class flash.events.Event

Available on all platforms

The Event class is used as the base class for the creation of Event * objects, which are passed as parameters to event listeners when an event * occurs. *

The properties of the Event class carry basic information about an * event, such as the event's type or whether the event's default behavior can * be canceled. For many events, such as the events represented by the Event * class constants, this basic information is sufficient. Other events, * however, may require more detailed information. Events associated with a * mouse click, for example, need to include additional information about the * location of the click event and whether any keys were pressed during the * click event. You can pass such additional information to event listeners by * extending the Event class, which is what the MouseEvent class does. * ActionScript 3.0 API defines several Event subclasses for common events * that require additional information. Events associated with each of the * Event subclasses are described in the documentation for each class.

*

The methods of the Event class can be used in event listener functions * to affect the behavior of the event object. Some events have an associated * default behavior. For example, the doubleClick event has an * associated default behavior that highlights the word under the mouse * pointer at the time of the event. Your event listener can cancel this * behavior by calling the preventDefault() method. You can also * make the current event listener the last one to process an event by calling * the stopPropagation() or * stopImmediatePropagation() method.

*

Other sources of information include:

*
    *
  • A useful description about the timing of events, code execution, and * rendering at runtime in Ted Patrick's blog entry: <a * href="http://www.onflex.org/ted/2005/07/flash-player-mental-model-elastic.php" * scope="external">Flash Player Mental Model - The Elastic * Racetrack.
  • *
  • A blog entry by Johannes Tacskovics about the timing of frame events, * such as ENTERFRAME, EXITFRAME: <a * href="http://blog.johannest.com/2009/06/15/the-movieclip-life-cycle-revisited-from-event-added-to-event-removedfromstage/" * scope="external">The MovieClip Lifecycle.
  • *
  • An article by Trevor McCauley about the order of ActionScript * operations: <a * href="http://www.senocular.com/flash/tutorials/orderofoperations/" * scope="external">Order of Operations in ActionScript.
  • *
  • A blog entry by Matt Przybylski on creating custom events: <a * href="http://evolve.reintroducing.com/2007/10/23/as3/as3-custom-events/" * scope="external">AS3: Custom Events.
  • *

Class Fields

static var ACTIVATE:String

The ACTIVATE constant defines the value of the * type property of an activate event object. *

Note: This event has neither a "capture phase" nor a "bubble * phase", which means that event listeners must be added directly to any * potential targets, whether the target is on the display list or not.

*

AIR for TV devices never automatically dispatch this event. You can, * however, dispatch it manually.

* *

This event has the following properties:

static var ADDED:String

The Event.ADDED constant defines the value of the * type property of an added event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var ADDED_TO_STAGE:String

The Event.ADDEDTOSTAGE constant defines the value of the * type property of an addedToStage event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var CANCEL:String

The Event.CANCEL constant defines the value of the * type property of a cancel event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var CHANGE:String

The Event.CHANGE constant defines the value of the * type property of a change event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var CLEAR:String

The Event.CLEAR constant defines the value of the * type property of a clear event object. *

This event has the following properties:

*

Note: TextField objects do not dispatch * clear, copy, cut, * paste, or selectAll events. TextField objects * always include Cut, Copy, Paste, Clear, and Select All commands in the * context menu. You cannot remove these commands from the context menu for * TextField objects. For TextField objects, selecting these commands(or * their keyboard equivalents) does not generate clear, * copy, cut, paste, or * selectAll events. However, other classes that extend the * InteractiveObject class, including components built using the Flash Text * Engine(FTE), will dispatch these events in response to user actions such * as keyboard shortcuts and context menus.

static var CLOSE:String

The Event.CLOSE constant defines the value of the * type property of a close event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var COMPLETE:String

The Event.COMPLETE constant defines the value of the * type property of a complete event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var CONNECT:String

The Event.CONNECT constant defines the value of the * type property of a connect event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var COPY:String

Defines the value of the type property of a copy * event object. *

This event has the following properties:

*

Note: TextField objects do not dispatch * clear, copy, cut, * paste, or selectAll events. TextField objects * always include Cut, Copy, Paste, Clear, and Select All commands in the * context menu. You cannot remove these commands from the context menu for * TextField objects. For TextField objects, selecting these commands(or * their keyboard equivalents) does not generate clear, * copy, cut, paste, or * selectAll events. However, other classes that extend the * InteractiveObject class, including components built using the Flash Text * Engine(FTE), will dispatch these events in response to user actions such * as keyboard shortcuts and context menus.

static var CUT:String

Defines the value of the type property of a cut * event object. *

This event has the following properties:

*

Note: TextField objects do not dispatch * clear, copy, cut, * paste, or selectAll events. TextField objects * always include Cut, Copy, Paste, Clear, and Select All commands in the * context menu. You cannot remove these commands from the context menu for * TextField objects. For TextField objects, selecting these commands(or * their keyboard equivalents) does not generate clear, * copy, cut, paste, or * selectAll events. However, other classes that extend the * InteractiveObject class, including components built using the Flash Text * Engine(FTE), will dispatch these events in response to user actions such * as keyboard shortcuts and context menus.

static var DEACTIVATE:String

The Event.DEACTIVATE constant defines the value of the * type property of a deactivate event object. *

Note: This event has neither a "capture phase" nor a "bubble * phase", which means that event listeners must be added directly to any * potential targets, whether the target is on the display list or not.

*

AIR for TV devices never automatically dispatch this event. You can, * however, dispatch it manually.

* *

This event has the following properties:

static var ENTER_FRAME:String

The Event.ENTER_FRAME constant defines the value of the * type property of an enterFrame event object. *

Note: This event has neither a "capture phase" nor a "bubble * phase", which means that event listeners must be added directly to any * potential targets, whether the target is on the display list or not.

*

This event has the following properties:

static var EXIT_FRAME:String

The Event.EXIT_FRAME constant defines the value of the * type property of an exitFrame event object. *

Note: This event has neither a "capture phase" nor a "bubble * phase", which means that event listeners must be added directly to any * potential targets, whether the target is on the display list or not.

*

This event has the following properties:

static var FRAME_CONSTRUCTED:String

The Event.FRAME_CONSTRUCTED constant defines the value of the * type property of an frameConstructed event * object. *

Note: This event has neither a "capture phase" nor a "bubble * phase", which means that event listeners must be added directly to any * potential targets, whether the target is on the display list or not.

*

This event has the following properties:

static var FULLSCREEN:String

The Event.FULL_SCREEN constant defines the value of the * type property of a fullScreen event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var ID3:String

The Event.ID3 constant defines the value of the * type property of an id3 event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var INIT:String

The Event.INIT constant defines the value of the * type property of an init event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var MOUSE_LEAVE:String

The Event.MOUSE_LEAVE constant defines the value of the * type property of a mouseLeave event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var OPEN:String

The Event.OPEN constant defines the value of the * type property of an open event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var PASTE:String

The Event.PASTE constant defines the value of the * type property of a paste event object. *

This event has the following properties:

*

Note: TextField objects do not dispatch * clear, copy, cut, * paste, or selectAll events. TextField objects * always include Cut, Copy, Paste, Clear, and Select All commands in the * context menu. You cannot remove these commands from the context menu for * TextField objects. For TextField objects, selecting these commands(or * their keyboard equivalents) does not generate clear, * copy, cut, paste, or * selectAll events. However, other classes that extend the * InteractiveObject class, including components built using the Flash Text * Engine(FTE), will dispatch these events in response to user actions such * as keyboard shortcuts and context menus.

static var REMOVED:String

The Event.REMOVED constant defines the value of the * type property of a removed event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var REMOVED_FROM_STAGE:String

The Event.REMOVEDFROMSTAGE constant defines the value of * the type property of a removedFromStage event * object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var RENDER:String

The Event.RENDER constant defines the value of the * type property of a render event object. *

Note: This event has neither a "capture phase" nor a "bubble * phase", which means that event listeners must be added directly to any * potential targets, whether the target is on the display list or not.

*

This event has the following properties:

static var RESIZE:String

The Event.RESIZE constant defines the value of the * type property of a resize event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var SCROLL:String

The Event.SCROLL constant defines the value of the * type property of a scroll event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var SELECT:String

The Event.SELECT constant defines the value of the * type property of a select event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var SELECT_ALL:String

The Event.SELECT_ALL constant defines the value of the * type property of a selectAll event object. *

This event has the following properties:

*

Note: TextField objects do not dispatch * clear, copy, cut, * paste, or selectAll events. TextField objects * always include Cut, Copy, Paste, Clear, and Select All commands in the * context menu. You cannot remove these commands from the context menu for * TextField objects. For TextField objects, selecting these commands(or * their keyboard equivalents) does not generate clear, * copy, cut, paste, or * selectAll events. However, other classes that extend the * InteractiveObject class, including components built using the Flash Text * Engine(FTE), will dispatch these events in response to user actions such * as keyboard shortcuts and context menus.

static var SOUND_COMPLETE:String

The Event.SOUND_COMPLETE constant defines the value of the * type property of a soundComplete event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var TAB_CHILDREN_CHANGE:String

The Event.TABCHILDRENCHANGE constant defines the value of * the type property of a tabChildrenChange event * object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var TAB_ENABLED_CHANGE:String

The Event.TABENABLEDCHANGE constant defines the value of * the type property of a tabEnabledChange event * object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var TAB_INDEX_CHANGE:String

The Event.TABINDEXCHANGE constant defines the value of the * type property of a tabIndexChange event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var TEXT_INTERACTION_MODE_CHANGE:String

The Event.TEXTINTERACTIONMODE_CHANGE constant defines the * value of the type property of a interaction mode * event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var UNLOAD:String

The Event.UNLOAD constant defines the value of the * type property of an unload event object. * *

This event has the following properties:

static var VIDEO_FRAME:String

static var WORKER_STATE:String

Instance Fields

var bubbles:Bool

Indicates whether an event is a bubbling event. If the event can bubble, * this value is true; otherwise it is false. *

When an event occurs, it moves through the three phases of the event * flow: the capture phase, which flows from the top of the display list * hierarchy to the node just before the target node; the target phase, which * comprises the target node; and the bubbling phase, which flows from the * node subsequent to the target node back up the display list hierarchy.

*

Some events, such as the activate and unload * events, do not have a bubbling phase. The bubbles property * has a value of false for events that do not have a bubbling * phase.

var cancelable:Bool

Indicates whether the behavior associated with the event can be prevented. * If the behavior can be canceled, this value is true; * otherwise it is false.

var currentTarget:Dynamic

The object that is actively processing the Event object with an event * listener. For example, if a user clicks an OK button, the current target * could be the node containing that button or one of its ancestors that has * registered an event listener for that event.

var eventPhase:EventPhase

The current phase in the event flow. This property can contain the * following numeric values: *

    *
  • The capture phase(EventPhase.CAPTURINGPHASE).
  • *
  • The target phase(EventPhase.ATTARGET).
  • *
  • The bubbling phase(EventPhase.BUBBLING_PHASE).
  • *

var target:Dynamic

The event target. This property contains the target node. For example, if * a user clicks an OK button, the target node is the display list node * containing that button.

var type:String

The type of event. The type is case-sensitive.

function new(type:String, ?bubbles:Bool, ?cancelable:Bool):Void

Creates an Event object to pass as a parameter to event listeners. * *

type

The type of the event, accessible as * Event.type. *

bubbles

Determines whether the Event object participates in the * bubbling stage of the event flow. The default value is * false. *

cancelable

Determines whether the Event object can be canceled. The * default values is false.

function clone():Event

Duplicates an instance of an Event subclass. *

Returns a new Event object that is a copy of the original instance of * the Event object. You do not normally call clone(); the * EventDispatcher class calls it automatically when you redispatch an * event - that is, when you call dispatchEvent(event) from a * handler that is handling event.

*

The new Event object includes all the properties of the original.

*

When creating your own custom Event class, you must override the * inherited Event.clone() method in order for it to duplicate * the properties of your custom class. If you do not set all the properties * that you add in your event subclass, those properties will not have the * correct values when listeners handle the redispatched event.

*

In this example, PingEvent is a subclass of * Event and therefore implements its own version of * clone().

* *

returns

A new Event object that is identical to the original.

function formatToString(className:String, ?p1:Dynamic, ?p2:Dynamic, ?p3:Dynamic, ?p4:Dynamic, ?p5:Dynamic):String

A utility function for implementing the toString() method in * custom ActionScript 3.0 Event classes. Overriding the * toString() method is recommended, but not required. <pre * xml:space="preserve"> class PingEvent extends Event { var URL:String; * public override function toString():String { return * formatToString("PingEvent", "type", "bubbles", "cancelable", "eventPhase", * "URL"); } } * *

className

The name of your custom Event class. In the previous example, the className parameter is PingEvent. *

returns

The name of your custom Event class and the String value of your * ...arguments parameter.

function isDefaultPrevented():Bool

Checks whether the preventDefault() method has been called on * the event. If the preventDefault() method has been called, * returns true; otherwise, returns false. * *

returns

If preventDefault() has been called, returns * true; otherwise, returns false.

function preventDefault():Void

Cancels an event's default behavior if that behavior can be canceled. *

Many events have associated behaviors that are carried out by default. * For example, if a user types a character into a text field, the default * behavior is that the character is displayed in the text field. Because the * TextEvent.TEXT_INPUT event's default behavior can be * canceled, you can use the preventDefault() method to prevent * the character from appearing.

*

An example of a behavior that is not cancelable is the default behavior * associated with the Event.REMOVED event, which is generated * whenever Flash Player is about to remove a display object from the display * list. The default behavior(removing the element) cannot be canceled, so * the preventDefault() method has no effect on this default * behavior.

* *

You can use the Event.cancelable property to check whether * you can prevent the default behavior associated with a particular event. * If the value of Event.cancelable is true, then * preventDefault() can be used to cancel the event; otherwise, * preventDefault() has no effect.

function stopImmediatePropagation():Void

Prevents processing of any event listeners in the current node and any * subsequent nodes in the event flow. This method takes effect immediately, * and it affects event listeners in the current node. In contrast, the * stopPropagation() method doesn't take effect until all the * event listeners in the current node finish processing. * *

Note: This method does not cancel the behavior associated with * this event; see preventDefault() for that functionality.

function stopPropagation():Void

Prevents processing of any event listeners in nodes subsequent to the * current node in the event flow. This method does not affect any event * listeners in the current node(currentTarget). In contrast, * the stopImmediatePropagation() method prevents processing of * event listeners in both the current node and subsequent nodes. Additional * calls to this method have no effect. This method can be called in any * phase of the event flow. * *

Note: This method does not cancel the behavior associated with * this event; see preventDefault() for that functionality.

function toString():String

Returns a string containing all the properties of the Event object. The * string is in the following format: * *

[Event type=value bubbles=value * cancelable=value]

* *

returns

A string containing all the properties of the Event object.