If MovieClip exists how do I remove it?

[Claunchster]

This should be simple, but for some reason I find myself struggling with this.  I need to check to see if a movieclip is instantiated.  If so I need it removed on MouseEvent.CLICK to load another mc.  Here is what I'm using thus far:

import flash.display.*
btnMenuOpt.addEventListener (MouseEvent.CLICK, loadMenuOpt);
function loadMenuOpt(event:MouseEvent):void{
          var mcmenuopt:mcMenuOpt = new mcMenuOpt();
          addChild(mcmenuopt);
          mcmenuopt.x=241.75;
          mcmenuopt.y=101.4;
}
btnWolfPack.addEventListener (MouseEvent.CLICK, loadWolfPack);
function loadWolfPack(event:MouseEvent):void{
          var mcwolfpack:mcWolfPack = new mcWolfPack();
          if (Boolean (this.getChildByName('mcMenuOpt'))) {
    removeChild(mcMenuOpt);}
          if (!Boolean(this.getChildByName('mcMenuOpt'))) {
              addChild(mcwolfpack);
          mcwolfpack.x=85.25;
          mcwolfpack.y=364.3;
          }
}

Whereas if mcMenuOpt is instantiated and btnWolfPack is clicked, mcMenuOpt goes bye-bye and mcWolfPack is instantiated.  Any ideas?  Thanks!

Oh yeah, it's also throwing this error at me:

Scene 1, Layer 'actions', Frame 1, Line 15
1067: Implicit coercion of a value of type Class to an unrelated type flash.display:DisplayObject.

[Ned Murphy · Accepted solution]

If you want to access the object in other functions then you need to declare it outside.  Try...

import flash.display.*

 
var mcmenuopt:mcMenuOpt;
var mcwolfpack:mcWolfPack;

btnMenuOpt.addEventListener (MouseEvent.CLICK, loadMenuOpt);
function loadMenuOpt(event:MouseEvent):void{
          mcmenuopt = new mcMenuOpt();
          addChild(mcmenuopt);
          mcmenuopt.x=241.75;
          mcmenuopt.y=101.4;
}

btnWolfPack.addEventListener (MouseEvent.CLICK, loadWolfPack);
function loadWolfPack(event:MouseEvent):void{
          mcwolfpack = new mcWolfPack();
          if (mcmenuopt) {
               removeChild(mcmenuopt);
               mcmenuopt = null;
          }
          addChild(mcwolfpack);
          mcwolfpack.x=85.25;
          mcwolfpack.y=364.3;
}

The error you get is because you are specifying the class name in the removeChild() call, not the instance.  When you create an object dynamically, if you don't assign it a name property, it does not have the variable name as its name, so the other check you did using getChildByName would fail as well.

[Claunchster]

Awesome, once again!  Thanks Ned!

[Ned Murphy]

You're welcome