# The countdown tutorial!

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/the-countdown-tutorial/35911>\
**Category:** flash\
**Created:** [November 19, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/the-countdown-tutorial/35911 "2003-11-19T15:59:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ludenhud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5a626/32.png) [@ludenhud](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/ludenhud)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/the-countdown-tutorial/35911/1 "2003-11-19T15:59:04Z")

</div>

Hi!

It was nice but i want to know how to deal with the problem if I want the counter to be sett on the 6 januari. Its the date im going to egypt with my g/f.

0, 7 did´t work

I would be very happy if someone could post me some working script for this event.

Thx m8´s

> // stop the timeline  
> stop();

// first get this current year so this example  
// remains valid for some time to come  
currentDate = new Date();  
thisYear = currentDate.getFullYear();

// define the event date counting down to  
// this is constant so it won’t need to be  
// calculated in the onEnterFrame function below  
// currently counting down 'til christmas of 2003  
// Date( year, month-1, date [, hour [, minute [, second [, millisecond]]]])  
eventDate = new Date(thisYear, 11, 25);  
eventMillisecs = eventDate.getTime();

counter.onEnterFrame = function(){  
// get the current date and time as it exists at  
// this instance in time when the frame is entered  
currentDate = new Date();  
currentMillisecs = currentDate.getTime();

```
// the milliseconds between the current time and the
// time of the event can then be calculated by simply
// subtracting the current time's milliseconds from the
// milliseconds of the time of the event
this.msecs = eventMillisecs - currentMillisecs;

// if the msecs variable is less than 0, that means the
// current time is greater that the time of the event
if (this.msecs &lt;= 0){
	// and the event time has been reached!
	// play the next frame for the result of the countdown.		
	play();
	// a return can be used to exit the function since
	// in going to the next frame, there's no need to
	// continue with the remaining operations.
	return;
}

// if the date hasn't been reached, continue to
// devise seconds, minutes, hours and days from
// the calculated milliseconds
this.secs = Math.floor(this.msecs/1000); // 1000 milliseconds make a second
this.mins = Math.floor(this.secs/60); // 60 seconds make a minute
this.hours = Math.floor(this.mins/60); // 60 minutes make a hour
this.days = Math.floor(this.hours/24); // 24 hours make a second

// make sure each value doesn't exceed the range in
// which they exist. Milliseconds, for example, will
// be shown in a range of 0 - 999. The modulous
// operator, or %, well help in that. Here the values
// are also turned into strings preparing for the next step
this.msecs = string(this.msecs % 1000);
this.secs = string(this.secs % 60);
this.mins = string(this.mins % 60);
this.hours = string(this.hours % 24);
this.days = string(this.days);

// add on leading zeros for all the number values (which are
// now strings) that aren't 3 or 2 characters long based on the
// range being used to represent them. Because mseconds and
// days have up to 3 characters, a while loop is used to
// continuously add 0s until they have 3. Other values which
// only need 2 leading 0s can get by on a single if check
while (this.msecs.length &lt; 3) this.msecs = "0" + this.msecs;
if (this.secs.length &lt; 2) this.secs = "0" + this.secs;
if (this.mins.length &lt; 2) this.mins = "0" + this.mins;
if (this.hours.length &lt; 2) this.hours = "0" + this.hours;
while (this.days.length &lt; 3) this.days = "0" + this.days;

// finally, display your values. If you want to put your values
// in a textField, you can pretty much just stop here and throw them
// into your textField as desired. This example, however will go a step
// further and use images for numbers for each numerical value in the
// countdown to the desired date.

// So, for that, loop through all the movies in this counter clip using the
// evaluateFrameFrom prototype method on each. A single check for a
// _parent variable is used to make sure the property found in a for
// loop is a movieclip and is within the timeline of this counter clip.
// TextFields and buttons would also be true here, but since the contents
// within counter are strictly those numbers movieclips, we won't have to
// be concerned with such complications. The only movieclips in this counter
// clip are the numbers movieclips with the frames of the imagery making up
// the numbers of 0-9.
for(movie in this){
	if (this[movie]._parent == this) this[movie].evaluateFrameFrom(this);
}

```

};

// this function is a MovieClip.prototype meaning its available to be used by  
// all movieclips. It’s a sneaky function that saves a lot of work by using  
// name each numbers movieclip in the counter movieclip to determine which value  
// it needs to display based on the times derived from the previous  
// calculations of the onEnterFrame. What it does is seperates a movieclip’s  
// \_name into a variable word and a number. The variable word will represent  
// the variable to look up a value for in the passed variableClip and the  
// number will be used to get a character from that value (a string) which  
// represents which number this movieclip should display.  
MovieClip.prototype.evaluateFrameFrom = function(variableClip){  
// split this \_name into an array of 2 values seperated by an underscore  
var nameArray = this._name.split("_");  
// the first value represents what variable in variableClip (counter clip)  
// this movieclip is used to represent whether it be mins or hours etc.  
var numberSet = variableClip[nameArray[0]];  
// next a number representing which character in that first value this  
// movieclip should display. this will be between 0 and 2 (any one of  
// three values). number() is used to force it to be a number value.  
var character = number(nameArray[1]);  
// a frame number can then be derived from the value of the numberset  
// variable based on the character defined by character. number() is  
// used to force it to a number value and 1 is added to offset the  
// frame value by one since 0 is at frame 1 and 1 at frame 2 etc.  
var frame = 1 + number(numberSet.charAt(character));  
// if the movieclip is not already at the frame, move it there!  
if (this.\_currentframe != frame) this.gotoAndStop(frame);  
};

// an example of the above function in action would be for a movieclip  
// with the name “days\_1”. days\_1 is seperated into an array by dividing  
// the name by its “\_” character giving “days” (nameArray[0]) and “1” (nameArray[1]).  
// The value of days is then retrieved from the passed variableClip using  
// associative array ssntax and is set to numberset. The value of days in variableClip  
// would be a string something along the lines of “045”. character is then used  
// to get which of those 3 values this movieclip is to represent. It is just  
// nameArray[1] turned into a number or “1” to 1. So, charAt(1) of “045” would  
// be 4. Turn that into a number and add one and you get frame 5 where the image of  
// the 4 is located. The movieclip, days\_1, is then played to that frame to show it.