still easy to handle and modify.
Although the background AVM goes along the same execution flow (code execution > graphics rendering > code execution > graphics rendering > and so on), there are no graphics to render hence there's no need to anyhow limit the code execution time. As a result Worker thread is not a subject to 15 seconds limit, which, somehow, solves the problem.
package
{
import flash.events.Event;
import flash.display.Sprite;
import flash.utils.ByteArray;
import flash.concurrent.Mutex;
import flash.system.Worker;
import flash.system.WorkerDomain;
public class MultiThreading extends Sprite
{
// These variables are needed by both the main and
// subservient threads and will actually point to
// the very same object instances, though from
// the different sides of this application.
private var B:ByteArray;
private var W:Worker;
private var M:Mutex;
// Constructor method.
public function MultiThreading()
{
super();
// This property is 'true' for the main thread
// and 'false' for any Worker instance created.
if (Worker.current.isPrimordial)
{
prepareProgress();
prepareThread();
startMain();
}
else
{
startWorker();
}
}
// *** THE MAIN THREAD *** //
private var P:Sprite;
private var F:Sprite;
// Prepares the progress bar graphics.
private function prepareProgress():void
{
F = new Sprite;
P = new Sprite;
P.graphics.beginFill(0x0000FF);
P.graphics.drawRect(0, 0, 100, 10);
P.graphics.endFill();
P.scaleX = 0;
F.graphics.lineStyle(0, 0x000000);
F.graphics.drawRect(0, 0, 100, 10);
F.x = 10;
F.y = 10;
P.x = 10;
P.y = 10;
addChild(P);
addChild(F);
}
// Prepares the subservient thread and shares
// the ByteArray (the way to pass messages)
// and the Mutex (the way to access the shared
// resources in a multi-thread environment
// without stepping on each others' toes).
private function prepareThread():void
{
M = new Mutex;
B = new ByteArray;
B.shareable = true;
B.writeObject(incomingMessage);
W = WorkerDomain.current.createWorker(loaderInfo.bytes);
W.setSharedProperty("message", B);
W.setSharedProperty("lock", M);
}
// Starts listening to what the background thread has to say
// and also starts the background thread itself.
private function startMain():void
{
addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, onFrame);
W.start();
}
private var incomingMessage:Object = {ready:0, total:100};
private function onFrame(e:Event):void
{
// This method runs only 20-25 times a second.
// We need to set a lock on the Mutex in order
// to read the shared data without any risks
// of colliding with the thread writing the
// same data at the same moment of time.
M.lock();
B.position = 0;
incomingMessage = B.readObject();
M.unlock();
// Display the current data.
P.scaleX = incomingMessage.ready / incomingMessage.total;
P.alpha = 1 - 0.5 * P.scaleX;
// Kill the thread if it signalled it is done calculating.
if (incomingMessage.terminate)
{
removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, onFrame);
W.terminate();
B.clear();
B = null;
M = null;
W = null;
}
}
// *** THE BACKGROUND WORKER PART *** //
// I will use the same W, M and B variables to refer
// the same Worker, Mutex and ByteArray respectively,
// but you must keep in mind that this part of the code
// runs on a different virtual machine, so it is the
// different class instance thus its fields are not
// the same quite as well.
// Initialization.
private function startWorker():void
{
W = Worker.current;
M = W.getSharedProperty("lock");
B = W.getSharedProperty("message");
// Before starting the heavy calculations loop
// we need to release the main thread which is
// presently on W.start() instruction. I tried
// without it and it gives a huuuge lag before
// actually proceeding to intended work.
addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, onWorking);
}
private function onWorking(e:Event):void
{
removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, onWorking);
var aMax:int = 10000000;
// Very very long loop which might run
// over the course of several seconds.
for (var i:int = 0; i < aMax; i++)
{
// This subservient thread does not actually need to
// write its status every single loop, so lets don't
// explicitly lock the shared resources for they
// might be in use by the main thread.
if (M.tryLock())
{
B.position = 0;
B.writeObject({ready:i, total:aMax});
M.unlock();
}
}
// Let's notify the main thread that
// the calculations are finally done.
M.lock();
B.position = 0;
B.writeObject({ready:i, total:aMax, terminate:true});
M.unlock();
// Release the used variables and prepare to be terminated.
M = null;
B = null;
W = null;
}
}
}
The error is not related to your script needing a time delay, the problem is your while loops are making your script unresponsive for more than 15 seconds, triggering the script timeout error. Action Script only allows 15 seconds for your script to execute.
Your first while loop looks problematic, and I'm unclear how the value of a[0] changes to end the loop. Add a break to the loop or make sure the condition changes to allow the loop to end, and you should solve your problem. You can also considering adding continue statements to your embedded while loops if they are only supposed to run one time after they find an unsaturated value.
Personally, since you are using ActionScript, I'd suggest using objects and listeners for value changes instead of iterating over arrays checking for changes.
You could also add a manual timeout for your while loop, but would need to include logic for it to pick up where it left off.
//Set timer to 14 seconds
timeout = getTimer() + 14000;
while(true && timeout > getTimer()){
trace("No Error");
}
If you were used Adobe Animate (Flash), you could change the "Script Time Limit" from Publish setting page.

Multiple Timers Arduino

Hi I had a question about timers on that Arduino.
I have 5 physical buttons (piezos) that I am getting the analog input from. I am then having them write out a keyboard key. My issue is when one is hit I want it to be unable to hit for "x" amount of time. I tried using delay, but this ended up delaying the whole program, thus 2 buttons could not be hit at the same time. Could someone explain to me how to do this with timers? I want 5 separate timers 1 for each button that controls a Boolean, I would need 5 separate timers for 5 separate if statements. (See code).
//SNARE LOOP2
if(sensorValueA0 == 0)
{
if(SnareHit == false)
{
Keyboard.write(115);
SnareHit = true;
//Use timer here to delay this part of the system
SnareHit = false;
}
}
//BASS DRUM LOOP
if(sensorValueA1 == 0)
{
if(BassHit == false)
{
Keyboard.write(98);
BassHit = true;
//Use timer here to delay this part of the system
BassHit = false;
}
}
Thanks.
You can use the millis() function, something similar to the following code:
if(ButtonPress==true){
time=millis() //time was previously declared as unsigned long
if(time>=5000){ //5000 = 5 sec
ButtonPress==false
}
}
It will not stop the arduino loop as dealy() does.
More info: http://playground.arduino.cc/Code/AvoidDelay
Perhaps you are trying to de-bounce the button. I usually do this in the main loop, and expect 5 consecutive "pressed" reads before I say the button is really pressed, something like this:
int button1PressedCount = 0;
int debounceCounter = 5; // Number of successive reads before we say the switch is pressed
boolean buttonPressed = false;
int inputPin1 = 7;
void setup() {
// Grounding the input pin causes it to actuate
pinMode(inputPin1, INPUT ); // set the input pin 1
digitalWrite(inputPin1, HIGH); // set pin 1 as a pull up resistor.
}
void loop()
{
// Some code
// Check button, we evaluate below
checkButton();
// Some more code
}
void checkButton() {
if (digitalRead(inputPin) == 0) {
// We need consecutive pressed counts to treat this is pressed
if (button1PressedCount < debounceCounter) {
button1PressedCount += 1;
// If we reach the debounce point, mark the start time
if (button1PressedCount == debounceCounter) {
// Button is detected as pressed!
buttonPressed = true;
}
}
} else {
if (button1PressedCount == debounceCounter) {
// We were pressed, but are not any more
buttonPressed = false;
}
button1PressedCount = 0;
}
}
Also it seems using an analogue input with a check if the analogue value is exactly equal to 0 might be a bit sensitive in noisy environments. This is why I use a digital input and the internal pull up resistor.

Array throwing exception

I can't seem to put my finger on this and why the array is not being initialized.
Basically I am coding a 2d top down spaceship game and the ship is going to be fully customizable. The ship has several allocated slots for certain "Modules" (ie weapons, electronic systems) and these are stored in an array as follows:
protected Array<Weapon> weaponMount;
Upon creating the ship none of the module arrays are initialized, since some ships might have 1 weapon slot, while others have 4.
So when I code new ships, like this example:
public RookieShip(World world, Vector2 position) {
this.width = 35;
this.height = 15;
// Setup ships model
bodyDef.type = BodyType.DynamicBody;
bodyDef.position.set(position);
body = world.createBody(bodyDef);
chassis.setAsBox(width / GameScreen.WORLD_TO_BOX_WIDTH, height / GameScreen.WORLD_TO_BOX_HEIGHT);
fixtureDef.shape = chassis;
fixtureDef.friction = 0.225f;
fixtureDef.density = 0.85f;
fixture = body.createFixture(fixtureDef);
sprite = new Sprite(new Texture(Gdx.files.internal("img/TestShip.png")));
body.setUserData(sprite);
chassis.dispose();
// Ship module properties
setShipName("Rookie Ship");
setCpu(50);
setPower(25);
setFuel(500);
setWeaponMounts(2, world);
setDefenseSlots(1);
addModule(new BasicEngine(), this);
addModule(new BasicBlaster(), this);
// Add hp
setHullHP(50);
setArmorHP(125);
setShieldHP(125);
}
#Override
public void addModule(Module module, Ship currentShip) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
super.addModule(module, currentShip);
}
#Override
public void setWeaponMounts(int weaponMounts, World world) {
weaponMount = new Array<Weapon>(weaponMounts);
// super.setWeaponMounts(weaponMounts, world);
}
#Override
public String displayInfo() {
String info = "Everyones first ship, sturdy, reliable and only a little bit shit";
return info;
}
When I set the number of weapon mounts the following method is called:
public void setWeaponMounts(int weaponMounts, World world) {
weaponMount = new Array<Weapon>(weaponMounts);
}
This basically initializes the array with a size (weapon mounts available) to whatever the argument is. Now to me this seems fine but I have setup a hotkey to output the size of the Array, which reports zero. If I try to reference any objects in the array, it throws an outofbounds exception.
The addModule method adds to the array as follows:
public void addModule(Module module, Ship currentShip) {
currentShip.cpu -= module.getCpuUsage();
currentShip.power -= module.getPowerUsage();
if(module instanceof Engine){
engine = (Engine) module;
}else if(module instanceof Weapon){
if(maxWeaponMounts == weaponMount.size){
System.out.println("No more room for weapons!");
}else{
maxWeaponMounts += 1;
weaponMount.add((Weapon)module);
}
}
}
My coding ain't great but heh, better than what I was 2 month ago....
Any ideas?
First of all, You should avoid instanceof. It's not a really big deal performance-wise, but it always points to problems with your general architecture. Implement two different addModule methods. One that takes a Weapon, and one that takes an Engine.
Now back to topic:
else if(module instanceof Weapon){
if (maxWeaponMounts == weaponMount.size) {
System.out.println("No more room for weapons!");
} else{
maxWeaponMounts += 1;
weaponMount.add((Weapon)module);
}
}
It looks like you use maxWeaponMounts as a counter instead of a limit. That's why I assume that it will initially be 0. The same holds for Array.size. It is not the limit, but size also counts how many elements the Array currently holds. Thus you will always have (maxWeaponMounts == weaponMount.size) as 0 == 0 and you will not add the weapon to the array. It will always stay empty and trying to reference any index will end in an OutOfBoundsException.
What you should actually do is using maxWeaponMounts as a fixed limit and not the counter.
public void setWeaponMounts(int weaponMounts, World world) {
weaponMount = new Array<Weapon>(weaponMounts);
maxWeaponMounts = weaponMounts;
}
else if(module instanceof Weapon){
if (weaponMount.size >= maxWeaponMounts) {
System.out.println("No more room for weapons!");
} else{
weaponMount.add((Weapon)module);
}
}

Trouble with array order

I have a couple of if statements within a timer function, checking if the enemy's hp is 0. The enemies are added into an array. When one enemy hp hits 0, they are taken from the array and removed. When the array length is 0, the game goes to the next level. For some reason, when the first enemy's hp reaches 0, then it automatically goes to the next level without even checking the other enemy's hp. It worked on the first level, where I only had 1 enemy, but the second level, I have two enemies. I would have to defeat the second enemy, then the first in order for it to go to the next level. I think it may have something to do with the first enemy being the first in the array. Any ideas on how I can change the code to make it disregard the order in which enemy is defeated first?
public var enemy:Enemy = new Enemy();
public var enemy2:Enemy = new Enemy();
public var enemyArray:Array = [];
Level Timer(Timer that sets up the level, runs once):
if (level.levelNumber == 1)
{
enemyArray.push(enemy);
addChild(player);
addChild(enemy)
enemy.enemyMoveTimer.start();
enemy.enemyAttackTimer.start();
onGameTimer.start();
}
if (level.levelNumber == 2)
{
enemyArray.push(enemy, enemy2);
addChild(player);
addChild(enemy)
addChild(enemy2)
enemy.enemyMoveTimer.start();
enemy.enemyAttackTimer.start();
enemy2.enemyMoveTimer.start();
enemy2.enemyAttackTimer.start();
onGameTimer.start();
}
Game timer(timer that checks the enemy lives, keeps running):
if (enemyArray.length == 0)
{
trace("NEXT LEVEL");
removeChild(player);//remove player from the current level
onLevelTimer.removeEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, timerLevel);
levelNumber += 1;
onLevelTimer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, timerLevel);
onGameTimer.stop();
}
if (enemy.enemyHP <= 0)
{
enemy.enemyHP = 0;
enemy.enemyMoveTimer.stop();
enemy.enemyAttackTimer.stop();
trace("DEAD");
enemyArray.splice(0,1);
try
{
removeChild(enemy)
}
catch (e:ArgumentError){
}
}
if (enemy2.enemyHP <= 0)
{
enemy2.enemyHP = 0;
enemy2.enemyMoveTimer.stop();
enemy2.enemyAttackTimer.stop();
trace("DEAD");
enemyArray.splice(1,1);
try
{
removeChild(enemy2)
}
catch (e:ArgumentError) {
}
}
There's more code there that could be the cause of the issue, so I'm just going to assume that it looks something like what I've written below. It also dispenses with multiple if statements, in favor of simply iterating over your enemyArray, checking each as you wanted to (behold the power of loops!).
var enemyMoveTimer:Timer = new Timer(1000, 0);
enemyMoveTimer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, enemyTimerListener);
enemyMoveTimer.start();
var enemyArray:Array = [new Enemy("enemy1"), new Enemy("enemy2")];
function enemyTimerListener(e:Event):void {
for (var i:String in enemyArray) {
var enemy:Enemy = enemyArray[int(i)];
if (enemy.enemyHP <= 0) {
enemy.enemyMoveTimer.stop();
enemy.enemyAttackTimer.stop();
trace("DEAD");
enemyArray.splice(int(i),1);
if (enemy.parent != null) {
removeChild(enemy);
}
}
}
}
What isn't shown is how you're detecting and advancing to "the next level". How are these enemies being added to the array? Since it seems you've rolled your own Enemy class, what's that class look like? Why are you using try ... catch?
In any case, if the above works, fun; otherwise, we'll need more code to know what's going on.

Select random elements from an array without repeats?

edit: I can't believe I didn't catch this sooner. Turns out my problem was re-declaring my first variables over and over again, essentially starting the program fresh instead of continuing it. To fix it, I replaced the first two lines with this:
if (initialized === undefined) {
trace("INITIALIZING");
var MCs = [];
var lastPos = "intializer";
var initialized = 1;
}
Now it works like a charm. I feel like a noob for this one; sorry to anyone whose time I wasted. I'd post this as an answer to my own question, but it won't let me since I'm still new.
Original Post follows:
I'm trying to make a flash that will randomly choose an ad, play it, and then randomly play another. To that end, I've succeeded by shuffling an array, and then gotoAndPlay-ing the label in the first element of the array, and then removing that element. At the end of each ad is gotoAndPlay(1); with all the main code being on the first frame. If the array is empty, it rebuilds it and reshuffles it.
The problem is, I don't want it to repeat any ads until its run through all of them; I think I've got that down, but I'm not positive. Further, I don't want the last element in the array to be the same as the first in the new one, so the same ad won't ever show twice in a row. I'm trying to have it detect if the element it just used matches the one it's about to use, and reshuffle if that happens, but in my testing it continues to occasionally show the same ad twice in a row.
I'm obviously doing something wrong, but being entirely new to ActionScript3 (and in fact to flash) I'm having a lot of trouble identifying what it is. Here's what I have right now:
var MCs = [];
var lastPos = "intializer";
if (MCs.length == 0) {
MCs = reset();
if (lastPos == MCs[0]) {
while (lastPos == MCs[0]) {
MCs = reset();
}
}
}
if (MCs.length > 0) {
lastPos = MCs[0];
MCs.splice(0,1);
gotoAndPlay(lastPos+"MC");
}
function reset(){
var PrepMCs = new Array("Image1", "Image2", "Image3");
var WorkMCs = new Array(PrepMCs.length);
var randomPos:Number = 0;
for (var i:int = 0; i < WorkMCs.length; i++)
{
randomPos = int(Math.random() * PrepMCs.length);
WorkMCs[i] = PrepMCs.splice(randomPos, 1)[0];
}
return WorkMCs;
}
Personally, I'd rather just do this with JavaScript, HTML, and images; it'd be really simple. But for hosting/CMS reasons I don't have any control over, I'm limited to a single file or a single block of code; I can't host anything externally, which as far as I can tell leaves Flash as my best option for this.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks! If I've done something horribly, horribly wrong, and it's a wonder this even runs at all, don't hesitate to tell me!
edit: It just occurred to me, it is perfectly fine if the second run is in the same order as the first run, etc. The main thing is, it needs to be random. This is probably much easier to implement.
edit 2: MASSIVE DERP HERE. Every time it runs, it re-initializes MCs and lastPos... in other words, it's shuffling every time and starting over. What I should be researching is how to only run a line of code if a variable hasn't been initialized yet.
Blatantly stealing from #32bitKid, this is my version.
The main problem I have with his solution is the push/splice idea. As much as possible, I like to create once, and reuse. Shrinking and growing arrays is bulky, even if effective.
Also, this method does not re-order the array, which may or may not be valuable.
BTW, I like the way that he prevents a repeat of the previous item ("almost empty").
So here is another method:
package
{
public class RandomizedList
{
private var _items:Array;
private var idxs:Array;
private var rnd:int;
private var priorItemIdx:int;
private var curIdx:int;
public function RandomizedList(inarr:Array)
{
items = inarr;
}
private function initRandomize():void
{
idxs = new Array();
//Fisher-Yates initialization (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher%E2%80%93Yates_shuffle):
idxs[i] = 0;
for (var i:int = 1; i < items.length; i++)
{
rnd = int(Math.random() * (i + 1));
idxs[i] = idxs[rnd];
idxs[rnd] = rnd;
}
curIdx = 0;
priorItemIdx = -1;
}
private function randomize():void
{
var tempint:int;
//Fisher-Yates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher%E2%80%93Yates_shuffle):
for (var i:int = items.length; i >= 1; i--)
{
rnd = int(Math.random() * (i + 1));
tempint = idxs[i];
idxs[i] = idxs[rnd];
idxs[rnd] = tempint;
}
curIdx = 0;
}
public function next():void
{
if (curIdx >= idxs.length)
{
randomize();
}
if (items.length > 1 && priorItemIdx == idxs[curIdx])
{
curIdx++;
}
priorItemIdx = idxs[curIdx++];
return items[priorItemIdx];
}
public function get items():Array
{
return _items;
}
public function set items(value:Array):void
{
_items = value;
initRandomize();
}
}
}
I would use a utility class like this to abstract out the behavior I wanted:
import flash.text.TextField;
class Randomizer {
private var unused:Array = [];
private var used:Array;
public function Randomizer(playList:Array) {
used = playList;
}
public function next():* {
// If almost empty, refill the unused array
if(unused.length <= 1) refill();
// Get the first item off the playList
var item:* = unused.shift();
// Shove it into the bucket
used.push(item);
// return it back
return item;
}
public function refill():void {
var i:int;
// Fisher-Yates shuffle to refill the unused array
while(used.length > 0) {
i = Math.floor(Math.random() * used.length)
unused.push(used.splice(i,1)[0])
}
}
}
Notice that it refills the unused array when the unused array still has one item in it, this makes it impossible for the last result to repeat twice in a row. This will return each item once before before looping, and will never repeat the same item twice.
You would use it by saying something like:
var ads:Randomizer = new Randomizer(["Image1", "Image2", "Image3"]);
ads.next(); // will return something
ads.next(); // will return something
ads.next(); // will return something
ads.next(); // will return something
// Keep going into infinity...
There is a little test example of this code working here.
See if this makes any sense
//create your array of all your ad names/frame labels
var PrepMCs:Array = new Array("Image1", "Image2", "Image3");
var shuffledMCs:Array = [];
//store the name of the last played ad in this var
var lastAdPlayed:String;
//shuffle the array
shuffleArray(PrepMCs);
function shuffleArray(arrayToShuffle:Array):void {
//clear the array
shuffledMCs = [];
var len:int = arrayToShuffle.length;
for(var i:int = 0; i<len; i++) {
shuffledMCs[i] = arrayToShuffle.splice(int(Math.random() * (len - i)), 1)[0];
}
//test to see if the new first ad is the same as the last played ad
if (lastAdPlayed == shuffledMCs[0]) {
//reshuffle
shuffleArray(PrepMCs);
} else {
lastAdPlayed = [0];
trace(shuffledMCs);
playAds();
}
}
//after each ad has played, call this function
function playAds():void {
if (shuffledMCs.length > 0) {
gotoAndPlay(shuffledMCs[0]);
shuffledMCs.splice(0,1);
} else {
//array is empty so we have played all the ads
shuffleArray(PrepMCs);
}
}

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