Dot Syntax
ActionScript uses what is called dot syntax. For example, if you have a movie clip called red_shirt inside of the movie clip called santa_claus, then one way to access that object is
_root.santa_claus.red_shirt
_root is the base of all Flash movies. If you want to find out where red_shirt is on the stage, you could use
xPosition = _root.santa_claus.red_shirt._x;
_x is a property that returns the horizontal position of the object. We'll talk more about properties soon.
If you're familiar with JavaScript, dot syntax will look familiar to you: for example,
document.myForm.textBox.value = "Try again!"; document.image['nav'].src = 'images/clickme.gif';
If you're familiar with Flash 4, you're used to the slash syntax. Hopefully, you'll find dot syntax a little more intuitive and easier to use.