# Getting a child's real coordinates

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395>\
**Category:** flash\
**Created:** [May 15, 2008, 5:16am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395 "2008-05-15T05:16:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![substance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@substance](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/substance)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 5:16am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395/1 "2008-05-15T05:16:49Z")

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When trying to get coordinates from a child object through it’s parent, the results are in relation to it’s parent. But what if I wanted these coordinates in relation to the stage?

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**Author:** ![ajcates](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/forum.kirupa.com/ajcates/32/2435_2.png) [@ajcates](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/ajcates)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 6:48am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395/2 "2008-05-15T06:48:02Z")

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> **[ActionScript 3 Tip of the Day - Page 28](https://www.kirupa.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2167721)**
>
> Got a web design/development question or just want to hang out with the most awesome people on the planet? Drop on in!

You thinking backwards. you need to redesign your code, so you can look from the outside in not the other way around.

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**Author:** ![substance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@substance](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/substance)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 7:16am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395/3 "2008-05-15T07:16:28Z")

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Maybe my exmaple was misleading…

In my case I am “looking from the outside in”. In my document class (stage) I’m trying to get properties from a child’s child. I understand senocular’s post but it doesnt really relate to what im doing.

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**Author:** ![ajcates](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/forum.kirupa.com/ajcates/32/2435_2.png) [@ajcates](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/ajcates)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 7:21am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395/4 "2008-05-15T07:21:34Z")

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stage.childsName.otherChild.x

Why can’t you use that then?

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**Author:** ![substance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@substance](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/substance)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 7:35am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395/5 "2008-05-15T07:35:29Z")

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[QUOTE=ajcates;2326487]stage.childsName.otherChild.x

Why can’t you use that then?[/QUOTE]

I can, but that will give me “otherChild”'s x position in relation to “childsName”. For example if I did:

```php
stage.addChild(Dad);
Dad.x = 100;
Dad.y = 100;
Dad.addChild(son);
trace (Dad.son.x);

```

It would return 0 even though it’s position will technically be 100.

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**Author:** ![doridori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@doridori](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/doridori)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 7:58am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395/6 "2008-05-15T07:58:25Z")

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You can use localToGlobal().

I’m not sure how it works exactly so you better check it out yourself.  
Search the Flash Help.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Felixz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Felixz](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Felixz)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 11:42am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395/7 "2008-05-15T11:42:52Z")

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```auto
root.addChild(Dad);
Dad.x = 100;
Dad.y = 100;
Dad.addChild(son);
var point:Point=new Point(son.x,son.y);
trace (Dad.localToGlobal(point));

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ajcates](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/forum.kirupa.com/ajcates/32/2435_2.png) [@ajcates](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/ajcates)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395/8 "2008-05-15T16:04:03Z")

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if you need to do that, then that child needs to be in the stage, not on that movieclip.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Felixz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Felixz](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Felixz)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395/9 "2008-05-15T16:45:59Z")

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> [@ajcates;2326659](#):
>
> if you need to do that, then that child needs to be in the stage, not on that movieclip.

What u mean by that?  
I used this for finding stage boundaries and it’s working perfectly on every clip which hes reference to stage

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![substance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@substance](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/substance)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 5:41pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395/10 "2008-05-15T17:41:52Z")

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Thanks all, that’s what I was looking for.

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**Author:** ![JBPresents](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@JBPresents](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/JBPresents)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2008, 12:25am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/getting-a-childs-real-coordinates/260395/11 "2008-05-16T00:25:53Z")

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woah nice  
i like that

> root.addChild(Dad);  
> Dad.x = 100;  
> Dad.y = 100;  
> Dad.addChild(son);  
> var point:Point=new Point(son.x,son.y);  
> trace (Dad.localToGlobal(point));