# Underscore or not?

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/underscore-or-not/253316>\
**Category:** random\
**Created:** [February 29, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/underscore-or-not/253316 "2008-02-29T01:29:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![glosrfc](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/forum.kirupa.com/glosrfc/32/8334_2.png) [@glosrfc](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/glosrfc)\
**Post date:** [February 29, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/underscore-or-not/253316/1 "2008-02-29T01:29:55Z")

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Just curious about this…but why do some Flash properties in AS1/2 require an underscore when similar properties don’t? For example, MovieClip.enabled is a boolean property that doesn’t have an underscore. Yet MovieClip.\_visible is a similar boolean property that does require an underscore. Both properties are public so that can’t be the reason.

And what about Stage.width and MovieClip.\_width?

Or how about Video which has both .width .\_width properties??

I guess it’s just one of those arcane historical things that makes Actionscript such a forgiving joy to work with … and a real pain to debug at times.