Effect

Package	mx.effects
Class	public class Effect
Inheritance	Effect EventDispatcher Object
Implements	IEffect
Subclasses	AddAction, AddChildAction, AddItemAction, Animate, CallAction, CompositeEffect, MaskEffect, RemoveAction, RemoveChildAction, RemoveItemAction, SetAction, SetPropertyAction, SetStyleAction, SoundEffect, TweenEffect, UnconstrainItemAction

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

The Effect class is an abstract base class that defines the basic functionality of all Flex effects. The Effect class defines the base factory class for all effects. The EffectInstance class defines the base class for all effect instance subclasses.

You do not create an instance of the Effect class itself in an application. Instead, you create an instance of one of the subclasses, such as Fade or WipeLeft.

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The Effect class defines the following properties, which all of its subclasses inherit:

  <mx:tagname
    Properties
    customFilter=""
    duration="500"
    filter=""
    hideFocusRing="false"
    perElementOffset="0"
    repeatCount="1"
    repeatDelay="0"
    startDelay="0"
    suspendBackgroundProcessing="false|true"
    target="effect target"
    targets="array of effect targets"
     
    Events
    effectEnd="No default"
    efectStart="No default"
  />

View the examples

More examples

Learn more

Using effects with charts
About effects
About applying Spark effects
About applying MX effects
About factory and instance classes
Working with effects
Using MX effects
Handling MX effect events
About transitions
Improving effect performance
About creating a custom effect

Related API Elements

mx.effects.EffectInstance

Public Properties

	Property		Defined By
		className : String [read-only] The name of the effect class, such as "Fade".	Effect
		constructor : Object A reference to the class object or constructor function for a given object instance.	Object
		customFilter : mx.effects:EffectTargetFilter Specifies a custom filter object, of type EffectTargetFilter, used by the effect to determine the targets on which to play the effect.	Effect
		duration : Number Duration of the effect in milliseconds.	Effect
		effectTargetHost : mx.effects:IEffectTargetHost A property that lets you access the target list-based control of a data effect.	Effect
		filter : String Specifies an algorithm for filtering targets for an effect.	Effect
		hideFocusRing : Boolean Determines whether the effect should hide the focus ring when starting the effect.	Effect
		instanceClass : Class An object of type Class that specifies the effect instance class class for this effect class.	Effect
		isPlaying : Boolean [read-only] A read-only flag which is true if any instances of the effect are currently playing, and false if none are.	Effect
		perElementOffset : Number Additional delay, in milliseconds, for effect targets after the first target of the effect.	Effect
		playheadTime : Number Current time position of the effect.	Effect
		relevantProperties : Array An Array of property names to use when performing filtering.	Effect
		relevantStyles : Array An Array of style names to use when performing filtering.	Effect
		repeatCount : int = 1 Number of times to repeat the effect.	Effect
		repeatDelay : int = 0 Amount of time, in milliseconds, to wait before repeating the effect.	Effect
		startDelay : int = 0 Amount of time, in milliseconds, to wait before starting the effect.	Effect
		suspendBackgroundProcessing : Boolean = false If true, blocks all background processing while the effect is playing.	Effect
		target : Object The object to which this effect is applied.	Effect
		targets : Array An Array of objects that are targets for the effect.	Effect
		triggerEvent : Event The Event object passed to this Effect by the EffectManager when an effect is triggered, or null if the effect is not being played by the EffectManager.	Effect

Protected Properties

	Property		Defined By
		applyTransitionEndProperties : Boolean This flag controls whether the effect, when run in a transition, automatically applies the property values according to the end state, as opposed to leaving values as set by the effect itself.	Effect
		endValuesCaptured : Boolean = false A flag containing true if the end values of an effect have already been determined, or false if they should be acquired from the current properties of the effect targets when the effect runs.	Effect

Public Methods

	Method		Defined By
		Effect(target:Object = null) Constructor.	Effect
		addEventListener(type:String, listener:Function, useCapture:Boolean = false, priority:int = 0, useWeakReference:Boolean = false):void Registers an event listener object with an EventDispatcher object so that the listener receives notification of an event.	EventDispatcher
		captureEndValues():void Captures the current values of the relevant properties on the effect's targets and saves them as end values.	Effect
		captureMoreStartValues(targets:Array):void Captures the current values of the relevant properties of an additional set of targets Flex uses this function when a data change effect is run.	Effect
		captureStartValues():void Captures the current values of the relevant properties on the effect's targets.	Effect
		createInstance(target:Object = null):IEffectInstance Creates a single effect instance and initializes it.	Effect
		createInstances(targets:Array = null):Array Takes an Array of target objects and invokes the createInstance() method on each target.	Effect
		deleteInstance(instance:IEffectInstance):void Removes event listeners from an instance and removes it from the list of instances.	Effect
		dispatchEvent(event:Event):Boolean Dispatches an event into the event flow.	EventDispatcher
		end(effectInstance:IEffectInstance = null):void Interrupts an effect that is currently playing, and jumps immediately to the end of the effect.	Effect
		getAffectedProperties():Array Returns an Array of Strings, where each String is the name of a property changed by this effect.	Effect
		hasEventListener(type:String):Boolean Checks whether the EventDispatcher object has any listeners registered for a specific type of event.	EventDispatcher
		hasOwnProperty(name:String):Boolean Indicates whether an object has a specified property defined.	Object
		isPrototypeOf(theClass:Object):Boolean Indicates whether an instance of the Object class is in the prototype chain of the object specified as the parameter.	Object
		pause():void Pauses the effect until you call the resume() method.	Effect
		play(targets:Array = null, playReversedFromEnd:Boolean = false):Array Begins playing the effect.	Effect
		propertyIsEnumerable(name:String):Boolean Indicates whether the specified property exists and is enumerable.	Object
		removeEventListener(type:String, listener:Function, useCapture:Boolean = false):void Removes a listener from the EventDispatcher object.	EventDispatcher
		resume():void Resumes the effect after it has been paused by a call to the pause() method.	Effect
		reverse():void Plays the effect in reverse, if the effect is currently playing, starting from the current position of the effect.	Effect
		setPropertyIsEnumerable(name:String, isEnum:Boolean = true):void Sets the availability of a dynamic property for loop operations.	Object
		stop():void Stops the effect, leaving the effect targets in their current state.	Effect
		toLocaleString():String Returns the string representation of this object, formatted according to locale-specific conventions.	Object
		toString():String Returns the string representation of the specified object.	Object
		valueOf():Object Returns the primitive value of the specified object.	Object
		willTrigger(type:String):Boolean Checks whether an event listener is registered with this EventDispatcher object or any of its ancestors for the specified event type.	EventDispatcher

Protected Methods

	Method		Defined By
		applyValueToTarget(target:Object, property:String, value:*, props:Object):void Used internally by the Effect infrastructure.	Effect
		effectEndHandler(event:EffectEvent):void Called when an effect instance has finished playing.	Effect
		effectStartHandler(event:EffectEvent):void This method is called when the effect instance starts playing.	Effect
		effectStopHandler(event:EffectEvent):void Called when an effect instance has stopped by a call to the stop() method.	Effect
		filterInstance(propChanges:Array, target:Object):Boolean Determines the logic for filtering out an effect instance.	Effect
		getValueFromTarget(target:Object, property:String):* Called by the captureStartValues() method to get the value of a property from the target.	Effect
		initInstance(instance:IEffectInstance):void Copies properties of the effect to the effect instance.	Effect

Events

Click for more information on events

	Summary	Defined By
activate	[broadcast event] Dispatched when the Flash Player or AIR application gains operating system focus and becomes active.	EventDispatcher
deactivate	[broadcast event] Dispatched when the Flash Player or AIR application operating loses system focus and is becoming inactive.	EventDispatcher
effectEnd	Dispatched when one of the effect's instances finishes playing, either when the instance finishes playing or when the effect is interrupted by a call to the end() method.	Effect
effectStart	Dispatched when the effect starts playing.	Effect
effectStop	Dispatched when the effect has been stopped, which only occurs when the effect is interrupted by a call to the stop() method.	Effect

Property Detail

applyTransitionEndProperties

property

protected var applyTransitionEndProperties:Boolean

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

This flag controls whether the effect, when run in a transition, automatically applies the property values according to the end state, as opposed to leaving values as set by the effect itself.

The default value is true.

className

property

className:String [read-only]

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

The name of the effect class, such as "Fade".

This is a short, or unqualified, class name that does not include the package name. If you need the qualified name, use the getQualifiedClassName() method in the flash.utils package.

Implementation
public function get className():String

customFilter

property

customFilter:mx.effects:EffectTargetFilter

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Specifies a custom filter object, of type EffectTargetFilter, used by the effect to determine the targets on which to play the effect.

Target filtering is only performed if you call the captureStartValues() method before playing the effect. Flex automatically calls the captureStartValues() method when the effect is part of a transition.

Use the filter property for simple filtering. If the customFilter property is non-null, the filter property is ignored.

Implementation
public function get customFilter():mx.effects:EffectTargetFilter
public function set customFilter(value:mx.effects:EffectTargetFilter):void

duration

property

duration:Number

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Duration of the effect in milliseconds.

In a Parallel or Sequence effect, the duration property sets the duration of each effect. For example, if a Sequence effect has its duration property set to 3000, each effect in the Sequence takes 3000 ms to play.

For a repeated effect, the duration property specifies the duration of a single instance of the effect. Therefore, if an effect has a duration property set to 2000, and a repeatCount property set to 3, the effect takes a total of 6000 ms (6 seconds) to play.

Implementation
public function get duration():Number
public function set duration(value:Number):void

effectTargetHost

property

effectTargetHost:mx.effects:IEffectTargetHost

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

A property that lets you access the target list-based control of a data effect. This property enables an instance of an effect class to communicate with the list-based control on which the effect is playing.

Implementation
public function get effectTargetHost():mx.effects:IEffectTargetHost
public function set effectTargetHost(value:mx.effects:IEffectTargetHost):void

endValuesCaptured

property

protected var endValuesCaptured:Boolean = false

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

A flag containing true if the end values of an effect have already been determined, or false if they should be acquired from the current properties of the effect targets when the effect runs. This property is required by data effects because the sequence of setting up the data effects, such as DefaultListEffect and DefaultTileListEffect, is more complicated than for normal effects.

The default value is false.

filter

property

filter:String

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Specifies an algorithm for filtering targets for an effect. A value of null specifies no filtering.

Use this property for simple filtering. Use the customFilter property for more complex filtering. If the customFilter property has a non-null value, this property is ignored.

You can use the following values for the filter property:

A value of "add" plays the effect on any targets that are added as a child to a container.
A value of "addItem" plays the effect on the item renderer for any list items added to a List or TileList control.
A value of "hide" plays the effect on any targets whose visible property changed from true to false.
A value of "move" plays the effect on any targets that changed their x or y properties.
A value of "remove" plays the effect on any targets that are removed as a child of a container.
A value of "removeItem" plays the effect on the item renderer for any list items removed from a List or TileList control.
A value of "replacedItem" plays the effect on the item renderer for any list items replaced in a List or TileList control by a new item.
A value of "replacementItem" plays the effect on the item renderer for any list items added to a List or TileList control that replaces an existing item.
A value of "resize" plays the effect on any targets that changed their width or height properties.
A value of "show" plays the effect on any targets whose visible property changed from false to true.
A value of "" specifies no filtering.

Implementation
public function get filter():String
public function set filter(value:String):void

hideFocusRing

property

hideFocusRing:Boolean

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Determines whether the effect should hide the focus ring when starting the effect. The effect target is responsible for the hiding the focus ring. Subclasses of the UIComponent class hide the focus ring automatically. If the effect target is not a subclass of the UIComponent class, add functionality to it to hide the focus ring.

Set this property to true to hide the focus ring during the effect.

For subclasses of Effect, the default value is false. For subclasses of MaskEffect, the default value is true.

Implementation
public function get hideFocusRing():Boolean
public function set hideFocusRing(value:Boolean):void

instanceClass

property

public var instanceClass:Class

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

An object of type Class that specifies the effect instance class class for this effect class.

All subclasses of the Effect class must set this property in their constructor.

isPlaying

property

isPlaying:Boolean [read-only]

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

A read-only flag which is true if any instances of the effect are currently playing, and false if none are.

Implementation
public function get isPlaying():Boolean

perElementOffset

property

perElementOffset:Number

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Additional delay, in milliseconds, for effect targets after the first target of the effect. This value is added to the value of the startDelay property.

Implementation
public function get perElementOffset():Number
public function set perElementOffset(value:Number):void

playheadTime

property

playheadTime:Number

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Current time position of the effect. This property has a value between 0 and the total duration, which includes the Effect's startDelay, repeatCount, and repeatDelay.

Implementation
public function get playheadTime():Number
public function set playheadTime(value:Number):void

relevantProperties

property

relevantProperties:Array

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

An Array of property names to use when performing filtering. This property is used internally and should not be set by effect users.

The default value is equal to the Array returned by the getAffectedProperties() method.

Implementation
public function get relevantProperties():Array
public function set relevantProperties(value:Array):void

relevantStyles

property

relevantStyles:Array

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

An Array of style names to use when performing filtering. This property is used internally and should not be set by effect users.

The default value is equal to the Array returned by the getAffectedProperties() method.

Implementation
public function get relevantStyles():Array
public function set relevantStyles(value:Array):void

repeatCount

property

public var repeatCount:int = 1

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Number of times to repeat the effect. Possible values are any integer greater than or equal to 0. A value of 1 means to play the effect once. A value of 0 means to play the effect indefinitely until stopped by a call to the end() method.

The default value is 1.

repeatDelay

property

public var repeatDelay:int = 0

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Amount of time, in milliseconds, to wait before repeating the effect. Possible values are any integer greater than or equal to 0.

The default value is 0.

startDelay

property

public var startDelay:int = 0

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Amount of time, in milliseconds, to wait before starting the effect. Possible values are any int greater than or equal to 0. If the effect is repeated by using the repeatCount property, the startDelay is only applied to the first time the effect is played.

The default value is 0.

suspendBackgroundProcessing

property

public var suspendBackgroundProcessing:Boolean = false

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

If true, blocks all background processing while the effect is playing. Background processing includes measurement, layout, and processing responses that have arrived from the server. The default value is false.

You are encouraged to set this property to true in most cases, because it improves the performance of the application. However, the property should be set to false if either of the following is true:

User input can arrive while the effect is playing, and the application must respond to the user input before the effect finishes playing.
A response can arrive from the server while the effect is playing, and the application must process the response while the effect is still playing.

The default value is false.

target

property

target:Object

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

The object to which this effect is applied. When an effect is triggered by an effect trigger, the target property is automatically set to be the object that triggers the effect.

Implementation
public function get target():Object
public function set target(value:Object):void

targets

property

targets:Array

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

An Array of objects that are targets for the effect. When the effect is playing, it performs the effect on each target in parallel. Setting the target property replaces all objects in this Array. When the targets property is set, the target property returns the first item in this Array.

Implementation
public function get targets():Array
public function set targets(value:Array):void

triggerEvent

property

triggerEvent:Event

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

The Event object passed to this Effect by the EffectManager when an effect is triggered, or null if the effect is not being played by the EffectManager.

Implementation
public function get triggerEvent():Event
public function set triggerEvent(value:Event):void

Constructor Detail

Effect

()

Constructor

public function Effect(target:Object = null)

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Constructor.

Starting an effect is usually a three-step process:

Create an instance of the effect object with the new operator.
Set properties on the effect object, such as duration.
Call the play() method or assign the effect to a trigger.

Parameters

target:Object (default = null) — The Object to animate with this effect.

Method Detail

applyValueToTarget

()

method

protected function applyValueToTarget(target:Object, property:String, value:*, props:Object):void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Used internally by the Effect infrastructure. If captureStartValues() has been called, then when Flex calls the play() method, it uses this function to set the targets back to the starting state. The default behavior is to take the value captured using the getValueFromTarget() method and set it directly on the target's property. For example:

      
      target[property] = value;

Only override this method if you need to apply the captured values in a different way. Note that style properties of a target are set using a different mechanism. Use the relevantStyles property to specify which style properties to capture and apply.

Parameters

	`target:Object` — The effect target.

	`property:String` — The target property.

	`value:*` — The value of the property.

	`props:Object` — Array of Objects, where each Array element contains a `start` and `end` Object for the properties that the effect is monitoring.

captureEndValues

()

method

public function captureEndValues():void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Captures the current values of the relevant properties on the effect's targets and saves them as end values.

Flex automatically calls the captureEndValues() method when the effect is part of a data change effect.

captureMoreStartValues

()

method

public function captureMoreStartValues(targets:Array):void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Captures the current values of the relevant properties of an additional set of targets

Flex uses this function when a data change effect is run.

Parameters

targets:Array — Array of targets for which values are captured

captureStartValues

()

method

public function captureStartValues():void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Captures the current values of the relevant properties on the effect's targets. Flex automatically calls the captureStartValues() method when the effect is part of a transition.

Use this function when you want the effect to figure out the start and end values of the effect. The proper usage of this function is to use it in the following steps:

Call the captureStartValues() method. The effect captures the starting effect values.
Make changes to your effect targets, such as adding/removing children, altering properties, changing location, or changing dimensions.
Call the play() method. The effect captures the end values. This function populates the EffectInstance.propertyChanges property for each effect instance created by this effect. Effect developers can use the propertyChanges property to retrieve the start and end values for their effect.

createInstance

()

method

public function createInstance(target:Object = null):IEffectInstance

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Creates a single effect instance and initializes it. Use this method instead of the play() method to manipulate the effect instance properties before the effect instance plays.

The effect instance is created with the type specified in the instanceClass property. It is then initialized using the initInstance() method. If the instance was created by the EffectManager (when the effect is triggered by an effect trigger), the effect is further initialized by a call to the EffectInstance.initEffect() method.

Calling the createInstance() method does not play the effect. Call the startEffect() method on the returned effect instance.

This function is automatically called by the Effect.play() method.

Parameters

target:Object (default = null) — Object to animate with this effect.

Returns

IEffectInstance — The effect instance object for the effect.

createInstances

()

method

public function createInstances(targets:Array = null):Array

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Takes an Array of target objects and invokes the createInstance() method on each target.

Parameters

targets:Array (default = null) — Array of objects to animate with this effect.

Returns

Array — Array of effect instance objects, one per target, for the effect.

deleteInstance

()

method

public function deleteInstance(instance:IEffectInstance):void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Removes event listeners from an instance and removes it from the list of instances.

Parameters

instance:IEffectInstance — The effect instance.

effectEndHandler

()

method

protected function effectEndHandler(event:EffectEvent):void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Called when an effect instance has finished playing. If you override this method, ensure that you call the super method.

Parameters

event:EffectEvent — An event object of type EffectEvent.

effectStartHandler

()

method

protected function effectStartHandler(event:EffectEvent):void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

This method is called when the effect instance starts playing. If you override this method, ensure that you call the super method.

Parameters

event:EffectEvent — An event object of type EffectEvent.

effectStopHandler

()

method

protected function effectStopHandler(event:EffectEvent):void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Called when an effect instance has stopped by a call to the stop() method. If you override this method, ensure that you call the super method.

Parameters

event:EffectEvent — An event object of type EffectEvent.

end

()

method

public function end(effectInstance:IEffectInstance = null):void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Interrupts an effect that is currently playing, and jumps immediately to the end of the effect. Calling this method invokes the EffectInstance.end() method.

The effect instance dispatches an effectEnd event when you call this method as part of ending the effect.

If you pass an effect instance as an argument, just that instance is interrupted. If no argument is passed in, all effect instances currently spawned from the effect are interrupted.

Parameters

effectInstance:IEffectInstance (default = null) — EffectInstance to terminate.

filterInstance

()

method

protected function filterInstance(propChanges:Array, target:Object):Boolean

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Determines the logic for filtering out an effect instance. The CompositeEffect class overrides this method.

Parameters

	`propChanges:Array` — The properties modified by the effect.

	`target:Object` — The effect target.

Returns

Boolean — Returns true if the effect instance should play.

getAffectedProperties

()

method

public function getAffectedProperties():Array

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Returns an Array of Strings, where each String is the name of a property changed by this effect. For example, the Move effect returns an Array that contains "x" and "y".

Every subclass of Effect must implement this method. The EffectManager uses this method to ensure that no two effects are trying to animate the same property of the same object at the same time.

Returns

Array — An Array of Strings specifying the names of the properties modified by this effect.

More examples

Example: Defining a simple effect

getValueFromTarget

()

method

protected function getValueFromTarget(target:Object, property:String):*

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Called by the captureStartValues() method to get the value of a property from the target. This function should only be called internally by the effects framework. The default behavior is to simply return target[property]. Effect developers can override this function if you need a different behavior.

Parameters

	`target:Object` — The effect target.

	`property:String` — The target property.

Returns

* — The value of the target property.

initInstance

()

method

protected function initInstance(instance:IEffectInstance):void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Copies properties of the effect to the effect instance.

Flex calls this method from the Effect.createInstance() method; you do not have to call it yourself.

When you create a custom effect, override this method to copy properties from the Effect class to the effect instance class. In your override, call super.initInstance().

Parameters

instance:IEffectInstance — The effect instance to initialize.

More examples

Example: Defining a simple effect

pause

()

method

public function pause():void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Pauses the effect until you call the resume() method.

play

()

method

public function play(targets:Array = null, playReversedFromEnd:Boolean = false):Array

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Begins playing the effect. You typically call the end() method before you call the play() method to ensure that any previous instance of the effect has ended before you start a new one.

All subclasses must implement this method.

Parameters

	`targets:Array` (default = `null`) — Array of target objects on which to play this effect. If this parameter is specified, then the effect's `targets` property is not used.

	`playReversedFromEnd:Boolean` (default = `false`) — If `true`, play the effect backwards.

Returns

Array — Array of EffectInstance objects, one per target, for the effect.

resume

()

method

public function resume():void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Resumes the effect after it has been paused by a call to the pause() method.

reverse

()

method

public function reverse():void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Plays the effect in reverse, if the effect is currently playing, starting from the current position of the effect.

stop

()

method

public function stop():void

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Stops the effect, leaving the effect targets in their current state. Unlike a call to the pause() method, you cannot call the resume() method after calling the stop() method. However, you can call the play() method to restart the effect.

The effect instance dispatches an effectEnd event when you call this method as part of ending the effect.

For mask effects, the mask is not removed automatically when the effect is stopped. Running further mask effects on the same target(s) without first removing the mask can produce unexpected results.

Event Detail

effectEnd

Event

Event Object Type: mx.events.EffectEvent
property EffectEvent.type = mx.events.EffectEvent.EFFECT_END

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Dispatched when one of the effect's instances finishes playing, either when the instance finishes playing or when the effect is interrupted by a call to the end() method.

The EffectEvent.EFFECT_END constant defines the value of the type property of the event object for an effectEnd event.

The properties of the event object have the following values:

Property	Value
`bubbles`	false
`cancelable`	false
`currentTarget`	The Object that defines the event listener that handles the event. For example, if you use `myButton.addEventListener()` to register an event listener, myButton is the value of the `currentTarget`.
`effectInstance`	The effect instance object for the event.
`target`	The Object that dispatched the event; it is not always the Object listening for the event. Use the `currentTarget` property to always access the Object listening for the event.

effectStart

Event

Event Object Type: mx.events.EffectEvent
property EffectEvent.type = mx.events.EffectEvent.EFFECT_START

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Dispatched when the effect starts playing.

The EffectEvent.EFFECT_START constant defines the value of the type property of the event object for an effectStart event.

The properties of the event object have the following values:

Property	Value
`bubbles`	false
`cancelable`	false
`currentTarget`	The Object that defines the event listener that handles the event. For example, if you use `myButton.addEventListener()` to register an event listener, myButton is the value of the `currentTarget`.
`effectInstance`	The effect instance object for the event.
`target`	The Object that dispatched the event; it is not always the Object listening for the event. Use the `currentTarget` property to always access the Object listening for the event.

effectStop

Event

Event Object Type: mx.events.EffectEvent
property EffectEvent.type = mx.events.EffectEvent.EFFECT_STOP

Language Version:

ActionScript 3.0

Product Version:

Flex 3

Runtime Versions:

Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1

Dispatched when the effect has been stopped, which only occurs when the effect is interrupted by a call to the stop() method. The EFFECT_END event is also dispatched to indicate that the effect has ended. This extra event is sent first, as an indicator to listeners that the effect did not reach its end state.

The EffectEvent.EFFECT_STOP constant defines the value of the type property of the event object for an effectStop event.

The properties of the event object have the following values:

Property	Value
`bubbles`	false
`cancelable`	false
`currentTarget`	The Object that defines the event listener that handles the event. For example, if you use `myButton.addEventListener()` to register an event listener, myButton is the value of the `currentTarget`.
`effectInstance`	The effect instance object for the event.
`target`	The Object that dispatched the event; it is not always the Object listening for the event. Use the `currentTarget` property to always access the Object listening for the event.

Examples How to use this example

SimpleEffectExample.mxml

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!-- Simple example to demonstrate the Effect class. -->
<s:Application xmlns:fx="http://ns.adobe.com/mxml/2009"
        xmlns:s="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/spark"
        xmlns:mx="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/mx">

    <fx:Script>
        <![CDATA[

            import mx.controls.Alert;

            // Event handler for the effectEnd event.
            private function endEffectHandler():void {
                Alert.show("Effect Ended!");
            }

            // Event handler for the reset button.
            private function resetHandler():void {
                expand.end();
                img.width=30;
                img.height=60;
                button1.enabled=true;
            }
        ]]>
    </fx:Script>

    <fx:Declarations>
        <mx:Resize id="expand" target="{img}" widthTo="100" heightTo="200"
             duration="10000" effectEnd="endEffectHandler();"/>
    </fx:Declarations>

    <s:Panel title="Resize Effect Example" width="100%" height="100%" >
        <s:VGroup left="20" right="20" top="20" bottom="20">

            <s:Label width="100%" color="blue"
                text="Use the Button controls to control the Resize effect."/>

            <mx:Image id="img" width="30" height="60"
                source="@Embed(source='assets/Nokia_6630.png')"/>


            <s:Button id="button1" label="Start" click="expand.play(); button1.enabled=false;"/>
            <s:Button label="Pause" click="expand.pause();"/>
            <s:Button label="Resume" click="expand.resume();"/>
            <s:Button label="Reverse" click="expand.reverse();"/>
            <s:Button label="End" click="expand.end();"/>
            <s:Button label="Reset" click="resetHandler();"/>

        </s:VGroup>
    </s:Panel>
</s:Application>

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Effect - AS3 Flex

Classes x

applyTransitionEndProperties

className

customFilter

duration

effectTargetHost

endValuesCaptured

filter

hideFocusRing

instanceClass

isPlaying

perElementOffset

playheadTime

relevantProperties

relevantStyles

repeatCount

repeatDelay

startDelay

suspendBackgroundProcessing

target

targets

triggerEvent

Effect

applyValueToTarget

captureEndValues

captureMoreStartValues

captureStartValues

createInstance

createInstances

deleteInstance

effectEndHandler

effectStartHandler

effectStopHandler

end

filterInstance

getAffectedProperties

getValueFromTarget

initInstance

pause

play

resume

reverse

stop

effectEnd

effectStart

effectStop