9.6.1. Function Availability

• Code attached to the timeline of the movie clip that bears the function declaration

• A button on the timeline of the movie clip that bears the function declaration

By "directly accessible," we mean that the function can be invoked simply by name, without reference to a movie clip or object, like this:

myFunction( );

Functions are also indirectly accessible (i.e., remotely accessible) from any point in a movie using dot syntax. As when referring to variables remotely, we must include the path to the movie clip that contains the function, such as:

myClip.myOtherClip.myFunction( );
_    parent.myFunction( );
_root.myFunction( );

So, suppose a clip instance named rectangle on the main timeline contains a function named area( ). We may invoke area( ) from anywhere in our movie using an absolute path to rectangle, like this:

_root.rectangle.area( );

9.6.2. Function Life Span

Note that functions in a frame's script are initialized and become available when the playhead first enters the frame containing the script. Therefore, we may use a function invocation before the declaration of the function, as long as both are in the same script. For example:

// Invoke the tellTime( ) function before its declaration statement
tellTime( );

// Declare the tellTime( ) function
function tellTime( ) {
  var now = new Date( );
  trace(now);
}