# Trying to learn how to dispatch custom events - PLEASE HELP

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-learn-how-to-dispatch-custom-events-please-help/326350>\
**Category:** flash\
**Created:** [December 8, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-learn-how-to-dispatch-custom-events-please-help/326350 "2011-12-08T01:34:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![fenixink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fenixink](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/fenixink)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-learn-how-to-dispatch-custom-events-please-help/326350/1 "2011-12-08T01:34:47Z")

</div>

I have a ListItem class attached to a movieClip in the library.  
There is an instance of the ListItem on stage with an instance name of: mcListItem1

Here is the ListItem class

```auto

import mx.transitions.Tween;
import mx.transitions.easing.*;
import mx.events.EventDispatcher;

class net.tread1.PTListItem extends MovieClip{
	//Class Variables
	private var markTween:Tween; //Tween for fading in checkmark
	private var boxTween:Tween; //Tween for fading in checkbox
	private var textTween:Tween; //Tween for fading in text
	private var marked:Boolean; //Boolean to store if ListItem is marked or not
	private var origY:Number; //Original y coordinate of the ListItem
	private var itemNumber:Number;	//The number of the mc the item relates too
	
	//Class Objects
	private var txtText:TextField;	//The textfield in the listItem (txtText)
	private var checkMark:MovieClip;//The checkmark in the listItem (mcCheck)
	private var checkBox:MovieClip;	//The checkbox in the listItem (mcCheckbox)
	
	//Class Constants/Statics
	private static var TEXT;
	private static var CHECKMARK;
	private static var CHECKBOX;
	private static var ITEM_START_ALPHA = 0;	//The alpha each list item starts at
	private static var END_ALPHA = 100; //The alpha each list item ends at when faded in
	
	//EventDispatcher Constants
	private static var addEventListener:Function;
    private static var removeEventListener:Function;
    private static var dispatchEvent:Function;
	
	//Class Constructor
	public function PTListItem(){
		
		//Wait until this item is loaded
		this.onLoad = function():Void{
			//Initialize EventDispatcher
			EventDispatcher.initialize(this);
			
			//Initialize all non-constant variables
			init();
			
			//Set event dispatchers
			setDispatchers();
		}
		
	}//END CONSTRUCTOR
		
	private function init():Void{
		
		//Stop the list movieclip
		this.stop();
		
		//Initialize runtime constants
		TEXT = this['txtText'];
		CHECKMARK = this['mcCheck'];
		CHECKBOX = this['mcCheckbox'];

		//Initialize variables
		marked = false;
		origY = this._y;
		
		//Set alphas
		//TEXT._alpha = ITEM_START_ALPHA;
		//CHECKMARK._alpha = ITEM_START_ALPHA;
		//CHECKBOX._alpha = ITEM_START_ALPHA;
		
	}//END INIT
	
	private function setDispatchers():Void{
		this.onRollOver = function(){
			dispatchEvent({type:'light', target:this, object:1});
			trace("dispatching Event");
		}
	}

}//END CLASS

```

Here is the code from the main timeline of the .fla where I then try to catch the event being dispatched:

```auto

import mx.utils.Delegate;

function handleConstruct(evt):Void{
	trace("inside handle event");
	trace(evt.type);
	trace(evt.target);
	trace(evt.object);
}

mcListItem1.addEventListener('light', Delegate.create(this,handleConstruct));

```

This is line for line from a tutorial I found and the code is in accordance with several other tutorials I found yet the event is either not being dispatched or it’s not being heard because the only trace I get is from the trace line after the dispatchEvent.

Any help would be appreciated.