# Target mc's inside a mc placed with addchild

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/target-mcs-inside-a-mc-placed-with-addchild/232812>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [July 18, 2007, 1:01am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/target-mcs-inside-a-mc-placed-with-addchild/232812 "2007-07-18T01:01:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![patrickjv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@patrickjv](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/patrickjv)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 1:01am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/target-mcs-inside-a-mc-placed-with-addchild/232812/1 "2007-07-18T01:01:11Z")

</div>

ISSUE 1)

- I have an MC1 dragged on stage in keyframe.
- MC1 creates a MC2 with addChild action.
- MC2 creates MC3 with addChild action … addChild(obj[2]),  
so far so good and working fine.

In this MC3 there are 6 instances of MC4 placed in a keyframe, all of the 6 MC4 instances have instance name, “part1” to “part6”. I’m trying to position the 6 instances randomly on X-Y values with script in MC2;

var target:\*;  
for (j=1; j\<=6; j++) {  
target = “obj[2].part” + j;  
target.x = Math.random()\*20-Math.random()\*20;  
}

but I get a  
ReferenceError: Error #1056: Cannot create property x on String.

I tried using Array and Object and MovieClip but none accepts it. In AS2 I  
could simply use setProperty(“obj[2].part” + j, \_x …  
but in AS3 it’s removed.

funny is that  
obj[2].part1.x = Math.random()\*20-Math.random()\*20;  
obj[2].part2.x = Math.random()\*20-Math.random()\*20;  
obj[2].part3.x = Math.random()\*20-Math.random()\*20;  
etc  
works fine.

I’m looking for the correct syntax in merging “obj[2].part” plus j together to be able to target it.

ISSUE 2)  
in MC4 putting script  
var myParent:\* = MovieClip(parent);  
trace(myParent)

indeed traces the linkage name of MC3 / obj[2] correctly but

trace(myParent.myParent)

results in Undefined, while MC2 DOES have a linkage name and should be traced fine. And

trace(myParent.myParent.myParent)

results in a

TypeError: Error #1010: A term is undefined and has no properties.

although MC1 ALSO has a linkage name and should be traced fine as well.  
Any enlightenment on this phenomena? Does it have to do with fact that the 6 instances are placed in keyframe and not created with addChild?

P.