ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition

TextField._visible Property

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Alphabetical Language Reference

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TextField.variable Property

associates a variable with the text property

Flash 6

read/write

theField.variable

Description

The string variable property is a backward-compatibility feature that specifies a regular

variable whose value will mirror the value of

theField.text. This allows for direct Flash 5–

style assignment of a value to a text field. The following example creates a text field object

with an instance name of

firstName_txt and associates it with the variable userName. Subse-

quent assignments to

userName are displayed in firstName_txt and reflected by its text

property.

this.createTextField("firstName_txt", 1, 0, 0, 200, 20);

firstName_txt.variable = "userName";

// Displays "Colin" on screen

userName = "Colin";

// Check the text property

trace(firstName_txt.text); // Displays: Colin

Conversely, assignments to firstName_txt.text are reflected by the variable userName:

firstName_txt.text = "Bruce";

trace(userName); // Displays: Bruce

The variable reference can be constructed with dot notation, allowing variables on objects

and other timelines to be used:

firstName_txt.variable = "_level0.someClip.someVariable";

When exporting to Flash 5 and prior versions, the variable property must be set in the

Flash MX authoring tool, in ...