Variables & Timelines

[cerulean]

As I understand it, a Timeline is set up so that it uses the values of variables at the time the timeline is created. 

 

Thus, if n=100

tl.to(mc,1,{x:n});

will move mc to x = 100.

 

What happens if I do

var n:int = 100;
tl.addCallback(function() {n = 200});
tl.to(mc,1,{x:n});

More importantly, what if I want the timeline to use values that are determined at the time the timeline plays?  (Yes, I could do a test of above, but I'm trying to understand this once and for all, conceptually — I'm setting up complex timelines with many moving parts and subcalls, and trying to understand what is called/evaluated now and what is called/evaluated later).  Thanks for any insight(s)!

[Carl]

Yes you are correct in that the ending values that you specify in tweens are recorded when the tween is created, and in this case, added to a timeline. The starting values of a tween get evaluated and recorded the first time the tween runs.

 

As for creating a timeline and then at runtime altering the end values of tweens while the timeline is running, its not a trivial task.

 

Although this discussion focuses on JavaScript the exact same concepts apply to AS3. 

That thread has few solutions but there are 2 that I like. if a tween needs to change at runtime:

 

 

remove it from the timeline and put a new one in its place

 

or

 

use a TweenMax tween for which you store a reference and use TweenMax.updateTo to change the end values. 

 

both concepts are discussed in the linked thread above.

[jamiejefferson]

Also, don't forget that in AS3, primitive types aren't really passed by reference (well, they are, but behave like they are passed by value).

In this:

var n:int = 100;
tl.to(mc,1,{x:n});

the vars object passed to tl behaves no differently to {x:100}, because n is a primitive type int. GSAP has no way of knowing that n was ever involved.