Displaying and modifying variables

The Variables tab in the Debugger displays the names and values of any global and Timeline variables in the movie. If you change the value of a variable on the Variables tab, you can see the change reflected in the movie while it runs. For example, to test collision detection in a game, you could enter the variable value to position a ball in the correct location next to a wall.

The Locals tab in the Debugger displays the names and values of any local variables that are available wherever the movie has stopped at a breakpoint or anywhere else within a user-defined function.

To display a variable:

  1. Select the movie clip containing the variable from the display list.
  2. To display global variables, select the _global clip in the display list.

  3. Click the Variables tab.

The display list updates automatically as the movie plays. If a movie clip is removed from the movie at a specific frame, that movie clip, along with its variable and variable name, is also removed from the display list in the Debugger. However, if you mark a variable for the Watch list, that variable is not removed.

To modify a variable value:

Double-click the value and enter a new value.

The value cannot be an expression. For example, you can use "Hello", 3523, or "http://www.macromedia.com", and you cannot use x + 2 or eval("name:" +i). The value can be a string (any value surrounded by quotation marks), a number, or a Boolean value (true or false).

Note: To write the value of an expression to the Output window in test mode, use the trace action. See Using the trace action.