Dynamically populate Text Fields in Flash (AS3) - arrays

Question

I am trying to figure out how to dynamically populate textfields in Flash. The text in the fields will either say ON or OFF based on the value of bstatus.
var bstatus will either have a value of 0 or 1
I have the following textfields listed below.
I'm not sure if the syntax is correct, but I was thinking that the text fields would be in an array, and I would create a for loop--that will go through the array in order to have the fields populated.
var textFields:Array = new Array();
textFields[0] = compTxt.text;
textFields[1] = bathLightTxt.text;
textFields[2] = computerLightTxt.text;
textFields[3] = kitchenLight.text;
textFields[4] = livingLightTxt.text;
textFields[5] = descLightTxt.text;
textFields[6] = laundryLightTxt.text;
textFields[3] = ovenTxt.text;
textFields[8] = tvTxt.text;
textFields[9] = washerTxt.text;
I'm thinking that that the textFields Array will go inside a function called populateFields()
// function populateFields ------------------------------------------------------------------
function populateFields(bstatus:int)
{
var displayText:String="";
var textFields:Array = new Array();
textFields[0] = compTxt.text;
textFields[1] = bathLightTxt.text;
textFields[2] = computerLightTxt.text;
textFields[3] = kitchenLight.text;
textFields[4] = livingLightTxt.text;
textFields[5] = descLightTxt.text;
textFields[6] = laundryLightTxt.text;
textFields[3] = ovenTxt.text;
textFields[8] = tvTxt.text;
textFields[9] = washerTxt.text;
if (bstatus == 0) {
// textfield will say OFF
displayText = "OFF";
} else if (bstatus == 1) {
// textfield will say ON
displayText = "ON";
}
/*
for (var i:int=0;i<textFields.length;i++)
{
// do something
}
*/
}
Entire Code:
package {
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.events.MouseEvent;
import flash.events.Event;
import flash.events.EventDispatcher; //event dispatcher
public class House extends MovieClip
{
// List Objects inside Treehouse here....
//private var comp:MovieClip; // comp is a property of TreeHouse
//private var light:MovieClip;
//var comp:HouseObjects = new HouseObjects(); //do this inside another class
var HouseObjects:Array = new Array(); // creates HouseObjects array
var onList:Array = [];
var obj_num:int = 10;
var power:int; // holds value of individual House Objects
var bstate:int; // 0 or 1 (ON or OFF)
var bstatus:int;
var userInput:int; // stores user data (of selected data); holds value of e.currentTarget.power
var currentPower:int; // stores current power
//var objName:String;
var objSelect:Object;
// Constructor--------------------------------------------------------------------
public function House()
{
var currentPower:int = 0;
HouseObjects[0] = new Comp();
HouseObjects[1] = new Light(); // bathroom light
HouseObjects[2] = new LightB(); // computer area light
HouseObjects[3] = new LightC(); // kitchen light
HouseObjects[4] = new LightD(); // living room light
HouseObjects[5] = new LightE(); // description light
HouseObjects[6] = new LightF(); // laundry room light
HouseObjects[7] = new Oven();
HouseObjects[8] = new Tv();
HouseObjects[9] = new Washer();
//HouseObjects[10] = new Car();
//onList.push(objName);
//trace(objName);
//onList.push(HouseObjects[1]);
trace("Tracing onList Array: " + onList);
// list properties of the objects -----------------------------------------------------------------
HouseObjects[0].power = 2; // amount of power
HouseObjects[0].name = "comp";
//comp.bstate = 0; // button state
HouseObjects[1].power = 1; // amount of power
HouseObjects[1].name = "light";
HouseObjects[2].power = 1; // amount of power
HouseObjects[2].name = "lightB";
HouseObjects[3].power = 1; // amount of power
HouseObjects[3].name = "lightC";
HouseObjects[4].power = 1; // amount of power
HouseObjects[4].name = "lightD";
HouseObjects[5].power = 1; // amount of power
HouseObjects[5].name = "lightE";
HouseObjects[6].power = 1; // amount of power
HouseObjects[6].name = "lightF";
HouseObjects[7].power = 3; // amount of power
HouseObjects[7].name = "oven";
HouseObjects[8].power = 4; // amount of power
HouseObjects[8].name = "tv";
HouseObjects[9].power = 5; // amount of power
HouseObjects[9].name = "washer";
//HouseObjects[9].power = 6; // amount of power
//HouseObjects[9].name = "car";
// end of list properties of the house objects -----------------------------------------------------
for (var i:int=0;i<obj_num;i++)
{
HouseObjects[i].buttonMode = true;
//add event listeners -- listens to functions that are called
HouseObjects[i].addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OVER, rolloverToggle);
HouseObjects[i].addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OUT, rolloutToggle);
HouseObjects[i].addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, toggleClick);
HouseObjects[i].addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, toggleClick);
HouseObjects[i].bstate = 0;
stage.addChild(HouseObjects[i]); // add House Objects to stage ------------------------------
}// end of for loop ------------------------------------------------------------------------
trace("tracing...");
//computer's position
HouseObjects[0].x = 585;
HouseObjects[0].y = 233;
//bathroom light's position
HouseObjects[1].x = 340;
HouseObjects[1].y = 161;
//computer lightB's position
HouseObjects[2].x = 579;
HouseObjects[2].y = 158;
//computer lightC's position
HouseObjects[3].x = 316;
HouseObjects[3].y = 368;
//computer lightD's position
HouseObjects[4].x = 657;
HouseObjects[4].y = 367;
//computer lightE's position
HouseObjects[5].x = 517;
HouseObjects[5].y = 549;
//computer lightF's position
HouseObjects[6].x = 531;
HouseObjects[6].y = 1000;
//oven's position
HouseObjects[7].x = 380;
HouseObjects[7].y = 449;
//tv's position
HouseObjects[8].x = 543;
HouseObjects[8].y = 423;
//washer's position
HouseObjects[9].x = 637;
HouseObjects[9].y = 1155;
} // end of Constructor -----------------------------------------------------------
// function rollOver --------------------------------------------------------------
function rolloverToggle(e:MouseEvent) {
if (e.currentTarget.currentFrame == 1)
e.currentTarget.gotoAndStop(2);
if (e.currentTarget.currentFrame == 3)
e.currentTarget.gotoAndStop(4);
}
// function rollOut -----------------------------------------------------------------
function rolloutToggle(e:MouseEvent) {
if (e.currentTarget.currentFrame == 2)
e.currentTarget.gotoAndStop(1);
if (e.currentTarget.currentFrame == 4)
e.currentTarget.gotoAndStop(3);
}
// function toggleClick-------------------------------------------------------------
function toggleClick(e:MouseEvent) {
// On MouseEvent gotoAndStop(Frame Number)
if (e.currentTarget.currentFrame == 2)
{
e.currentTarget.gotoAndStop(3);
e.currentTarget.bstate = 1;
}
if (e.currentTarget.currentFrame == 4)
{
e.currentTarget.gotoAndStop(1);
e.currentTarget.bstate = 0;
}
// trace statements -------------------------------------------------------
//trace("movieClip Instance Name = " + e.currentTarget); // [object Comp]
//trace(houseArray[e.currentTarget.name]); // comp
trace("using currentTarget: " + e.currentTarget.name); // comp
//trace("powerData: " + powerData); // power of user data
//trace("houseArray: " + houseArray[0]); // the 0 index of house array
// trace(e.currentTarget.power); // currentTarget's power************
//trace ("bstate in click function: " + e.currentTarget.bstate);
//objName = e.currentTarget.name;
trace("target: " + e.currentTarget);
bstatus = e.currentTarget.bstate;
userInput = e.currentTarget.power;
objSelect = e.currentTarget;
trace("objSelect: " + objSelect);
// end of trace statements -------------------------------------------------
calcPower(userInput, bstatus);
//trace("i am bstatus: " + bstatus);
//trace("i am power: " + userInput);
populateFields(bstatus);
sendPhp();
//trackItems(objSelect, bstatus);
} // end of function toggleClick ----------------------------------------------------
// function calcPower ------------------------------------------------------------------
function calcPower(userInput:int, bstatus:int):void
{
//trace("i arrived");
//trace("power: " + userInput + " and " + "bstate: " + bstatus);
if (bstatus == 0) {
trace("i have been clicked OFF");
currentPower -= userInput; // if OFF then minus
trace("currentPower: " + currentPower);
} else if (bstatus == 1) {
trace("i have been clicked ON");
currentPower += userInput; // if OFF then minus
trace("currentPower: " + currentPower);
}
}
// function populateFields ------------------------------------------------------------------
function populateFields(bstatus:int)
{
var displayText:String="";
var textFields:Array = new Array();
textFields[0] = compTxt.text;
textFields[1] = bathLightTxt.text;
textFields[2] = computerLightTxt.text;
textFields[3] = kitchenLight.text;
textFields[4] = livingLightTxt.text;
textFields[5] = descLightTxt.text;
textFields[6] = laundryLightTxt.text;
textFields[3] = ovenTxt.text;
textFields[8] = tvTxt.text;
textFields[9] = WasherTxt.text;
if (bstatus == 0) {
// textfield will say OFF
} else if (bstatus == 1) {
// textfield will say ON
}
/*
for (var i:int=0;i<textFields.length;i++)
{
// do something
}
*/
}
// function pwrPercentage ------------------------------------------------------------------
/*function pwrPercentage()
{
}
*/
// function trackItems ------------------------------------------------------------------
function trackItems(objSelect:Object, bstatus:int):void
{
trace("i arrived in trackItems");
trace("tracing objSelect in function trackItems: " + objSelect);
//trace("tracing Array onList :" + onList);
//trace("power: " + userInput + " and " + "bstate: " + bstatus);
if (bstatus == 0) {
//onList.removeItemAt(onList.getItemIndex(objSelect));
// remove from ON list (array) pop
// call function removeArrayItem
removeArrayItem(objSelect);
} else if (bstatus == 1) {
//trace("adding items to list");
onList.push(objSelect);
//add to ON list (array) push
}
trace("Array:" + onList);
//return array .... only have one array...contain objects that are ONLY ON
}
// function removeArrayItem ------------------------------------------------------------------
function removeArrayItem(objSelect:Object):void
{
var arrayLength:int = onList.length;
// Searches item in array
for (var i:int=0; i<arrayLength; i++)
{
// Finds item and removes it
if (onList[i] == objSelect)
{
onList.splice(i, 1);
///*/**/*/trace("Item Removed: " + onList[i]);
trace("Array Updated: " + onList);
}
}
}
// function frameloop ------------------------------------------------------------------
/* function frameloop(e:Event)
{
}
*/
// function sendPhp ------------------------------------------------------------------
function sendPhp(e:MouseEvent):void
{
// send vars to php
var request:URLRequest = new URLRequest("write_xml.php"); // the php file to send data to
var variables:URLVariables = new URLVariables(); // create an array of POST vars
variables['bathLight'] = compTxt.text;
variables['bathLight'] = bathLightTxt.text;
variables['computer'] = computerLightTxt.text;
variables['kitchenLight'] = kitchenLight.text;
variables['livingLight'] = livingLightTxt.text;
variables['descLight'] = descLightTxt.text;
variables['laundryLight'] = laundryLightTxt.text;
variables['oven'] = ovenTxt.text;
variables['tv'] = tvTxt.text;
variables['washer'] = washerTxt.text;
request.data = variables; // send the vars to the data property of the requested url (our php file)
request.method = URLRequestMethod.POST; // use POST as the send method
try
{
var sender:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
sender.load(request); // load the php file and send it the variable data
navigateToURL(new URLRequest("vars.xml"), '_blank'); //show me the xml
}
catch (e:Error)
{
trace(e); // trace error if there is a problem
}
}
// function called when user clicks on update button-----------------------------------
/*function updateStage():void
{
for (var i:int = 0; i<=onList.length;i++) {
addChild(onList[i]);
}
}*/
} //end of class
} // end of package

Answer 1

You will be better off keeping track of the reference to your textboxes in order to populate them afterwards:
var textFields:Array = new Array();
textFields[0] = compTxt;
textFields[1] = bathLightTxt;
textFields[2] = computerLightTxt;
textFields[3] = kitchenLight;
textFields[4] = livingLightTxt;
textFields[5] = descLightTxt;
textFields[6] = laundryLightTxt;
textFields[3] = ovenTxt;
textFields[8] = tvTxt;
textFields[9] = washerTxt;
I tried it out this way:
import fl.controls.*;
var textFields:Array = new Array(9);
textFields[0] = new TextInput();
textFields[1] = new TextInput();
textFields[2] = new TextInput();
textFields[3] = new TextInput();
textFields[4] = new TextInput();
textFields[5] = new TextInput();
textFields[6] = new TextInput();
textFields[7] = new TextInput();
textFields[8] = new TextInput();
textFields[9] = new TextInput();
var i:uint = 0;
for(i = 0; i < textFields.length; ++i){
textFields[i].text = "Set text at " + i;
trace(textFields[i].text);
}