dispatching a custom event from another event handler method

[Daedalus]

my custom event class

package app
{
	import flash.events.Event
	public class BoxEvent extends Event
	{
		public static const DRAWN:String = "drawn";
		
		public function BoxEvent(type:String){
			super(type);
		}
		
		public override function clone():Event{
            return new BoxEvent(type);
        }
	}
}

my class that dispatches the event

package app {
import flash.display.*;
import flash.events.*;
import flash.text.*;

public class Box extends Sprite
	{  
public function Box() {
   addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, PB);
}

public function PB(ev:Event):void {
     //position the box then tell all the listeners that it is ready to be manipulated
    this.x = newX;
   this.y = newY
   this.width = stage.stageWidth;
   this.height = stage.stageHeight;
  this.dispatchEvent(new BoxEvent(BoxEvent.DRAWN));
}
  }
}

my class that creates a new box then waits until it has been positioned before interacting with it.

//BoxPlay class
headerBox = new Box();
 headerBox.addEventListener(BoxEvent.DRAWN, addContent);
this.addChild(headerBox);

public function addContent(evt:Event):void {
   //now I can play with the box
}

The code above does not work but if I dispatch the event not from my PB method (which is called when the box is added to the stage); but insted stick it in a seperate class method in my box class and call it from the BoxPlay class, it will work.

//BOX CLASS

public function rr():void {
    	 this.dispatchEvent(new BoxEvent(BoxEvent.DRAWN));
    }

//BOXPLAY CLASS

headerBox = new Box();
 headerBox.addEventListener(BoxEvent.DRAWN, addContent);
this.addChild(headerBox);
headerBox.rr();
public function addContent(evt:Event):void {
   //now I can play with the box
}

When I dispatched the event from my PB method it does not work but when dispatching from another method and calling that method from my main class it will work fine.

Another thing I tried was to keep the dispatch in the rr() method but call it from the PB() method in my box class insted of the main class, but this did not work either.

(when it does not work the event handler function simply does not get executed, there is no error);

I checked to make sure my listner was registered each time and it returned true.

[Tink]

does PB get invoked? have u tried putting a trace in there to make sure?

[Daedalus]

Yes it does get invoked.

I can't see anything wrong with the code but maybe it has something to do with timing as I can call the rr(); method from my BoxPlay class and it will execute the method dispatching the event which DOES cause my add addContent method to be run (so it works). But calling the rr(); method from the PB method (which is run when the box is added to the stage) cause the rr() method to run and the event to be dispatched (but it DOES NOT work) my addContent() does not get run.

[Tink]

can you zip the files and post them here.

Also you really should name those methods better. Its really confusing talking about 'rr' and 'PB'.

[senocular]

I dont see any huge problems, logically, at least. I noticed a missing event parameter in PB and the fact that if rr() is defined as a method of the box class, it should be called from the box instance and not as a boxplay method (which a simple call to rr() would be if from within the boxplay class).

Given that you are using ADDED_TO_STAGE, you'll also need to be sure you're running 9.0.28.0+, but if you say its being called, then thats probably not an issue.

[Daedalus]

(errors in 1st post corrected)


ill create a new project and gradually copy over the code bit by bit and debug and test each time to find out where the problem is.