Hi Andrei,

First . . . thank you so much for your message.

I'm sure that there is something in the code architecture that's amiss.  If you'd be kind enough to take a look and see if anything blatant jumps out at you I would be very grateful.  I'm just not seeing it.

Here it is:

stop();

import flash.utils.*;

import flash.events.MouseEvent;

import flash.utils.Timer;

import flash.events.TimerEvent;

import flash.display.Loader;

import flash.net.URLRequest;

import flash.net.URLLoader;

import flash.net.URLLoaderDataFormat;

import fl.transitions.*;

import fl.transitions.easing.*;

import fl.transitions.Tween;

import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;

pageBlock_mc.mandatoryWarning_mc.visible = false;

sp1Mask_mc.height = 10;

scrollPane1_mc.mask = sp1Mask_mc;

//************************************************VARIABLES****************************************************

//******************************************************************** *******************************************

var tl:MovieClip = this;

var prd:int;

var seg:int;

var sld:int;

var ICPcontent:XML;

var productCount:Number;

var productName:String;

var segmentTitle:String;

var slideURL:String;

var productsArray:Array;

var AssuritySegmentsArray:Array;

var ComfortisSegmentsArray:Array;

var ComfortisMandatoryArray:Array;

var SWFsArray:Array;

var videosArray:Array;

var ReconcileSegmentsArray:Array;

var TrifexisSegmentsArray:Array;

var showArray:Array = new Array;

var tempArray:Array;

var subNum:Number = 1;

var textHeight:Number;

var xmlLoader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();

var whichMajorBucket:String;

var whichDeck:String;

var fct:String;

var segSlide:String

var breakTimer:Timer;

breakTimer = new Timer(500, 1);

breakTimer.addEventListener("timer", doNext);

function doNext(event:TimerEvent):void {

     trace("DO NEXT TRIGGERED and fct = " + fct);

     switch(fct) {

          case "assurity":

          trace("buildAssuritySlides()");

          buildAssuritySlides();

          break;

          case "comfortis":

          buildComfortisSlides();

          break;

          case "reconcile":

          buildReconcileSlides();

          break;

          case "addListeners":

          Object(this).startAssurity_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.M OUSE_DOWN, goToBuild);

          Object(this).startComfortis_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent. MOUSE_DOWN, goToBuild);

          Object(this).startReconcile_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent. MOUSE_DOWN, goToBuild);

          Object(this).pickAssurityDeck_mc.core_btn.addEventListener(M ouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, goToBuild)

          Object(this).pickAssurityDeck_mc.quickStart_btn.addEventList ener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, goToBuild)

          trace("last timer triggered");

          fct = "ready?";

          breakTimer = new Timer(5000, 1);

          breakTimer.addEventListener("timer", doNext);

          breakTimer.start();

          break;

          case "ready?":

          Object(this).pageBlock_mc.visible = false;

          break;

     }

}

//******************************************************************** *******************************************

xmlLoader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, loadContent);

xmlLoader.load(new URLRequest("data/elancoICP.xml")); // + "?" + Math.random())

//xmlLoader.load(new URLRequest("data/elancoICP.xml" + "?" + Math.random()));

function loadContent(e:Event):void {

XML.ignoreWhitespace = true;

ICPcontent = new XML(e.target.data);

productCount = ICPcontent.product.length()

trace("the product count = " + productCount);

productsArray = new Array;

for (var i:int = 0; i<productCount; i++){

     productName = ICPcontent.product[i].productName.text();

     productsArray.push(productName);

     }

     trace("productsArray = " + productsArray);

     buildAssurity();

}

function buildAssurity(): void {

     tempArray = new Array();

     AssuritySegmentsArray = new Array();

     for( var a:int = 0; a < ICPcontent.product[0].segmentName.length(); a++) {

               segmentTitle = ICPcontent.product[0].segmentName[a].text();

               scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.text = segmentTitle;

               scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.autoSize = TextFieldAutoSize.CENTER

               textHeight = scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.height

               scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.selectable = false;

                    if(textHeight < 35) {

                         scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.y = 26;

                    } else {

                         if((textHeight > 22) && (textHeight < 50)) {

                              scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.y = 17;

                              } else {

                                   if(textHeight > 50){

                                        scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.y = 10;

                                         }

                                    }

                               }

               subNum++;

               AssuritySegmentsArray.push(segmentTitle);

               tl["Assurity_" + segmentTitle + "_Array"] = new Array();

               tl["Assurity_" + segmentTitle + "_Array"].name = "Assurity_" + segmentTitle + "_Array"

          }

          if(a == ICPcontent.product[0].segmentName.length()) {

               buildComfortis();

          }

}

function buildComfortis(): void {

     ComfortisSegmentsArray = new Array();

     for( var c:int = 0; c < ICPcontent.product[1].segmentName.length(); c++) {

               segmentTitle = ICPcontent.product[1].segmentName[c].text();

               scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.text = segmentTitle;

               scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.autoSize = TextFieldAutoSize.CENTER

               textHeight = scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.height

               scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.selectable = false;

                    if(textHeight < 35) {

                         scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.y = 26;

                    } else {

                         if((textHeight > 22) && (textHeight < 50)) {

                              scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.y = 17;

                              } else {

                                   if(textHeight > 50){

                                        scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.y = 10;

                                         }

                                    }

                               }

                               subNum++;

               ComfortisSegmentsArray.push(segmentTitle);

               tl["Comfortis_" + segmentTitle + "_Array"] = new Array();

               tl["Comfortis_" + segmentTitle + "_Array"].name = "Comfortis_" + segmentTitle + "_Array"

          }

     ComfortisMandatoryArray = new Array();

     var mandatory:String;

     for(var cm:int = 0; cm < ICPcontent.product[1].mandatorySlides.slide.length(); cm++) {

          mandatory = ICPcontent.product[1].mandatorySlides.slide[cm].text();

          ComfortisMandatoryArray.push(mandatory);          

     }

     SWFsArray = new Array();

     var SWF:String;

     for(var s:int = 0; s < ICPcontent.product[1].SWFs.slide.length(); s++) {

          SWF = ICPcontent.product[1].SWFs.slide[s].text();

          SWFsArray.push(SWF);          

     }

     videosArray = new Array();

     var video:String;

     for(var v:int = 0; v < ICPcontent.product[1].Videos.slide.length(); v++) {

          video = ICPcontent.product[1].Videos.slide[v].text();

          videosArray.push(video);          

     }

     if(c == ICPcontent.product[1].segmentName.length()) {

          buildReconcile();

     }

function buildReconcile():void {

     ReconcileSegmentsArray = new Array();

     for( var r:int = 0; r < ICPcontent.product[2].segmentName.length(); r++) {

               segmentTitle = ICPcontent.product[2].segmentName[r].text();

               scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.text = segmentTitle;

               scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.autoSize = TextFieldAutoSize.CENTER

               textHeight = scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.height

               scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.selectable = false;

                    if(textHeight < 35) {

                         scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.y = 26;

                    } else {

                         if((textHeight > 22) && (textHeight < 50)) {

                              scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.y = 17;

                              } else {

                                   if(textHeight > 50){

                                        scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf.y = 10;

                                         }

                                    }

                               }

                               subNum++;

               ReconcileSegmentsArray.push(segmentTitle);

               tl["Reconcile_" + segmentTitle + "_Array"] = new Array();

               tl["Reconcile_" + segmentTitle + "_Array"].name = "Reconcile_" + segmentTitle + "_Array"

          }

     trace("assurity segments = " + AssuritySegmentsArray);

     trace("comfortis segments = " + ComfortisSegmentsArray);

     trace("reconcile segments = " + ReconcileSegmentsArray);

     var sp1level:Number = scrollPane1_mc.numChildren - 1;

     trace("sp1level = " + sp1level);

          if(r == ICPcontent.product[2].segmentName.length()) {

               fct = "assurity"

               breakTimer.start();

          }

     }

}

function buildAssuritySlides(): void {

     trace("buildAssuritySlides() triggered");

     var aSegLength:Number = AssuritySegmentsArray.length-1;

     var aSldLength:Number = ICPcontent.product[0].segmentSlides[aSegLength].slide.length()-1

     trace("aSegLength = " + aSegLength + " & aSldLength = " + aSldLength);

     for (seg = 0; seg < AssuritySegmentsArray.length; seg++) {

          for (sld = 0; sld < ICPcontent.product[0].segmentSlides[seg].slide.length(); sld++) {

               segSlide = String(ICPcontent.product[0].segmentSlides[seg].slide[sld].text());

               tl["Assurity_" + String(AssuritySegmentsArray[seg]) + "_Array"].push(segSlide)

               if(seg == aSegLength) {

                    trace("sld = " + String(sld))

                    if(sld == aSldLength) {

                         trace("IT DOES sld = 8");

                         fct = "comfortis";

                         breakTimer = new Timer(500, 1);

                         breakTimer.addEventListener("timer", doNext);

                         breakTimer.start();

                    }

               }

          }

     }     

}

function buildComfortisSlides(): void {

     var cSegLength:Number = ComfortisSegmentsArray.length-1;

     var cSldLength:Number = ICPcontent.product[1].segmentSlides[cSegLength].slide.length()-1

     for (seg = 0; seg < ComfortisSegmentsArray.length; seg++) {

          for (sld = 0; sld < ICPcontent.product[1].segmentSlides[seg].slide.length(); sld++) {

               segSlide = String(ICPcontent.product[1].segmentSlides[seg].slide[sld].text());

               tl["Comfortis_" + String(ComfortisSegmentsArray[seg]) + "_Array"].push(segSlide)

               if(seg == cSegLength) {

                    if(sld == cSldLength) {

                         trace("IT DOES");

                         fct = "reconcile";

                         breakTimer = new Timer(500, 1);

                         breakTimer.addEventListener("timer", doNext);

                         breakTimer.start();

                    }

               }

          }

     }

}

function buildReconcileSlides(): void {

     var rSegLength:Number = ReconcileSegmentsArray.length-1;

     var rSldLength:Number = ICPcontent.product[2].segmentSlides[rSegLength].slide.length()-1

     for (seg = 0; seg < ReconcileSegmentsArray.length; seg++) {

          for (sld = 0; sld < ICPcontent.product[2].segmentSlides[seg].slide.length(); sld++) {

               segSlide = String(ICPcontent.product[2].segmentSlides[seg].slide[sld].text());

               tl["Reconcile_" + String(ReconcileSegmentsArray[seg]) + "_Array"].push(segSlide)

               if(seg == rSegLength) {

                    if(sld == rSldLength) {

                         trace("IT DOES");

                         fct = "addListeners";

                         breakTimer = new Timer(500, 1);

                         breakTimer.addEventListener("timer", doNext);

                         breakTimer.start();

                    }

               }

          }

     }

}

function checkAslide(): void {

     trace("checking the Comfortis Mode of Action slides")

     trace ("array = " + tl["Comfortis_" + String(ComfortisSegmentsArray[0]) + "_Array"][0]);

}

function goToBuild(event:MouseEvent):void {

     switch(event.target.name) {

          case "startAssurity_btn":

//          whichMajorBucket = "Assurity";

//          if(pickAssurityDeck_mc.y == 275) {

//               trace("it's hidden");

//               var showTween:Tween = new Tween(pickAssurityDeck_mc, "y", Strong.easeOut, 275, 392, 1, true);

//          } else {

//               var hideTween:Tween = new Tween(pickAssurityDeck_mc, "y", Strong.easeOut, 392, 275, 1, true);

//          }

          break;

          case "quickStart_btn":

          //whichMajorBucket = "Assurity";

//          whichDeck = String(AssuritySegmentsArray[0])

//          gotoAndPlay("builder");

          break;

          case "core_btn":

          //whichMajorBucket = "Assurity";

//          whichDeck = String(AssuritySegmentsArray[1])

//          gotoAndPlay("builder");

          break;

          case "startComfortis_btn":

          whichMajorBucket = "Comfortis";

          whichDeck = "Core";

          gotoAndPlay("builder");

          break;

          case "startReconcile_btn":

          //whichMajorBucket = "Reconcile";

//          whichDeck = "Core";

//          gotoAndPlay("builder");

          break;

     }

}

Hi Andrei,

I had to step away.  I apologize for the delay in responding. 

Again, I thank you for your interest and messages. 

Unfortunately, while your comments may be completely correct I am unsure where the various inefficiencies, object referencing casting etc. to which you refer arise, and starting over is simply not an option at this point.

I had hoped that at a glance you might see something that you could use as an example. But I understand and agree that 500 lines of code is a lot to look through and I'm afraid I'm still a novice when it comes to formatting it for proper display on this forum.

Thank you for trying to help.  I truly appreciate your effort on my behalf.

Best regards,

Chris McLaughlin

Hi Andrei,

First I agree that making the code readable is essential.  Thank you for showing me the light. 

As you may have guessed I'm working under unrealistic time constraints which always (or almost always) leads to sloppy code.

Second, after thinking about your email I realized that the problem wasn't with the code being executed on that frame.  Much of the redundancies to which you refer were added as an attempt to solve the issue I was seeing.  I thought that perhaps things were stepping on top of each other and went back in and broke it into smaller and smaller chunks and when that didn’t solve it I began putting the timed breaks in between. 

All of which was making it less and less efficient, but as I still had the problem and was narrowly focusing on the frame one script . . . well I couldn't see the forest for the trees. 

When I stepped away, and was thinking about what you wrote, it didn't take long to realize that the problem I was seeing had nothing to do with the scripts on that frame, and of course that's when I found the real problem.

So anyway a BIG thank you for your advice, and also for your examples which confirm that restoring the code to its prior form is a good first step. 

There are also some additional things you have suggested that I hadn't thought of but could make life easier.

If you're interested I'll keep you posted (with proper formatting).

Thanks,

Chris

Hi Andrei,

I have a lot of hardcoded objects, and yes XML values are used to govern pretty much everything. 

Originally, I was doing everything dynamically but it just wasn't fast enough.  I can't remember if I tried just eliminating the external images (thumbnails) or did that and the holder MCs simultaneously, but I saw a huge increase in speed as a result of one or both and didn't look back.

The thumbnails are of course there to provide access to larger images, or SWFs and those are all created dynamically.  After the XML is parsed I navigate to a frame in which the thumbnails are shown.  Again that happens instantly.  The problem occurs with the movie clips that contain the text fields these are all created in that frame 1 script that you saw, and I'm simply instantiating a new class; modifying the text in its pre-existing text field, adding it to a movie clip on the stage, and positioning it. 

The latter is where the problem creeps in.  The display objects all start at the same position relative to another object on the stage and then I use the tween class to move them to their new position -- creating a vertical accordion effect.  So the problem is in there somewhere and my guess is it will take a lot less time to fix it than to restore the frame 1 script.  Also, if I had to I could live without the effect. My guess is that the problem as to do with using the same tween variable for each repositioning.  I can easily create those variables dynamically but you know . . . sometimes you cut corners.

What I was seeing (occasionally) was all of the clips in their original positions, and reasoned that their instantiation which happens in that frame one script was the issue.

Again many thanks.

Chris

Thanks to Andrei's excellent analysis I realized I was barking up the wrong tree so to speak and that the problems I was seeing had to do with a different script entirely and that I was infact decreasing the efficiency of my code in my effort to slow it down.  Flash is amazingly fast when it comes to creating new objects and it's good to keep that in mind as it's unlikely that even large numbers of dynamic object creations will be the culprit.

Hi Andrei,

Here is how I reformatted.  How does it look:

function loadContent(e:Event):void {
 trace("load content 
triggered");
 
 productsArray = new Array;
 tempArray = new 
Array();
 AssuritySegmentsArray = new Array();
 ComfortisSegmentsArray = 
new Array();
 ReconcileSegmentsArray = new Array();
 XML.ignoreWhitespace = true; 
 ICPcontent = new XML(e.target.data);

 productCount = ICPcontent.product.length()
 trace("the product count 
= " + productCount);
 for (prd = 0; prd<productCount; 
prd++){
  
 //Assign XML Child to XML Object -- Not XMLList
 
 var 
products:XML = ICPcontent.product[prd]
 
 trace("product name = " + 
ICPcontent.product[prd].productName.text());
 trace("product name retrived 
from products XML = " + products.productName.text())
 
 var len:int = 
products.length();
 var segLen:int;
 var sldLen:int;
 var 
tf:TextField;
 productName = products.productName.text()
 trace("prd = " + 
prd + " productName = " + productName);
 
 productsArray.push(productName);
 
 segLen = 
products.segmentName.length();
  for( seg = 0; seg < segLen; seg++) 
{
   segmentTitle = products.segmentName[seg].text();
   tf = 
scrollPane1_mc["sub" + subNum + "_mc"].sbText_tf
   tf.text = 
segmentTitle;
   tf.autoSize = TextFieldAutoSize.CENTER
   textHeight = 
tf.height
   tf.selectable = false;
    if(textHeight < 35) 
{
     tf.y = 26;
    } else if((textHeight > 22) && 
(textHeight < 50)) {
       tf.y = 17;
      } else {
       tf.y = 
10;
      }
      
     
     //Push the segment titles into 
Arrays;
     //create arrays to hold segment slides;
     //add slides to 
arrays   
     
     sldLen = 
products.segmentSlides[seg].slide.length()
     
     //tl is a variable 
that refeers to the top level
     // the equivalent of using 
this[productName + "SegmentsArray"]
     //allows reference to and dynamic 
creation of Arrays that can
     //be accessed 

     
     tl[productName + 
"SegmentsArray"].push(segmentTitle);
     tl[productName + "_" + segmentTitle 
+ "_Array"] = new Array();
     for (sld = 0; sld < sldLen; sld++) 
{
      segSlide = 
String(products.segmentSlides[seg].slide[sld].text());
      tl[productName + 
"_" + segmentTitle + 
"_Array"].push(segSlide)
     }
    }     
    subNum++ 
 }
 
 
}

Hi Andrei,

It works great. 

With respect to prd == subNum, well they don't, but they probably should.  The objects referred to by subNum exist on the stage. I can't remember but this may have been a first attempt to deal with the issue I was seeing (that I learned had nothing to do with this script), or it may have been planned to work around the issues that arise with respect to targeting dynamically created objects (this.getChildByName) . . .

So instead of dynamically creating those objects and then assigning text to their pre-existing text fields, I am simply assigning the text.  A common thing that I do still is create objects with a numerical identifiers in which the numbering starts with 1.  And I am always then going back and putting in some small correction for that like subNum.  I did this in another place where everything was being created dynamically and generating all kinds of errors and mistakes and eventually wised up.  There's nothing wrong with starting with 0.  Habits once ingrained are difficult to break I intend to break this one.

Thanks again for your interest in this and your suggestions.

Best,

Chris