The Tell Target Action is the way a Flash movie communicates instructions to the movie clips it contains and the separate movies it has loaded into _Levels. Understanding how it works (how to set up a Tell Target so that the instructions are sent to the correct movie clip) is the key to adding interactivity and flexibility to a Flash movie.

The way to use Tell Target to target a particular movie clip or loaded movie is demonstrated in two ways:

The Tell Target Chart shows the path to use for a given relationship between movie, movie clip and loaded movie. The interactive Tell Target Diagram allow you to chose the kind of movie/movieclip or movie/loaded movie relationship that best applies to the path you want to set up and then shows you how the Tell Target should be set up in that case.

Tell Target Path example: On the main timeline a movie clip with the instance name of Daughter contains another movie clip with the instance name of granddaughter. When a button action or frame action on the main timeline sends a tell target command to the movie clip granddaughter the correct path is:

/daughter/granddaughter

If you need to target a frame in another movie loaded with Load Movie, use the level number instead of a name. The form this should take is _Levelx where x is the level number where the movie was loaded using Load Movie. Note: the original movie is always loaded into _Level0 (zero). For example, a movie clip 'niece' in another movie loaded into _Level4 would be targeted as:

_Level4/niece

Variable Paths

Variables in Flash 4, are associated with the timeline (movie clip or main). Tell Target is now used to target Paths to Variables in the same manner as Tell Target for movie clips and loaded movies with one addition. When including a path, a variable name must be proceeded by a colon.

Variable examples: A variable var1 is on the main timeline:

/:var1

A variable (var2) in a nested movie clip. A movie clip on the main timeline with the instance name of First contains a movie clip with the instance name of Second. The variable var2 is associated with the movie clip with the instance name of Second.

/First/Second:var1