# Determining dimensions of external images
**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/determining-dimensions-of-external-images/57632
**Category:** flash
**Created:** [July 14, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/determining-dimensions-of-external-images/57632 "2004-07-14T20:56:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mucus\_snot](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/mucus_snot)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/determining-dimensions-of-external-images/57632/1 "2004-07-14T20:56:56Z")
Hi,
I am trying to determine the dimensions (\_height,\_width) of an external image in order to position the movie that I am loading the image in. The following code loads the image OK, but the \_width is always 0? (the first bit of the code is just a fix I found for the onload event, which wasn’t getting fired). Can anyone help???
thanks
[color=red]sol = function (f){
if( **onLoadHandler** == undefined) \_global. **onLoadHandler** = {};
**onLoadHandler** [this] = f;
};
//getter for onLoad
gol = function(){
return **onLoadHandler** [this];
}
//assign property-handlers for onLoad (courtesy of Gnut)
MovieClip.prototype.addProperty(“onLoad”, gol, sol);[/color]
[color=red][/color]
[color=#ff0000]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]
[color=#ff0000][/color]
[color=red]createEmptyMovieClip(“myImage”, 4);
myImage.onLoad = function() {
trace(this.\_width); // why 0?
};
loadMovie(“external\_image.jpg”, “myImage”);[/color]
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/determining-dimensions-of-external-images/57632/2 "2004-07-15T02:09:23Z")
dont use \_width or \_height, use
```auto
trace(this._xscale);
trace(this._yscale);
```