# Remove child before adding one in its place

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/remove-child-before-adding-one-in-its-place/331382>\
**Category:** flash\
**Created:** [July 19, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/remove-child-before-adding-one-in-its-place/331382 "2013-07-19T22:42:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![JmacUSAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@JmacUSAF](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/JmacUSAF)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/remove-child-before-adding-one-in-its-place/331382/1 "2013-07-19T22:42:14Z")

</div>

Hi,  
I’m trying to do my best teaching myself programming, but it is taking me all day to figure this out, even after surfing threads about adding and removing children. I am a coach and want to use this drawing app for the kids. I have three different mc’s that have drawing code in them. Each movie clip has a different canvas in it. One is blank, one looks like a soccer field, One looks like a gym, and the other looks like a basketball court. Its for drawing players and plays. On the main stage I have three thumbnails of the canvas’. What I would like to do, is when you click on the thumbnail, it adds that specific movie clip to the stage. When another thumbnail is clicked, I would like it to check and remove one if it is there, and then add the new canvas to the stage (for performance). I also have an exit button to clear the child in the 0 index which is where I addChild. I think I’m using indexes in a bad way! Im sure my code is rough around the edges but here it is. Even if I need to work with a new idea, I would love your help problem solving this!

Thanks  
Josh

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[TR]  
[TD]  
import flash.display.SimpleButton;

//Adds functionality to the exit button  
exit.visible = false;  
exit.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, closePaint);

function closePaint(evt:MouseEvent):void  
{  
removeChildAt(0);  
exit.visible = false;  
}

//adds event listeners to the sketchpad thumbnails  
blank.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, blankSketch);  
gym.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, gymSketch);  
goal.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, goalSketch);  
basketball.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, basketSketch);

//creates function for sketch pad thumbnails  
function blankSketch(evt:MouseEvent):void  
{  
var blankSketch:mc\_sketchPadBlank = new mc\_sketchPadBlank;  
blankSketch.x = 152;  
blankSketch.y = 156;  
blankSketch.width = 674;  
blankSketch.height = 503;  
blankSketch.name = “blankSketch”;  
addChildAt(blankSketch, 0);  
exit.visible = true;  
for( var i:uint = 0; i \< numChildren; i++){ trace(getChildAt(i).name + i) }  
}  
function gymSketch(evt:MouseEvent):void  
{  
var gymSketch:mc\_sketchGym = new mc\_sketchGym;  
gymSketch.x = 152;  
gymSketch.y = 156;  
gymSketch.width = 674;  
gymSketch.height = 503;  
gymSketch.name = “gymSketch”;  
addChildAt(gymSketch, 0);  
exit.visible = true;  
for( var i:uint = 0; i \< numChildren; i++){ trace(getChildAt(i).name + i) }  
}  
function goalSketch(evt:MouseEvent):void  
{  
var goalSketch:mc\_sketchGoal = new mc\_sketchGoal;  
goalSketch.x = 152;  
goalSketch.y = 156;  
goalSketch.width = 674;  
goalSketch.height = 503;  
goalSketch.name = “goalSketch”;  
addChildAt(goalSketch, 0);  
exit.visible = true;  
for( var i:uint = 0; i \< numChildren; i++){ trace(getChildAt(i).name + i) }  
}  
function basketSketch(evt:MouseEvent):void  
{  
var basketSketch:mc\_sketchBasket = new mc\_sketchBasket;  
basketSketch.x = 152;  
basketSketch.y = 156;  
basketSketch.width = 674;  
basketSketch.height = 503;  
basketSketch.name = “basketSketch”;  
addChildAt(basketSketch, 0);  
exit.visible = true;  
for( var i:uint = 0; i \< numChildren; i++){ trace(getChildAt(i).name + i) }  
}

[/TD]  
[/TR]  
[/TABLE]