# Why the textfield's text doesn't show on the screen?

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/why-the-textfields-text-doesnt-show-on-the-screen/34962>\
**Category:** flash\
**Created:** [November 8, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/why-the-textfields-text-doesnt-show-on-the-screen/34962 "2003-11-08T13:51:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SBUH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@SBUH](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/SBUH)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/why-the-textfields-text-doesnt-show-on-the-screen/34962/1 "2003-11-08T13:51:24Z")

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Hello, I have one textfield which is presented like  
\_root.screen1.screen2.textfield1

screen2 is the movieclip within screen1. They are movieclips and textfield1 is the textfield

I tested like  
\_root.screen1.screen2.textfield1.text=“Hi, can u see me?”;  
trace(\_root.screen1.screen2.textfield1.text);

Then I can see the result of trace which have the text I wrote, but I cannot see anything on the screen.

Could any one give some hint for why it is like this and how to modify then ?

Thanks a lot in advance!

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**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/why-the-textfields-text-doesnt-show-on-the-screen/34962/2 "2003-11-08T13:59:26Z")

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Did you mask any of those movie clips and/or the text field?

[http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/ts/documents/maskprintembed.htm](http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/ts/documents/maskprintembed.htm)  
[http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/ts/documents/mask\_device\_fonts.htm](http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/ts/documents/mask_device_fonts.htm)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/why-the-textfields-text-doesnt-show-on-the-screen/34962/3 "2003-11-08T14:16:30Z")

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make sure that textfield1 is the instancename of the textfield, not the name of the variablesname used in the textfield.  
if you created the textfield wirh AS, check if this worked, or if the mistake is there.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/why-the-textfields-text-doesnt-show-on-the-screen/34962/4 "2003-11-08T14:20:52Z")

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hi, thanks for your links. I have checked them, and I have the embeded font for the text. and it is dynamic textfield. What can be the reason then?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/why-the-textfields-text-doesnt-show-on-the-screen/34962/5 "2003-11-08T14:23:00Z")

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And I make the textfield by using text tool. Is there any problem with this?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/why-the-textfields-text-doesnt-show-on-the-screen/34962/6 "2003-11-08T14:26:08Z")

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check the color of the textfield, and if you moved one of the \_parent movie clips

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 2:31pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/why-the-textfields-text-doesnt-show-on-the-screen/34962/7 "2003-11-08T14:31:04Z")

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the color is black. What do u mean by movde one of the \_parent movieclip

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/why-the-textfields-text-doesnt-show-on-the-screen/34962/8 "2003-11-08T14:35:11Z")

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and I tried to make it like  
\_root.screen1.textfield1.text=“hello, this time!”;  
trace(\_root.screen1.textfield1.text);

Then the words are shown on the screen this time. So what is the problem with  
\_root.screen1.screen2.textfield1.text then?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/why-the-textfields-text-doesnt-show-on-the-screen/34962/9 "2003-11-09T01:02:54Z")

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is the textfield visible (make a border around it to check that)  
if not try i.e.  
trace(\_root.screen1.\_x+\_root.screen1.screen2.\_x+\_root.screen1.screen2.textfield1.\_x)  
trace(\_root.screen1.\_y+\_root.screen1.screen2.\_y+\_root.screen1.screen2.textfield1.\_y)  
to check if the position of the textfield is moved outside of the visible screen

is the textcolor equal to the backgroundcolor? Is the alpha \<100?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 3:38am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/why-the-textfields-text-doesnt-show-on-the-screen/34962/10 "2003-11-11T03:38:17Z")

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The autoSize command can help make sure the width and height will show they text you want. Also the order of the commands sometimes seems to make a diffrence.

```auto

// Create text test
_root.createTextField("test1",10,10,10,10,10);
_root.test1.text = "Test One";
_root.test1.autoSize = "LEFT";
//
_root.text_normal = new TextFormat();
_root.text_normal.font = "Arial";
//
_root.text1.setTextFormat(_root.text_normal);

```