# AS+XML: variable is "300" but early after "NaN"

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/as-xml-variable-is-300-but-early-after-nan/317357>\
**Category:** flash\
**Created:** [December 17, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/as-xml-variable-is-300-but-early-after-nan/317357 "2010-12-17T16:46:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kumbpel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eb8c5e/32.png) [@kumbpel](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/kumbpel)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/as-xml-variable-is-300-but-early-after-nan/317357/1 "2010-12-17T16:46:46Z")

</div>

inside the processXML-function the trace(my\_thumb\_distance) shows the right content: 300. outside the function it traces “NaN”.

why is the variable my\_thumb\_distance outside the function “not a number” anymore?

thank you for your help!  
any ideas to fix it?

```auto
var columns:Number;
var my_x:Number;
var my_y:Number;
var my_thumb_width:Number;
var my_thumb_height:Number;
var my_thumb_distance:Number;
var my_images:XMLList;
var my_total:Number;

var myXMLLoader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
myXMLLoader.load(new URLRequest("content.xml"));
myXMLLoader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, processXML);

function processXML(e:Event):void {
    
    var myXML:XML = new XML(e.target.data);

    columns = myXML.@COLUMNS;
    my_x = myXML.@XPOSITION;
    my_y = myXML.@YPOSITION;
    my_thumb_width = myXML.@WIDTH;
    my_thumb_height = myXML.@HEIGHT;
    my_thumb_distance = myXML.@DISTANCE;
    my_images = myXML.IMAGE;
    my_total = my_images.length();[COLOR=Red]

[/COLOR] [COLOR=Red]trace(my_thumb_distance);[/COLOR]

    myXMLLoader.removeEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, processXML);
    myXMLLoader = null;
}

[COLOR=Red]trace(my_thumb_distance);[/COLOR]

```