String value returning null from a Dynamic Textfield with XML data ....and I have NO clue why....

programming flash
1

I am setting up a textbook type app where I can grab culinary recipes from an xml file. I am working with a mc labeled “Cookies” where I dynamically make a certain amount of buttons depending on how many cookie recipes I have in my xml file. My URL loader and XML data is on the main stage and I grab it from inside a movie clip.

I am getting TypeError: Error #2007: Parameter text must be non-null.
at flash.text::TextField/set text()

However, I am never setting targetBtn:string to null…

function initializeCookieRecipes():void
{
for (var i:int = 0; i < MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.@name.length(); i++)
{
var cookieTypeBtn:btn_cookieType = new btn_cookieType;
cookieTypeBtn.name = “cookie” + i;
cookieTypeBtn.cookieTypeName.text = MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.@name[i];
cookieTypeBtn.x = xCoord;
cookieTypeBtn.y = yCoord;
cookieBtnArray.push(cookieTypeBtn);
cookieTypeBtn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, chooseCookieRecipe);
cookieTypeBtn.buttonMode = true;
addChild(cookieTypeBtn);

		if (yCoord < 100)
		{
		yCoord = yCoord + 65.75;
		}else
		{
			xCoord = xCoord + 280.8;
			yCoord = -221.60;
		}
}
isInitialized = true;
xCoord = -270.45;
yCoord = -221.60;

}

The event listener connected to the button, removes all the buttons I just created, opens a folder type animation, and shows all of the ingredients and amounts on another mc. I am grabbing the cookie recipe I need by creating a string called targetBtn and assigning it the textfield of the button I just clicked.

function chooseCookieRecipe(event:MouseEvent):void
{
//Sets the button text to a string for xml lookup
targetBtn = event.target.text;
//Removes cookie buttons and clears cookieBtnArray
removeCookieRecipes();
//sets off an animation that looks like a folder opening and then triggers a function that adds
ingredients to the mc from the xml
folderCover.gotoAndPlay(2);
}

function addRecipeCardTxt():void
{
textContainer.x = textContainerX;
textContainer.y = textContainerY;
sp.width = 447;
sp.height = 290;
showCupCakes();

//recipeTitle.text = targetBtn;
recipeYield.text = "Yield: " + MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.(@name==targetBtn).@yield;
recipeType.text = "Type: " + MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.(@name==targetBtn).@type;
recipeTimeTemp.text = "Bake @ " + MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.(@name==targetBtn).@temp + " Degrees, for " + MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.(@name==targetBtn).@time;
cardTitle.text = “Ingredients”;

for (var i:int = 0; i < MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.(@name==targetBtn).ingredient.length(); i++)
{
if (isNaN(MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.(@name==targetBtn).ingredient[i].@amount))
{
var amountString:String = MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.(@name==targetBtn).ingredient[i].@amount;
amountIntArray.push(amountString)
}else
{
var amountInt:Number = MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.(@name==targetBtn).ingredient[i].@amount;
amountIntArray.push(amountInt);
}

  var amountTxtBox:TextField = new TextField();
  amountTxtBox.name = "amount" + i;
  amountTxtBox.x = amountX;
  amountTxtBox.y = amountY;
  amountTxtBox.defaultTextFormat = recipeFormat;

  if (amountIntArray[i] is Number)
  {
  amountTxtBox.text = (amountIntArray[i] * recipeSize) + " " + MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.(@name==targetBtn).ingredient[i].@measurement;
  }else
  {
  	amountTxtBox.text = (amountIntArray[i]) + " " + MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.(@name==targetBtn).ingredient[i].@measurement;
  }
  txtBoxArray.push(amountTxtBox);
  textContainer.addChild(amountTxtBox);
  amountY = amountY + 25;

  var ingredientTxtBox:TextField = new TextField();
  ingredientTxtBox.name = "ingredient" + i;
  ingredientTxtBox.x = ingredientX;
  ingredientTxtBox.y = ingredientY;
  ingredientTxtBox.width = 500;
  ingredientTxtBox.defaultTextFormat = recipeFormat;
  ingredientTxtBox.text = MovieClip(root).XMLRecipes.cookie.(@name==targetBtn).ingredient[i];
  ingredientBoxArray.push(ingredientTxtBox);
  textContainer.addChild(ingredientTxtBox);
  ingredientY = ingredientY + 25;

}

sp.update();
amountX = -190.65
amountY = -40.60
ingredientX = -80.80
ingredientY = -40.60
}

I have a back button, that removes all ingredient data, and shows the cookie recipes again on the cover of the folder. Sometimes it works and I can select another cookie, and sometimes it doesn’t work and targetBtn returns a null. I am never setting it to a null, so i don’t know why it works sometimes and not others. Is there a delay that I’m missing. The buttons are there to click so I don’t know why targetBtn would not get assigned the textfield box and return a null. Is there a better way maybe to grab the selected button and get the ingredient info from the xmldata object instead of getting it from a textfield?

function goBack(event:MouseEvent):void
{

targetBtn = “”;
clearTitleTxtBoxes();
clearTxtBoxes();
folderCover.gotoAndPlay(10);
}

function clearTxtBoxes():void
{
while (textContainer.numChildren > 0)
{
textContainer.removeChildAt(0);
}
txtBoxArray.length = 0;
ingredientBoxArray.length = 0;
amountIntArray.length = 0;
}