# Following my mouse movements from within a movie
**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/following-my-mouse-movements-from-within-a-movie/2606
**Category:** Uncategorized
**Created:** [May 22, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/following-my-mouse-movements-from-within-a-movie/2606 "2002-05-22T14:32:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/following-my-mouse-movements-from-within-a-movie/2606/1 "2002-05-22T14:32:26Z")
hello!
i’ve got a little actionscript that makes a shape follow my mouse about the screen. it works fine when i place it in a layer. however, when the code is in a mc and i place the mc in my layer, then i get no joy
i expect i need a line like tellTarget when using buttons within a mc to target places outside the mc?
any helps is appreciated
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2002, 4:19am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/following-my-mouse-movements-from-within-a-movie/2606/2 "2002-05-23T04:19:57Z")
You probebly need to change a small piece of the code.
What is the code you currently are using for the “follow”?
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2002, 5:43am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/following-my-mouse-movements-from-within-a-movie/2606/3 "2002-05-24T05:43:56Z")
i have a graphic named box and an empty movie clip with 2 frames
frame1:
if (\_root.\_xmouse\>\_level0.box.\_x) {
\_level0.box.\_x = (\_level0.box.\_x+10);
} else {
\_level0.box.\_x = (\_level0.box.\_x-10);
}
* * *
frame2:
if (\_root.\_xmouse\>\_level0.box.\_x) {
\_level0.box.\_x = (\_level0.box.\_x+10);
} else {
\_level0.box.\_x = (\_level0.box.\_x-10);
}
gotoAndPlay (1);
PS i found the example on the net, so i’ve no idea if this is the best way of doing things
cheers
🙂
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2002, 6:00am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/following-my-mouse-movements-from-within-a-movie/2606/4 "2002-05-24T06:00:23Z")
well you could try it like this…
frame1:
if (\_parent.\_xmouse\>\_parent.box.\_x) {
\_parent.box.\_x = (\_parent.box.\_x+10);
} else {
\_parent.box.\_x = (\_parent.box.\_x-10);
}
* * *
frame2:
if (\_parent.\_xmouse\>\_parent.box.\_x) {
\_parent.box.\_x = (\_parent.box.\_x+10);
} else {
\_parent.box.\_x = (\_parent.box.\_x-10);
}
gotoAndPlay (1);
but personaly I would do it like this.
take the same box and place it on the stage in a new blank layer. Select it, and check it out in the “instance” panel. If it is there and lists it as a movie clip, you can do this trick… If not, switch it to a movie clip in the instance panel. It will work just as well.
Now you just select it, open the “action” panel, and type in the following.
onclipEvent(enterFrame){
diff=\_x-\_root.mouse;
\_x+=diff/4;
}
you can change the rate of movement by dividing the diff by higher and higher numbers.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/following-my-mouse-movements-from-within-a-movie/2606/5 "2002-05-27T14:31:09Z")
superb!
you make it look easy! 😛
the reason i wanted this feature inside a movieclip and not directly on the layer is bacause the mc is the whole gui (which i place on the layer), and in that gui ther are 4 buttons in a corner - and i only want the shape-that-follows-the-mouse to happen in that corner of the screen. but i can set it up on the layer and just use a mask around the corner of the screen (the gui mc, when placed on the layer) where the buttons appear
🙂
cheers!