Drop Down Menu Actionscript

If anyone wants to accomplish a similar task please go to www.actionscript.org and check out their Flash tutorials.

I have tried making the paths header_mc.portofoliobtn and it seems like the functions do not work, can you have actionscript apply solely to a movieclip?

I used a tutorial and learned of the following actionscript:

portfoliobtn.onRollOver=function(){
if(menuOpen=="portfolio"){
null;
}
else if(menuOpen=="close" || menuOpen=="services" || menuOpen=="information" || menuOpen=="toolbox"){
isitOpen();
portfoliomc.gotoAndPlay("show");
}
}

servicesbtn.onRollOver=function(){
if(menuOpen=="services"){
null;
}
else if(menuOpen=="close" || menuOpen=="portfolio" || menuOpen=="information" || menuOpen=="toolbox"){
isitOpen();
servicesmc.gotoAndPlay("show");
}
}

informationbtn.onRollOver=function(){
if(menuOpen=="information"){
null;
}
else if(menuOpen=="close" || menuOpen=="portfolio" || menuOpen=="services" || menuOpen=="toolbox"){
isitOpen();
informationmc.gotoAndPlay("show");
}
}

toolboxbtn.onRollOver=function(){
if(menuOpen=="toolbox"){
null;
}
else if(menuOpen=="close" || menuOpen=="portfolio" || menuOpen=="services" || menuOpen=="information"){
isitOpen();
toolboxmc.gotoAndPlay("show");
}
}

var menuOpen:String="close";
function isitOpen(){
if(menuOpen=="services"){
menuOpen="close";
servicesmc.gotoAndPlay("hide");
}
else if(menuOpen=="portfolio"){
menuOpen="close";
portfoliomc.gotoAndPlay("hide");
}
else if(menuOpen=="information"){
menuOpen="close";
informationmc.gotoAndPlay("hide");
}
else if(menuOpen=="toolbox"){
menuOpen="close";
toolboxmc.gotoAndPlay("hide");
}
}
homebtn.onRollOver=function(){
isitOpen();
}
contactbtn.onRollOver=function(){
isitOpen();
}

My question is how would I make this work within my header_mc. If I take it out of the header_mc it works perfectly, however, it would be nice if I could contain all of the items inside of a movie clip.

the onMouseMove causes that hitTest to repeatedly execute so no other looping is needed.

you must remove all mouse handlers attached to header_mc.portfolio_mc. if you only define the positive hitTest arm of that conditional, you won't have any "rollout" behavior so you shouldn't see anything "blip in and out".

I tried implementing a hitTest into my code and it just made the movie clip blip in and out repeatedly. How would you make a loop? I apologize for troubling you all with rather basic questions, but I definitely need the help.

How could you use a loop or a hittest, I am really a beginner when it comes to Actionscript. Removing the parent mouse handler would be the following correct?
header_mc.portfolio_mc.gotoAndPlay("Portfolioexpand");
How could I get around this problem? All I really want to do is make it so that you can only access one drop down menu at a time.

i didn't make any suggestion. i just supplied the reason your child mouse handlers no longer work.

how you want to proceed is up to you. you can remove the parent mouse handler and use something else. or you can leave the parent mouse handler and use something other than mouse handlers for the child movieclips (like a loop and hittest).

So are you suggesting that I change the code to the following:

header_mc.portfolio_mc.onRollOver = function() {
_parent.header_mc.portfolio_mc.gotoAndPlay("Portfolioexpand");
_parent.header_mc.services_mc.gotoAndStop("collapsed");
_parent.header_mc.information_mc.gotoAndStop("Infocollapse");
_parent.header_mc.toolbox_mc.gotoAndStop("ToolBcollapse");
}

Or something else?

if you attach any mouse handlers to a parent movieclip that parent will intercept all mouse events so the child movieclips cannot respond.