# Controlling the timeline from inside a movie clip

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/controlling-the-timeline-from-inside-a-movie-clip/257785>\
**Category:** flash\
**Created:** [April 17, 2008, 2:17am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/controlling-the-timeline-from-inside-a-movie-clip/257785 "2008-04-17T02:17:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mpuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@mpuk](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/mpuk)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 2:17am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/controlling-the-timeline-from-inside-a-movie-clip/257785/1 "2008-04-17T02:17:54Z")

</div>

Very very simple to most of you im sure…but i’m just learning AS3 and need some basic help…

I have a button in my movie clip that I want to be able to control the main timeline with upon clicking.

I’d started with this:

```auto

nextbutton_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, onClick);

function onClick(event:MouseEvent):void
{
play();	
}

nextbutton_mc.buttonMode = true;

```

…but “play();” here obviously only controls the movie clip itself as opposed to the main timeline level. How can I control the main timeline? What would I put in place of “play();” to start a stopped timeline?

Thanks in advance.