Working with Movie Clips and Buttons > About multiple Timelines > Writing target paths |  |

Writing target paths

To control a movie clip, loaded movie, or button, you must specify a target path. Before you can specify a target path to a movie clip or button, you must assign it an instance name. A loaded movie doesn't require an instance name, because you use its level number as an instance name (for example, `_level5`).

You can specify a target path in several different ways:

| Use the Insert Target Path button (and dialog box) in the Actions panel.
| Enter the target path manually.
| Create an expression that evaluates to a target path. You can use the built-in functions `targetPath` and `eval`.

To assign an instance name:

1 | Select a movie clip or button on the Stage.
2 | Enter an instance name in the Property inspector.

To insert a target path using the Insert Target Path dialog box:

1 | Select the movie clip, frame, or button instance to which you want to assign the action.
| This will be the controlling Timeline.
2 | Choose Window > Actions to display the Actions panel if it's not already open.
3 | In the Actions toolbox (at the left of the panel), choose an action or method that requires a target path.
4 | Click the parameter box or location in the script where you want to insert the target path.
5 | Click the Insert Target Path button above the Script pane.
6 | In the Insert Target Path dialog box, choose a syntax: Dots (the default) or Slashes.
7 | Choose Absolute or Relative for the target path mode.
| See About absolute and relative target paths.
8 | Select a movie clip in the Insert Target Path display list.
9 | Click OK.

To insert a target path manually:

Follow steps 1-4 above and enter an absolute or relative target path in the Actions panel.

To use an expression as a target path:

1 | Follow steps 1-3 above.
2 | Do one of the following:
| Enter an expression that evaluates to a target path in a parameter box.
| Click to place the insertion point in the script. Then, in the Functions category of the Actions toolbox, double-click the `targetPath` function.
| The `targetPath` function converts a reference to a movie clip into a string.
| Click to place the insertion point in the script. Then, in the Functions category of the Actions toolbox, choose the `eval` function.
| The `eval` function converts a string to a movie clip reference that can be used to call methods such as `play`.
| The following script assigns the value 1 to the variable `i`. It then uses the `eval` function to create a reference to a movie clip instance and assigns it to the variable `x`. The variable `x` is now a reference to a movie clip instance and can call the MovieClip object methods, as in the following:
    i = 1;
    x = eval("mc"+i);
    x.play();
    // this is equivalent to mc1.play();
| You can also use the `eval` function to call methods directly, as in the following:
    eval("mc" + i).play();