# Accessing a movieClip on the stage from within another movieClip

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/accessing-a-movieclip-on-the-stage-from-within-another-movieclip/277557>\
**Category:** flash\
**Created:** [December 13, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/accessing-a-movieclip-on-the-stage-from-within-another-movieclip/277557 "2008-12-13T18:15:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![flashTrev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@flashTrev](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/flashTrev)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/accessing-a-movieclip-on-the-stage-from-within-another-movieclip/277557/1 "2008-12-13T18:15:36Z")

</div>

Hi, after many hours searching through many forums and posts im still not finding the answer to what should be pretty simple to achive. If anyone has an idea please do tell me.

Problem is this:-

I have two movieClip’s on a stage (on the main timeline). Called ‘box4\_mc’ and ‘fadeSquare\_mc’. Inside ‘box4\_mc’ on its timeline (but only on frame 54) is a button called ‘close4\_btn’. When I click on ‘close4\_btn’ I want ‘fadeSquare\_mc.play();’ to work. The actionscript code has to go on the ‘box4\_mc’ timeline because the button doesn’t exist to the main timelime. I have attached a .fla file zipped up as an example. I have tried the following:

```auto
 
this.parent.fadeSquare_mc.play();

```

and also

```auto
 
this.fadeSquare_mc.play();

```

the first gives an error _1119: Access of possibly undefined property fadeSquare\_mc through a reference with static type flash.displayDisplayObjectContainer._

the 2nd gives  
_TypeError: Error #1010: A term is undefined and has no properties.  
at boxes4a\_fla::box4\_12/closeBox4()_

im at a loss what to do.

Thanks in advance.