Dynamically creating objects in actionscript 3?

Question

I'm fairly new to AS3, and I've been trying to make a side scrolling shooter. I made some progress but I've hit a wall on the bullets themselves. The code I've been using is:

var circle:Sprite = new Sprite();

function shoot() {
  circle.graphics.beginFill(0xFF794B);
  circle.graphics.drawCircle(0, 00, 7.5);
  circle.graphics.endFill();
  addChild(circle);
  circle.x = ship_mc.x;
  circle.y = ship_mc.y + 43; 
}

The problem with this is it only allows for one bullet on the screen at a time. How can I change this so the bullets are created so that I can have an unlimited amount of them?

Please don't forget to accept an answer. And, when you have more reputation, upvote one or more answers. — Simon Forsberg
– Simon Forsberg, Commented Feb 2, 2013 at 0:04

Simon Forsberg · Accepted Answer · 2013-02-01 23:09:21Z

2

Create the object inside the method

function shoot() {
    var circle:Sprite = new Sprite();
    circle.graphics.beginFill(0xFF794B);
    circle.graphics.drawCircle(0, 00, 7.5);
    circle.graphics.endFill();
    addChild(circle);
    circle.x = ship_mc.x;
    circle.y = ship_mc.y + 43; 
}

Otherwise, you would only have one circle variable. This time, a new circle is created each time the method is called.

However, you will probably want to store all your circles somehow so that you can remove them later.

var allCircles: Vector.<Sprite> = new Vector.<Sprite>();
function shoot() {
    var circle:Sprite = new Sprite();
    circle.graphics.beginFill(0xFF794B);
    circle.graphics.drawCircle(0, 00, 7.5);
    circle.graphics.endFill();
    addChild(circle);
    circle.x = ship_mc.x;
    circle.y = ship_mc.y + 43; 
    allCircles.push(circle);
}

Then, at a later time, you can loop through all your circles:

for each (var circle: Sprite in allCircles) {
    // do something with this circle
}

And to clear all circles:

for each (var circle: Sprite in allCircles) {
    removeChild(circle);
}
allCircles.clear();

edited Feb 1, 2013 at 23:09

answered Feb 1, 2013 at 23:02

Simon Forsberg

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2 Comments

Foggzie Over a year ago

But then he wouldn't have any way of interacting with the circles without accessing them through the stage's children.

Simon Forsberg Over a year ago

There was no mentioning about removing them in the original question :) But you are correct.

Foggzie · Accepted Answer · 2013-02-01 23:03:26Z

0

You want to store an array of Sprites, not just one of them. First you declare your Array:

var circles:Array = new Array();

Then you change your shoot function to make a new one and then push it into the Array:

function shoot() {
    var circle:Sprite = new Sprite();

    circle.graphics.beginFill(0xFF794B);
    circle.graphics.drawCircle(0, 00, 7.5);
    circle.graphics.endFill();
    circle.x = ship_mc.x;
    circle.y = ship_mc.y + 43; 

    circles.push(circle);  
    addChild(circles[circles.length-1]);
}

answered Feb 1, 2013 at 23:03

Foggzie

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1 Comment

Simon Forsberg Over a year ago

I'd prefer Vector ahead of Array. Also, why not addChild(circle);? why complicate things by taking the last index of the array? But the idea of an array/vector is a good one.

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