flash as3 best way to create multidimensional array

Question

I have an array of movie clips (representing band members) which have various properties, among them them a property which tells where the band member went to after they left their current band. For those who formed a new group, I want to create an array. Within that array, I want to group all the ones that left for the same group into secondary arrays. So, if you had five band members and 2 of them left for group X and 3 left for group Y. What's the best way to do this? This is, roughly, my code:

var newGroupArr:Array = new Array() //this will hold all members leaving for a new group

for (k=0;k<memberClips.length;k++){
    if (memberClips[k].outcome == "new"){
        //for all groups where memberClips[k].group is the same, create a new array within newGroupArr for those similar members.
    }
}

Alternatively I suppose if I could do without a multidimensional array and just loop through all the members and say - for those members whose group is the same, perform this function, with the name of that same group passed as the parameter for the function. I guess the trouble I'm having is identifying who's the same.

do i understand it right that you need to create a data structure for easy access of: a) list of members by band name and b) list of bands where person played by person name? — www0z0k
– www0z0k, Commented May 13, 2011 at 20:48
not really - it's even simpler than that. I'm drawing a sort of family tree, and I just need to make sure that all the band members leaving for new group A have lines drawn from the old group to the new group, and all band members leaving for new group B have lines drawn from the old group to their new group. — mheavers
– mheavers, Commented May 13, 2011 at 21:09
It might help to see how it's displayed. I think I understand how you wish to group them, but I don't see the need for multidimensional arrays. The way I would handle this would be to have a band member class with a history stack. I someone could be in more than one band at once, it might not be as simple as a stack, it could be a simple tree. I'm just saying that for me, the history associates more naturally with the person than with the band. — Adam Smith
– Adam Smith, Commented May 14, 2011 at 4:21

duggulous · Accepted Answer · 2011-05-14 04:06:50Z

1

Unless there's a reason why you need to use an array, I'd use a Dictionary, like so

var bands:Dicionary = new Dictionary();

for (k=0;k<memberClips.length;k++){
    if(memberClips[k].outcome=="new"){
        var newGroup:String = memberClips[k].group;
        if(!bands[newGroup]){
           bands[newGroup] = new Array();
        }
        bands[newGroup].push(k);
    }
}

Now each array in bands will contain the members that left their previous band

answered May 14, 2011 at 4:06

duggulous

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Satish · Accepted Answer · 2011-05-13 20:23:48Z

0

Using AS3, look at http://livedocs.adobe.com/flex/3/html/help.html?content=10_Lists_of_data_5.html

answered May 13, 2011 at 20:23

Satish

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1 Comment

mheavers Over a year ago

thanks - yeah I know how to create the array - I just don't know how to create in a manner in which only clips with the same value get pushed to the appropriate secondary array.

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