# Cant use parent to access vars on root

**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/cant-use-parent-to-access-vars-on-root/255277
**Category:** flash
**Created:** [March 20, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/cant-use-parent-to-access-vars-on-root/255277 "2008-03-20T17:54:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![rondog](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/forum.kirupa.com/rondog/32/2478_2.png) [@rondog](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/rondog)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/cant-use-parent-to-access-vars-on-root/255277/1 "2008-03-20T17:54:42Z")

</div>

I have a few variables on the root of my timeline. They are set to nothing right now:

```auto

/ **************************************
* vars to send to mysql
***************************************** /
var title:String;
var description:String;
var segtitle:String;
var location:String;
var date:String;
var rights;
var keywords:String;

```

I am inside a movieclip and I want to set those variables to whatever is in the text fields so i did(when they click submit):

```auto

        this.parent.title = titlefield.text;
        this.parent.description = descfield.text;
        this.parent.segtitle = segfield.text;
        this.parent.location = locationfield.text;
        this.parent.date = datefield.text;
        this.parent.rights = gr1.selectedData;
        this.parent.keywords = searchfield.text;

```

when I compile, I get a bunch of these errors:

1119: Access of possibly undefined property title through a reference with static type flash.display:DisplayObjectContainer.

any idea?