ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition By Colin Moock
Chapter 18. ActionScript Language Reference
setProperty( ) Global Function
Flash 4
assign a value to a movie clip property
setProperty(movieClip, property, value)
Arguments
movieClip
An expression that yields a string indicating the path to a movie clip. In Flash 5 and later, this may also be a movie clip reference because movie clip references are converted to paths when used in a string context.
property
The name of the built-in Flash 4 property to which value will be assigned. Must be an identifier, not a string (e.g., _alpha, not "_alpha").
value
The new data value to be assigned to the specified property of movieClip.
Description
The legacy setProperty( ) function assigns value to one of movieClip's built-in Flash 4 properties. It cannot be used to set the value of custom (i.e., user-defined) properties or properties added to MovieClip in Flash 5 or later. In Flash 4, setProperty( ) was the only means to assign movie clip property values; as of Flash 5, the dot and [ ] operators are the preferred means of setting both built-in and custom movie clip properties.
Example
// Flash 4 syntax: Rotate the main movie by 45 degrees: setProperty("_root", _rotation, 45); // Flash 5 and later syntax: Also rotates the main movie by 45 degrees: _root._rotation = 45;
See Also
getProperty( ); "The `Objectness' of Movie Clips," in Chapter 13; Appendix C
