# setMask() question

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/setmask-question/223307>\
**Category:** flash\
**Created:** [April 21, 2007, 3:03am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/setmask-question/223307 "2007-04-21T03:03:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![matthewjumps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/49beb7/32.png) [@matthewjumps](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/matthewjumps)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 3:03am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/setmask-question/223307/1 "2007-04-21T03:03:35Z")

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Hi peoples. I am using one masking movie clip instance, aptly named “mask”, and i want to make it the mask for a bunch of duplicated movie clips. i tried using this[“duplicate\_”+i].setMask(\_root.mask); but what happens is only the last created duplicate gets masked… what seems to me to be happening is that setMask only accepts one mask and one maskee, if i try to add more maskees then it removes the previous one from the mask and adds the new one only.

this is a problem, i need to be able to mask the whole bunch of movie clips, then release a specific one onPress, and then remask it onRelease.

any suggestions/info appreciated :be: