AS3 flash CC I want to set the width of the parent Movieclip of a Textfield

Question

I have dynamically created a bunch of textfields, the number of which depends on xml input. The textfields need to be button-enabled, so I thought the easiest solution is to put them in a movieclip and buttonMode that movieclip.

The hierarchy looks like this: main (extends MovieClip) -> klankoefening (a MovieClip) -> Textfieldparent (a MovieClip) -> Textfield

I have a variable maxw which contains the biggest textfield's width and I want all my Textfieldparents to have this width.

I'm trying to do it like this:

//generate textfields
keuzes = new XMLList(lijstOpties.categorie.(@cat == catname));
var nrs:int = keuzes.keuze.length(); //aantal keuzemogelijkheden
var maxw:int = 0; //grootste breedte tf, nodig voor bepalen breedte knoppen

for (var nr:int = 0; nr < nrs; nr++) { 
    var tf:TextField = createTextfield(werkfmt);
    tf.text = keuzes.keuze[nr].toString();
    tf.autoSize = "center";
    tf.background = true;
    tf.backgroundColor = 0xffcc33;
    tf.border = true;
    tf.borderColor = 0x000000;
    tf.name = "keuzetf";
    tf.selectable = false;
    tf.x = 0;
    tf.y = 0;

    if (tf.width > maxw) {maxw = tf.width;}

    var tfcontainer:MovieClip = new MovieClip();
    tfcontainer.buttonMode = true;
    tfcontainer.name = keuzes.keuze[nr].toString();
    tfcontainer.addChild(tf);

    klankoefening.addChildAt(tfcontainer,nr);
}

for (var an:int = 0; an < 3; an++) {
    var mcs:MovieClip = klankoefening.getChildAt(an) as MovieClip;
    mcs.width = maxw;
    trace ("mcs " + mcs.width);

    var mtf:TextField = mcs.getChildAt(0) as TextField;
            trace ("mtf " + mtf.text);
}

the trace results are

mcs 32.05
mcs 33
mcs 21.25

Which I find odd, because I stated in my second loop that the width for all Textfieldparents should be set to maxw. What is happening?

Answer 1

Consider drawing an underlaying Rectangle of desired width and height. You can use mcs.graphics to do that. The trick is, width of a DisplayObjectContainer is a calculated property, and changing it will likely result in changing scale. Say, a MC has two shapes as chilren, one at (1000,0) and another at (0,0), and both have width of 10 - the resultant width of that MC will be 1010. So, instead of changing width, simulate its change by drawing a rectangle on the MC.

mcs.graphics.clear();
mcs.graphics.lineStyle(0,0,0);
mcs.graphics.beginFill(0x808080,0); // bogus filled rect, to capture events
mcs.graphics.drawRect(0,0,maxw,maxh); // height is needed too
mcs.graphics.endFill();