Testing a movie > Authoring and scripting guidelines > Using an ActionScript troubleshooting checklist

 

Using an ActionScript troubleshooting checklist

In ActionScript, as with every scripting environment, coders commonly make several types of mistakes. The following list is a good place to start troubleshooting your movie:

Check all target paths to make sure they are correct.

Make sure you do not have frame actions on multiple layers that conflict with each other.

If you're working with the Actions panel in normal mode, make sure the Expression check box is selected if your statement shouldn't have quotation marks around it.

If you're passing an expression in an action and haven't selected the Expression box, the value will be passed as a string. (See String operators.)

Make sure multiple ActionScript elements do not have the same name.

It's a good idea to give every variable, function, object, and property a unique name. Local variables are exceptions, though: they only need to be unique within their scope and are often reused as counters. See Scoping a variable.

Use the for..in action to loop through the properties of movie clips, including child movie clips. You can use the for..in action with the trace action to send a list of properties to the Output window. (See Repeating an action.)

In addition, if some actions aren't working properly, make sure you're in test mode (Control > Test Movie). Only simple button and frame actions (for example, gotoAndPlay and stop) work in authoring mode.

For more tips on troubleshooting a Flash movie, see the Flash Support Center.