# Referring to instances using a variable

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/referring-to-instances-using-a-variable/185706>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [April 15, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/referring-to-instances-using-a-variable/185706 "2006-04-15T18:14:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tshugart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@tshugart](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/tshugart)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/referring-to-instances-using-a-variable/185706/1 "2006-04-15T18:14:08Z")

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I want to be able to edit an instances properties using a variable not the instance name, for example:

instead of…  
\_root.instance\_mc.\_alpha = 100;

I would like to use…  
variable\_name.\_alpha = 100; // like in javascript

I tried setting the variable to the instance name…  
variable = \_root.instance\_mc;

…but that didn’t work.

Any ideas? I have a flash book and nowhere did they talk about this being done. It would make my life a whole lot easier.

Thanks,  
Trey

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**Author:** ![mprzybylski](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/forum.kirupa.com/mprzybylski/32/613_2.png) [@mprzybylski](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/mprzybylski)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 6:15pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/referring-to-instances-using-a-variable/185706/2 "2006-04-15T18:15:50Z")

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\_root[“variable\_name”].\_alpha = 100;