Testing a movie > Authoring and scripting guidelines > Using an ActionScript troubleshooting checklist |  |

Using an ActionScript troubleshooting checklist

In ActionScript, as with every scripting environment, coders commonly make several types of mistakes. The following list is a good place to start troubleshooting your movie:

| Check all target paths to make sure they are correct.
| Make sure you do not have frame actions on multiple layers that conflict with each other.
| If you're working with the Actions panel in normal mode, make sure the Expression check box is selected if your statement shouldn't have quotation marks around it.
| If you're passing an expression in an action and haven't selected the Expression box, the value will be passed as a string. (See String operators.)
| Make sure multiple ActionScript elements do not have the same name.
| It's a good idea to give every variable, function, object, and property a unique name. Local variables are exceptions, though: they only need to be unique within their scope and are often reused as counters. See Scoping a variable.
| Use the `for..in` action to loop through the properties of movie clips, including child movie clips. You can use the `for..in` action with the `trace` action to send a list of properties to the Output window. (See Repeating an action.)

In addition, if some actions aren't working properly, make sure you're in test mode (Control > Test Movie). Only simple button and frame actions (for example, `gotoAndPlay` and `stop`) work in authoring mode.

For more tips on troubleshooting a Flash movie, see the Flash Support Center.