ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition

TextField.replaceSel() Method

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ActionScript Language Reference

// Then sometime later...delete the text field

theField_txt.removeTextField();

See Also

MovieClip.createTextField(), MovieClip.removeMovieClip()

TextField.replaceSel() Method

replace selected text (without disturbing formatting)

Flash 6

theField.replaceSel(newText)

Arguments

newText The string of new characters that will replace the current selection.

Description

The replaceSel() method deletes the selected characters in theField and replaces them with

newText. If no characters are selected in theField, replaceSel() simply inserts newText at

theField’s insertion point, or before the first character if theField is not focused. The new

amalgamated value is reflected by

theField.text.

While replaceSel()’s use may seem limited, it is actually one of the most important

TextField methods because it provides the only means of inserting new text into a text field

without disturbing existing character formatting. To update a text field’s value using

replaceSel(), we must first focus the field, then position the insertion point, and then insert

the text, as follows:

// Focus the field

Selection.setFocus("theField_txt");

// Position insertion point after the fourth character

Selection.setSelection(4, 4);

// Insert new text

theField_txt.replaceSel("text ...