Using Objects in ActionScript > Using a text field as an object |  |

Using a text field as an object

You can use a text field as an object in your movie, and use ActionScript to control the text field in the same way you would control a movie clip or other object. Text field objects support the same properties as MovieClip objects, with the exception of the `_currentframe`, `_droptarget`, `_framesloaded`, and `_totalframes` properties. You can get and set properties and invoke methods for text fields dynamically.

The Debug > List Variables command in test mode supports text field objects. The following conventions are used in displaying text field objects in the Output window:

| If a property is not found on the object, it is not displayed.
| No more than four properties are displayed on a line.
| A property with a value that is of type String is printed on a separate line.
| If there are any other remaining properties defined for the object after the built-in properties are processed, they are added to the display using the rules in the second and third bullet points above.
| Color properties are displayed as hexadecimal numbers (0x00FF00).
| The properties are displayed in the following order:
    1. variable, 2. text, 3. htmlText, 4. html, 5. textWidth, 6. textHeight, 7. maxChars,
    8. borderColor, 9. backgroundColor, 10. textColor, 11. border, 12. background,
    13. wordWrap,14. password, 15. multiline, 16. selectable, 17. scroll, 18. hscroll,
    19. maxscroll,20. maxhscroll, 21. bottomScroll, 22. type, 23. embedFonts, 24 restrict,
    25. length,26. tabIndex, 27. autoSize

The Debug > List Objects command in test mode supports text field objects. If an instance name is specified for a text field, the full target path including the instance name is displayed in the Output window in the following form:

    Target = "target path"

For more information on the List Variables or List Objects commands, see Using the Output window.

To use a text field as an object:

1 | Select a text field on the Stage.
2 | In the Property inspector (Window > Properties), enter an instance name in the Instance Name text box, directly below the Text Type pop-up menu on the left side of the inspector.
| The instance name must conform to identifier naming conventions. The first character must be a letter, underscore (_), or dollar sign ($). Each subsequent character must be a letter, number, underscore, or dollar sign.