# Back to basics, tracking mouse coords into an array

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/back-to-basics-tracking-mouse-coords-into-an-array/44982>\
**Category:** flash\
**Created:** [March 9, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/back-to-basics-tracking-mouse-coords-into-an-array/44982 "2004-03-09T21:02:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![xMetal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xMetal](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/xMetal)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/back-to-basics-tracking-mouse-coords-into-an-array/44982/1 "2004-03-09T21:02:46Z")

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Hello all,

I’ve been reading through all the various threads related to the drawing API and saving drawings. About a hundred times I’ve seen mention of “log mouse positions into an array” and stuff like that, but I can’t find any clear and simple examples of how to do this.

Let’s take a very simple use of the drawing object to do freeform drawing. What is the AS to capture the mouse XYs as the user draws and put that into an array. I can’t figure out how to get Flash to keep updating things as I go, it invariably grabs the fist point and that’s it.

Could one of you AS gods just write out a super simple routine for this? I know I’m not the only one that needs this (as it seems to be asked every week)

Let’s use the most basic drawing example I can find:

[AS]\_root.createEmptyMovieClip(“line”,1);

\_root.onMouseDown = function(){  
line.moveTo(\_xmouse,\_ymouse);  
line.lineStyle(0,0x000000,100);  
this.onEnterFrame = function(){  
line.lineTo(\_xmouse,\_ymouse);  
}  
}  
\_root.onMouseUp = function(){  
this.onEnterFrame = null;  
}[/AS]

Where/what gets added to just capture all those \_xmouse and \_ymouse?

Thanks a bajillion everyone

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**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 7:53pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/back-to-basics-tracking-mouse-coords-into-an-array/44982/2 "2004-03-11T19:53:10Z")

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Anytime 😉