Packageflash.text.engine
Classpublic final class TextLine
InheritanceTextLine Inheritance DisplayObjectContainer Inheritance InteractiveObject Inheritance DisplayObject Inheritance EventDispatcher Inheritance Object

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

The TextLine class is used to display text on the display list.

You cannot create a TextLine object directly from ActionScript code. If you call new TextLine(), an exception is thrown. To create a TextLine object, call the createTextLine() method of a TextBlock.

The TextLine encapsulates the minimum information necessary to render its contents. You can retrieve additional information that is useful for interactivity through some methods that describe the properties of the atoms of the line. The term atom refers to both graphic elements and characters (including groups of combining characters), the indivisible entities that make up a text line. It is important to note that the player does not create or store the data that these methods require.until you call them. To avoid memory overhead, avoid creating atom data unnecessarily. If the atom data is no longer needed, call the flushAtomData() method to make it available for garbage collection.

The following methods and properties generate atom data if it does not exist:

Unlike other interactive objects, a text line cannot be tab enabled. Attempting to set tabEnabled, tabIndex, or tabChildren on a TextLine object results in an ArgumentError being thrown. It is up to the container that owns the text line to manage tabbing.

Similarly, a text line cannot have a focus rect. The value of TextLine.focusRect is ignored.

After the normal event dispatching process for a text line has completed, if event propagation has not failed or been stopped, events targeted at the text line will be mirrored to the event dispatchers specified in the eventMirror members of the ContentElement objects which contributed to the text line, as recorded in the eventMirrors member of the line. For mouse events, the mouse coordinates of the event are compared to the bounds of each mirror region, and the event is only dispatched if the event is in the mirror region bounds. All other events will be dispatched to all mirrors on the line.

The origin of a text line object is the beginning of the baseline. If you add a text line containing Latin text on a Roman baseline as a child of a Sprite, without setting the y property (vertical position) of the line, all but the descenders of your text will be above the top of the Sprite. See the following diagram:

View the examples

See also

TextBlock
ContentElement.eventMirror


Public Properties
 PropertyDefined By
 InheritedaccessibilityProperties : AccessibilityProperties
The current accessibility options for this display object.
DisplayObject
 Inheritedalpha : Number
Indicates the alpha transparency value of the object specified.
DisplayObject
  ascent : Number
[read-only] Specifies the number of pixels from the baseline to the top of the tallest characters in the line.
TextLine
  atomCount : int
[read-only] The number of atoms in the line, which is the number of indivisible elements, including spaces and graphic elements.
TextLine
 InheritedblendMode : String
A value from the BlendMode class that specifies which blend mode to use.
DisplayObject
 InheritedcacheAsBitmap : Boolean
If set to true, Flash Player caches an internal bitmap representation of the display object.
DisplayObject
 Inheritedconstructor : Object
A reference to the class object or constructor function for a given object instance.
Object
 InheritedcontextMenu : ContextMenu
Specifies the context menu associated with this object.
InteractiveObject
  descent : Number
[read-only] Specifies the number of pixels from the baseline to the bottom of the lowest-descending characters in the line.
TextLine
 InheriteddoubleClickEnabled : Boolean
Specifies whether the object receives doubleClick events.
InteractiveObject
 Inheritedfilters : Array
An indexed array that contains each filter object currently associated with the display object.
DisplayObject
 InheritedfocusRect : Object
Specifies whether this object displays a focus rectangle.
InteractiveObject
  hasGraphicElement : Boolean
[read-only] Indicates whether the text line contains any graphic elements.
TextLine
 Inheritedheight : Number
Indicates the height of the display object, in pixels.
DisplayObject
 InheritedloaderInfo : LoaderInfo
[read-only] Returns a LoaderInfo object containing information about loading the file to which this display object belongs.
DisplayObject
 Inheritedmask : DisplayObject
The calling display object is masked by the specified mask object.
DisplayObject
  mirrorRegions : Vector
[read-only] A Vector containing the TextLineMirrorRegion objects associated with the line, or null if none exist.
TextLine
 InheritedmouseChildren : Boolean
Determines whether or not the children of the object are mouse enabled.
DisplayObjectContainer
 InheritedmouseEnabled : Boolean
Specifies whether this object receives mouse messages.
InteractiveObject
 InheritedmouseX : Number
[read-only] Indicates the x coordinate of the mouse position, in pixels.
DisplayObject
 InheritedmouseY : Number
[read-only] Indicates the y coordinate of the mouse position, in pixels.
DisplayObject
 Inheritedname : String
Indicates the instance name of the DisplayObject.
DisplayObject
  nextLine : TextLine
[read-only] The next TextLine in the TextBlock, or null if this is the last line in the block or the validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.
TextLine
 InheritednumChildren : int
[read-only] Returns the number of children of this object.
DisplayObjectContainer
 InheritedopaqueBackground : Object
Specifies whether the display object is opaque with a certain background color.
DisplayObject
 Inheritedparent : DisplayObjectContainer
[read-only] Indicates the DisplayObjectContainer object that contains this display object.
DisplayObject
  previousLine : TextLine
[read-only] The previous TextLine in the TextBlock, or null if the line is the first line in the block or the validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.
TextLine
 Inheritedprototype : Object
[static] A reference to the prototype object of a class or function object.
Object
  rawTextLength : int
[read-only] The length of the raw text in the text block that became the line, including the U+FDEF characters representing graphic elements and any trailing spaces, which are part of the line but not actually displayed.
TextLine
 Inheritedroot : DisplayObject
[read-only] For a display object in a loaded SWF file, the root property is the top-most display object in the portion of the display list's tree structure represented by that SWF file.
DisplayObject
 Inheritedrotation : Number
Indicates the rotation of the DisplayObject instance, in degrees, from its original orientation.
DisplayObject
 Inheritedscale9Grid : Rectangle
The current scaling grid that is in effect.
DisplayObject
 InheritedscaleX : Number
Indicates the horizontal scale (percentage) of the object as applied from the registration point.
DisplayObject
 InheritedscaleY : Number
Indicates the vertical scale (percentage) of an object as applied from the registration point of the object.
DisplayObject
 InheritedscrollRect : Rectangle
The scroll rectangle bounds of the display object.
DisplayObject
  specifiedWidth : Number
[read-only] The width specified to the TextBlock.createTextLine() method when it created the line.
TextLine
 Inheritedstage : Stage
[read-only] The Stage of the display object.
DisplayObject
 InheritedtabChildren : Boolean
Determines whether the children of the object are tab enabled.
DisplayObjectContainer
 InheritedtabEnabled : Boolean
Specifies whether this object is in the tab order.
InteractiveObject
 InheritedtabIndex : int
Specifies the tab ordering of objects in a SWF file.
InteractiveObject
  textBlock : TextBlock
[read-only] The TextBlock containing this text line, or null if the validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.
TextLine
  textBlockBeginIndex : int
[read-only] The index of the first character of the line in the raw text of the text block.
TextLine
  textHeight : Number
[read-only] The logical height of the text line, which is equal to ascent + descent.
TextLine
 InheritedtextSnapshot : TextSnapshot
[read-only] Returns a TextSnapshot object for this DisplayObjectContainer instance.
DisplayObjectContainer
  textWidth : Number
[read-only] The logical width of the text line, which is the width that the text engine uses to lay out the line.
TextLine
 Inheritedtransform : Transform
An object with properties pertaining to a display object's matrix, color transform, and pixel bounds.
DisplayObject
  unjustifiedTextWidth : Number
[read-only] The width of the line if it was not justified.
TextLine
  userData : *
Provides a way for the author to associate arbitrary data with the text line.
TextLine
  validity : String
Specifies the current validity of the text line.
TextLine
 Inheritedvisible : Boolean
Whether or not the display object is visible.
DisplayObject
 Inheritedwidth : Number
Indicates the width of the display object, in pixels.
DisplayObject
 Inheritedx : Number
Indicates the x coordinate of the DisplayObject instance relative to the local coordinates of the parent DisplayObjectContainer.
DisplayObject
 Inheritedy : Number
Indicates the y coordinate of the DisplayObject instance relative to the local coordinates of the parent DisplayObjectContainer.
DisplayObject
Public Methods
 MethodDefined By
 Inherited
Adds a child DisplayObject instance to this DisplayObjectContainer instance.
DisplayObjectContainer
 Inherited
Adds a child DisplayObject instance to this DisplayObjectContainer instance.
DisplayObjectContainer
 Inherited
addEventListener(type:String, listener:Function, useCapture:Boolean = false, priority:int = 0, useWeakReference:Boolean = false):void
Registers an event listener object with an EventDispatcher object so that the listener receives notification of an event.
EventDispatcher
 Inherited
Indicates whether the security restrictions would cause any display objects to be omitted from the list returned by calling the DisplayObjectContainer.getObjectsUnderPoint() method with the specified point point.
DisplayObjectContainer
 Inherited
Determines whether the specified display object is a child of the DisplayObjectContainer instance or the instance itself.
DisplayObjectContainer
 Inherited
Dispatches an event into the event flow.
EventDispatcher
  
Dumps the underlying contents of the TextLine as an XML string.
TextLine
  
Releases the atom data of the line for garbage collection.
TextLine
  
Gets the bidirectional level of the atom at the specified index.
TextLine
  
Gets the bounds of the atom at the specified index relative to the text line.
TextLine
  
Gets the center of the atom as measured along the baseline at the specified index.
TextLine
  
Gets the graphic of the atom at the specified index, or null if the atom is a character.
TextLine
  
Returns the index of the atom containing the character specified by the charIndex parameter, or -1 if the character does not contribute to any atom in the line.
TextLine
  
Returns the index of the atom at the point specified by the x and y parameters, or -1 if no atom exists at that point.
TextLine
  
Gets the text block begin index of the atom at the specified index.
TextLine
  
Gets the text block end index of the atom at the specified index.
TextLine
  
Gets the rotation of the atom at the specified index.
TextLine
  
Indicates whether a word boundary occurs to the left of the atom at the specified index.
TextLine
  
Gets the position of the specified baseline, relative to TextBlock.baselineZero.
TextLine
 Inherited
getBounds(targetCoordinateSpace:DisplayObject):Rectangle
Returns a rectangle that defines the area of the display object relative to the coordinate system of the targetCoordinateSpace object.
DisplayObject
 Inherited
Returns the child display object instance that exists at the specified index.
DisplayObjectContainer
 Inherited
Returns the child display object that exists with the specified name.
DisplayObjectContainer
 Inherited
Returns the index position of a child DisplayObject instance.
DisplayObjectContainer
  
Returns the first TextLineMirrorRegion on the line whose mirror property matches that specified by the mirror parameter, or null if no match exists.
TextLine
 Inherited
Returns an array of objects that lie under the specified point and are children (or grandchildren, and so on) of this DisplayObjectContainer instance.
DisplayObjectContainer
 Inherited
getRect(targetCoordinateSpace:DisplayObject):Rectangle
Returns a rectangle that defines the boundary of the display object, based on the coordinate system defined by the targetCoordinateSpace parameter, excluding any strokes on shapes.
DisplayObject
 Inherited
Converts the point object from the Stage (global) coordinates to the display object's (local) coordinates.
DisplayObject
 Inherited
Checks whether the EventDispatcher object has any listeners registered for a specific type of event.
EventDispatcher
 Inherited
Indicates whether an object has a specified property defined.
Object
 Inherited
Evaluates the display object to see if it overlaps or intersects with the obj display object.
DisplayObject
 Inherited
hitTestPoint(x:Number, y:Number, shapeFlag:Boolean = false):Boolean
Evaluates the display object to see if it overlaps or intersects with the point specified by the x and y parameters.
DisplayObject
 Inherited
Indicates whether an instance of the Object class is in the prototype chain of the object specified as the parameter.
Object
 Inherited
Converts the point object from the display object's (local) coordinates to the Stage (global) coordinates.
DisplayObject
 Inherited
Indicates whether the specified property exists and is enumerable.
Object
 Inherited
Removes the specified child DisplayObject instance from the child list of the DisplayObjectContainer instance.
DisplayObjectContainer
 Inherited
Removes a child DisplayObject from the specified index position in the child list of the DisplayObjectContainer.
DisplayObjectContainer
 Inherited
removeEventListener(type:String, listener:Function, useCapture:Boolean = false):void
Removes a listener from the EventDispatcher object.
EventDispatcher
 Inherited
Changes the position of an existing child in the display object container.
DisplayObjectContainer
 Inherited
Sets the availability of a dynamic property for loop operations.
Object
 Inherited
Swaps the z-order (front-to-back order) of the two specified child objects.
DisplayObjectContainer
 Inherited
swapChildrenAt(index1:int, index2:int):void
Swaps the z-order (front-to-back order) of the child objects at the two specified index positions in the child list.
DisplayObjectContainer
 Inherited
Returns the string representation of the specified object.
Object
 Inherited
Returns the primitive value of the specified object.
Object
 Inherited
Checks whether an event listener is registered with this EventDispatcher object or any of its ancestors for the specified event type.
EventDispatcher
Events
 Event Summary Defined By
 InheritedDispatched when Flash Player gains operating system focus and becomes active.EventDispatcher
 InheritedDispatched when a display object is added to the display list.DisplayObject
 InheritedDispatched when a display object is added to the on stage display list, either directly or through the addition of a sub tree in which the display object is contained.DisplayObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user selects 'Clear' (or 'Delete') from the text context menu.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when a user presses and releases the main button of the user's pointing device over the same InteractiveObject.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user activates the platform specific accelerator key combination for a copy operation or selects 'Copy' from the text context menu.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user activates the platform specific accelerator key combination for a cut operation or selects 'Cut' from the text context menu.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when Flash Player loses operating system focus and is becoming inactive.EventDispatcher
 InheritedDispatched when a user presses and releases the main button of a pointing device twice in rapid succession over the same InteractiveObject when that object's doubleClickEnabled flag is set to true.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the playhead is entering a new frame.DisplayObject
 InheritedDispatched when the playhead is exiting the current frame.DisplayObject
 InheritedDispatched after a display object gains focus.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched after a display object loses focus.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched after the constructors of frame display objects have run but before frame scripts have run.DisplayObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user presses a key.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user attempts to change focus by using keyboard navigation.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user releases a key.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when a user presses the pointing device button over an InteractiveObject instance in the Flash Player window.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user attempts to change focus by using a pointer device.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when a user moves the pointing device while it is over an InteractiveObject.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user moves a pointing device away from an InteractiveObject instance.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user moves a pointing device over an InteractiveObject instance in the Flash Player window.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when a user releases the pointing device button over an InteractiveObject instance in the Flash Player window.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when a mouse wheel is spun over an InteractiveObject instance in the Flash Player window.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user activates the platform specific accelerator key combination for a paste operation or selects 'Paste' from the text context menu.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when a display object is about to be removed from the display list.DisplayObject
 InheritedDispatched when a display object is about to be removed from the display list, either directly or through the removal of a sub tree in which the display object is contained.DisplayObject
 InheritedDispatched when the display list is about to be updated and rendered.DisplayObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user moves a pointing device away from an InteractiveObject instance.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user moves a pointing device over an InteractiveObject instance.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the user activates the platform specific accelerator key combination for a select all operation or selects 'Select All' from the text context menu.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the value of the object's tabChildren flag changes.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the object's tabEnabled flag changes.InteractiveObject
 InheritedDispatched when the value of the object's tabIndex property changes.InteractiveObject
Public Constants
 ConstantDefined By
  MAX_LINE_WIDTH : int = 1000000
[static] The maximum requested width of a text line, in pixels.
TextLine
Property Detail
ascentproperty
ascent:Number  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

Specifies the number of pixels from the baseline to the top of the tallest characters in the line. For a TextLine that contains only a graphic element, ascent is set to 0.


Implementation
    public function get ascent():Number
atomCountproperty 
atomCount:int  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

The number of atoms in the line, which is the number of indivisible elements, including spaces and graphic elements.

Accessing this property causes the player to create the atom data if it does not yet exist.


Implementation
    public function get atomCount():int

Throws
IllegalOperationError — The validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.

See also

descentproperty 
descent:Number  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

Specifies the number of pixels from the baseline to the bottom of the lowest-descending characters in the line. For a TextLine that contains only a graphic element, descent is set to 0.


Implementation
    public function get descent():Number
hasGraphicElementproperty 
hasGraphicElement:Boolean  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

Indicates whether the text line contains any graphic elements.


Implementation
    public function get hasGraphicElement():Boolean

See also

mirrorRegionsproperty 
mirrorRegions:Vector  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

A Vector containing the TextLineMirrorRegion objects associated with the line, or null if none exist.


Implementation
    public function get mirrorRegions():Vector

See also

nextLineproperty 
nextLine:TextLine  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

The next TextLine in the TextBlock, or null if this is the last line in the block or the validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.


Implementation
    public function get nextLine():TextLine

See also

previousLineproperty 
previousLine:TextLine  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

The previous TextLine in the TextBlock, or null if the line is the first line in the block or the validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.


Implementation
    public function get previousLine():TextLine

See also

rawTextLengthproperty 
rawTextLength:int  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

The length of the raw text in the text block that became the line, including the U+FDEF characters representing graphic elements and any trailing spaces, which are part of the line but not actually displayed.


Implementation
    public function get rawTextLength():int

See also

specifiedWidthproperty 
specifiedWidth:Number  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

The width specified to the TextBlock.createTextLine() method when it created the line. This value is useful when deciding if a change requires rebreaking the line.


Implementation
    public function get specifiedWidth():Number

See also

textBlockproperty 
textBlock:TextBlock  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

The TextBlock containing this text line, or null if the validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.


Implementation
    public function get textBlock():TextBlock

See also

textBlockBeginIndexproperty 
textBlockBeginIndex:int  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

The index of the first character of the line in the raw text of the text block.


Implementation
    public function get textBlockBeginIndex():int

See also

textHeightproperty 
textHeight:Number  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

The logical height of the text line, which is equal to ascent + descent. To get the inked height, access the inherited height property.

The value is calculated based on the difference between the baselines that bound the line, either ideo top/bottom or ascent/descent depending on whether TextBlock.baselineZero is ideo or not. Graphic elements are not considered when computing these baselines.


Implementation
    public function get textHeight():Number

See also

textWidthproperty 
textWidth:Number  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

The logical width of the text line, which is the width that the text engine uses to lay out the line. Access the inherited width property to get the actual width of the bounding box of all the drawn pixels.


Implementation
    public function get textWidth():Number

See also


Example
This example displays a line once in normal posture and once in italic, and traces the values of the specifiedWidth, textWidth and width properties in each case. The trace output is:
  • specifiedWidth is: 500
  • textWidth is: 268.9921875
  • width is: 269
  • specifiedWidth is: 500
  • textWidth is: 267.52734375
  • width is: 267.55
 
package {
import flash.display.Sprite;
import flash.text.engine.TextBlock;
import flash.text.engine.TextElement;
import flash.text.engine.TextLine;
import flash.text.engine.FontDescription;
import flash.text.engine.ElementFormat;
import flash.text.engine.FontPosture;

    public class TextLine_textWidthExample extends Sprite {
        
        public function TextLine_textWidthExample() {
            
            var str:String = "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, ";
            var yPos:Number = 20;
            var fontDescription:FontDescription = new FontDescription();
            var textBlock:TextBlock = new TextBlock();
            fontDescription.fontPosture = FontPosture.NORMAL;
            var format:ElementFormat = new ElementFormat(fontDescription, 12);
            var textElement:TextElement = new TextElement(str, format);
            textBlock.content = textElement;
            createLine(textBlock, yPos);
            fontDescription.fontPosture = FontPosture.ITALIC;
            format = new ElementFormat(fontDescription, 12);
            textElement = new TextElement(str, format);
            textBlock.content = textElement;
            createLine(textBlock, yPos + 20);
        }

        private function createLine(textBlock:TextBlock, yPos:Number):void {
            var textLine:TextLine = textBlock.createTextLine (null, 500);
            trace("specifiedWidth is: " + textLine.specifiedWidth);
            trace("textWidth is: " + textLine.textWidth);
            trace("width is: " + textLine.width);
            addChild(textLine);
            textLine.x = 15;
            textLine.y = yPos;     
        }
    }
}

unjustifiedTextWidthproperty 
unjustifiedTextWidth:Number  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

The width of the line if it was not justified. For unjustified text, this value is the same as textWidth. For justified text, this value is what the length would have been without justification and textWidth represents the actual line width. For example, when the following String is justified and submitted to TextBlock.createTextLine() with a width of 500, it has an actual width of 500 but an unjustified width of 268.9921875.


Implementation
    public function get unjustifiedTextWidth():Number

See also


Example
  var str = "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, ";
  
userDataproperty 
public var userData:*

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

Provides a way for the author to associate arbitrary data with the text line.

validityproperty 
validity:String  [read-write]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

Specifies the current validity of the text line. System values for this property are found in the members of the TextLineValidity class. The rules for setting this property are as follows:

A line is considered USER_INVALID if validity is set to any string which is not a member of TextLineValidity. USER_INVALID is an abstraction used here to represent any such value.

When the contents of the TextBlock are modified, player code marks affected text lines, the previous line, and all following lines as INVALID. The previous line must be marked invalid when a change allows the previous line to absorb part of the content that was originally on the first affected line.

Newly broken lines are always VALID. The player code might change following lines from VALID to POSSIBLY_INVALID or INVALID. It might change POSSIBLY_INVALID lines to VALID if the line breaks match up, or to INVALID if they don't.

User code can mark VALID lines as INVALID or USER_INVALID, and can mark USER_INVALID lines as VALID. User code cannot mark lines POSSIBLY_INVALID.

User code can mark any line STATIC. Doing so causes the block member to become null. It also clears the atom data of the line and prevents it from being re-created. Any graphic elements in a STATIC text line is removed and reparented if they are part of a new text line broken from the text block from which the STATIC text line originally derived.


Implementation
    public function get validity():String
    public function set validity(value:String):void

Throws
ArgumentError — if current value is TextLineValidity.STATIC
 
ArgumentError — if current value is TextLineValidity.INVALID and new value is anything other than TextValidity.STATIC
 
ArgumentError — if current value is TextLineValidity.POSSIBLY_INVALID and new value is TextLineValidity.VALID
 
ArgumentError — If new value is TextLineValidity.POSSIBLY_INVALID

See also

Method Detail
dump()method
public function dump():String

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

Dumps the underlying contents of the TextLine as an XML string. This can be useful in automated testing, and includes text, formatting, and rendering information. It is only available in the debugger Flash Player.

For a description of the output, see the TextBlock.dump() method.

Note: The content and format of the output from this method could change in the future. Adobe does not guarantee backward compatibility for this method.

Returns
String

See also

flushAtomData()method 
public function flushAtomData():void

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

Releases the atom data of the line for garbage collection. The term atom refers to the indivisible entities that make up a text line. Atom data is generated by the atomCount property and the various methods in this class that retrieve information about an individual atom.

See also

getAtomBidiLevel()method 
public function getAtomBidiLevel(atomIndex:int):int

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 9

Gets the bidirectional level of the atom at the specified index. The value is determined by a combination of TextBlock.bidiLevel and the Unicode bidirectional properties of the characters in the block that combine to form the line.

For example, if you start a text block with some Hebrew text, you set TextBlock.bidiLevel to 1, establishing a default of right to left. If within the text you have a quote in English (left to right), that text has an AtomBidiLevel of 2. If within the English you have a bit of Arabic (right to left), AtomBidiLevel for that run goes to 3. If within the Arabic a number (left to right) occurs, the AtomBidiLevel setting for the number is 4. It does not matter in which line the atoms end up; the Hebrew atoms will be AtomBidiLevel 1, the English atoms will be AtomBidiLevel 2, Arabic atoms will be AtomBidiLevel 3, and the number atoms will be AtomBidiLevel 4.

Calling this method causes the player to create the atom data if it does not yet exist.

Parameters

atomIndex:int — The zero-based index value of the atom (for example, the first atom is 0, the second atom is 1, and so on).

Returns
int — The bidirectonal level of the atom at atomIndex

Throws
RangeError — The specified atom index is out of range.
 
IllegalOperationError — The validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.

See also

getAtomBounds()method 
public function getAtomBounds(atomIndex:int):Rectangle

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 9

Gets the bounds of the atom at the specified index relative to the text line. The bounds of the specified atom consist of its horizontal position (x) in the line, its vertical position in the line (y), its width (w) and its height (h). All values are in pixels.

Calling this method causes the player to create the atom data if it does not yet exist.

Parameters

atomIndex:int — The zero-based index value of the atom (for example, the first atom is 0, the second atom is 1, and so on).

Returns
Rectangle — The bounds of the atom at atomIndex

Throws
RangeError — The atom index specified is out of range.
 
IllegalOperationError — The validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.

See also

getAtomCenter()method 
public function getAtomCenter(atomIndex:int):Number

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 9

Gets the center of the atom as measured along the baseline at the specified index.

Calling this method causes the player to create the atom data, if it does not yet exist.

Parameters

atomIndex:int — The zero-based index value of the atom (for example, the first atom is 0, the second atom is 1, and so on).

Returns
Number — The center of the atom at atomIndex

Throws
RangeError — The atom index specified is out of range.
 
IllegalOperationError — The validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.

See also

getAtomGraphic()method 
public function getAtomGraphic(atomIndex:int):DisplayObject

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 9

Gets the graphic of the atom at the specified index, or null if the atom is a character.

Calling this method causes the player to create the atom data if it does not yet exist.

Parameters

atomIndex:int — The zero-based index value of the atom (for example, the first atom is 0, the second atom is 1, and so on).

Returns
DisplayObject — The graphic of the atom at atomIndex

Throws
RangeError — The atom index specified is out of range.
 
IllegalOperationError — The validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.

See also

getAtomIndexAtCharIndex()method 
public function getAtomIndexAtCharIndex(charIndex:int):int

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

Returns the index of the atom containing the character specified by the charIndex parameter, or -1 if the character does not contribute to any atom in the line. The charIndex is relative to the entire contents of the text block containing the line.

Calling this method causes the player to create the atom data if it does not yet exist.

Parameters

charIndex:int — The zero-based index value of the character (for example, the first character is 0, the second character is 1, and so on).

Returns
int — The index of the atom containing the character at charIndex. Returns -1 if the character does not contribute to any atom in the line.

Throws
IllegalOperationError — The validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.

See also

getAtomIndexAtPoint()method 
public function getAtomIndexAtPoint(stageX:Number, stageY:Number):int

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

Returns the index of the atom at the point specified by the x and y parameters, or -1 if no atom exists at that point.

Calling this method causes the player to create the atom data if it does not yet exist.

This method takes global coordinates so that it may easily be used with MouseEvent.stageX and MouseEvent.stageY.

Parameters

stageX:Number — The global x coordinate of the point to test.
 
stageY:Number — The global y coordinate of the point to test.

Returns
int — The index of the atom under the point. Returns -1 if the point is not over any atom.

Throws
IllegalOperationError — The validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.

See also

getAtomTextBlockBeginIndex()method 
public function getAtomTextBlockBeginIndex(atomIndex:int):int

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 9

Gets the text block begin index of the atom at the specified index.

Calling this method causes the player to create the atom data if it does not yet exist.

Parameters

atomIndex:int — The zero-based index value of the atom (for example, the first atom is 0, the second atom is 1, and so on).

Returns
int — The text block begin index of the atom at atomIndex

Throws
RangeError — The atom index specified is out of range.
 
IllegalOperationError — The validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.

See also

getAtomTextBlockEndIndex()method 
public function getAtomTextBlockEndIndex(atomIndex:int):int

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 9

Gets the text block end index of the atom at the specified index.

Calling this method causes the player to create the atom data if it does not yet exist.

Parameters

atomIndex:int — The zero-based index value of the atom (for example, the first atom is 0, the second atom is 1, and so on).

Returns
int — The text block end index of the atom at atomIndex

Throws
RangeError — The atom index specified is out of range.
 
IllegalOperationError — The validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.

See also

getAtomTextRotation()method 
public function getAtomTextRotation(atomIndex:int):String

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 9

Gets the rotation of the atom at the specified index. TextRotation constants are used for this property. The rotation of the atom is the cumulative rotations of the glyph (as determined by ElementFormat.textRotation and / or TextBlock.glyphRotation), the element, and the line.

Calling this method causes the player to create the atom data if it does not yet exist.

Parameters

atomIndex:int — The zero-based index value of the atom (for example, the first atom is 0, the second atom is 1, and so on).

Returns
String — The rotation of the atom at atomIndex

Throws
RangeError — The specified atom index is out of range.
 
IllegalOperationError — The validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.

See also

getAtomWordBoundaryOnLeft()method 
public function getAtomWordBoundaryOnLeft(atomIndex:int):Boolean

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 9

Indicates whether a word boundary occurs to the left of the atom at the specified index. Word boundaries are determined based on the Unicode properties of the characters which contributed to the line.

Calling this method causes the player to create the atom data if it does not yet exist.

Parameters

atomIndex:int — The zero-based index value of the atom (for example, the first atom is 0, the second atom is 1, and so on).

Returns
Boolean — A Boolean value that indicates whether a word boundary occurs to the left of the atom at atomIndex

Throws
RangeError — The atom index specified is out of range.
 
IllegalOperationError — The validity of the line is TextLineValidity.STATIC.

See also

getBaselinePosition()method 
public function getBaselinePosition(baseline:String):Number

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 9

Gets the position of the specified baseline, relative to TextBlock.baselineZero.

Parameters

baseline:String — The baseline for which to retrieve the position. Use TextBaseline values.

Returns
Number — The position of the specified baseline relative to TextBlock.baselineZero.

Throws
ArgumentError — If the baseline specified is not a member of TextBaseline.

See also

getMirrorRegion()method 
public function getMirrorRegion(mirror:EventDispatcher):TextLineMirrorRegion

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

Returns the first TextLineMirrorRegion on the line whose mirror property matches that specified by the mirror parameter, or null if no match exists.

Even a single TextElement can produce multiple TextLineMirrorRegion objects on one or more lines, depending on bi-di and line breaking. All the mirror regions generated from one text element are linked by their next and previous references.

Parameters

mirror:EventDispatcher — The EventDispatcher mirror object to search for.

Returns
TextLineMirrorRegion — The first TextLineMirrorRegion on the line whose mirror property matches the specified value, or null if no match exists.

See also

Constant Detail
MAX_LINE_WIDTHConstant
public static const MAX_LINE_WIDTH:int = 1000000

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0
Player Version : Flash Player 10

The maximum requested width of a text line, in pixels. The TextBlock.createTextLine() method uses this constant as the default value for the width parameter, if you do not specify a value.

See also

Examples How to use examples
TextLineExample.as

This example displays various text textLines and steps through the atoms in a text block, using getAtomBounds() to frame each one.
  1. Add the NumericStepper component to the library.
  2. Save this code as TextLineExample.as in the same directory as your FLA.
  3. Set the DocumentClass in the FLA to TextLineExample.
package {
    import flash.display.Sprite;
    import flash.text.engine.TextBlock;
    import flash.text.engine.TextElement;
    import flash.text.engine.TextLine;
    import flash.text.engine.ElementFormat;
    import flash.text.engine.FontDescription;
    import flash.text.engine.FontPosture;
    import fl.controls.NumericStepper;
    import flash.events.Event;
    import flash.geom.Rectangle;
    
    public class TextLineExample extends Sprite {
        
        private var atomStepper:NumericStepper = new NumericStepper();
        private var atomDataContainer:Sprite;
        private var fontDescription:FontDescription = new FontDescription("Arial");
        private var textBlock:TextBlock = new TextBlock();
        private var textLine:TextLine;
        
        public function TextLineExample():void {
            
            var myText:String = "I am a TextElement, created from a String and assigned " +
            "to the content property of a TextBlock. From the text block, " +
            "the createTextLine() method created these lines, 300 pixels wide, "  +
            "for display." ;
            
            atomStepper.minimum = 0;
            atomStepper.value = 0;
            atomStepper.width = 50;
            addChild(atomStepper);
            atomStepper.x = 20;
            atomStepper.y = 120;
            atomStepper.addEventListener(Event.CHANGE, nsChange);
            
            var directions:String = "Click up / down arrows to frame atoms in text block above.";
            
            fontDescription.fontPosture = FontPosture.ITALIC;
            var format:ElementFormat = new ElementFormat(fontDescription);
            format.fontSize = 12;
            var textElement1:TextElement = new TextElement(directions, format);
            textBlock.content = textElement1;
            createLines(textBlock, 15, 160, 400, this);
            
            var textElement2:TextElement = new TextElement(myText, format);
            fontDescription.fontPosture = FontPosture.NORMAL;
            format.fontSize = 16;
            textBlock.content = textElement2;
            createLines(textBlock, 15.0, 20.0, 300, this);
            textLine = textBlock.firstLine;
            atomStepper.maximum = textLine.atomCount - 1;
            showAtom(textLine, 0);
        }
            
        private function nsChange(event:Event):void
        {
            removeAtom(textLine);
            if (atomStepper.value == textLine.atomCount - 1)
            {
                if(textLine != textBlock.lastLine)
                {
                    textLine = textLine.nextLine;
                    atomStepper.maximum = textLine.atomCount - 1;
                    atomStepper.value = 0;
                }
            }
            showAtom(textLine, atomStepper.value);
        }
            
        private function createLines(textBlock, startX, startY, width, container)
        {
            var textLine:TextLine = textBlock.createTextLine (null, width);
            while (textLine)
            {
                textLine.x = startX;
                textLine.y = startY;
                startY += textLine.height + 2;
                container.addChild(textLine);
                textLine = textBlock.createTextLine (textLine, width);
            }
        }
            
        private function showAtom(textLine, i):void
        {
            var box:Sprite = new Sprite();
            var mcGraphics = box.graphics;
            var bounds:Rectangle = textLine.getAtomBounds(i);
            mcGraphics.lineStyle(1, 0xFF0000, 1.0);
            mcGraphics.drawRect(bounds.left, bounds.top, bounds.width, bounds.height);
            textLine.userData = textLine.addChild(box);
            displayAtomData(textLine,i);
        }
            
        private function displayAtomData(textLine, i)
        {
            if(atomDataContainer != null)
                removeChild(atomDataContainer);
            atomDataContainer=new Sprite();
            var format:ElementFormat = new ElementFormat(fontDescription);
            fontDescription.fontPosture = FontPosture.NORMAL;
            format.fontSize = 12;
            format.color = 0x00000FF;
            var n:int = 0;
            var nxtY:Number = 0;
            var atomInfo:String = "value of getAtomBidiLevel() is: " + textLine.getAtomBidiLevel(i)+"\n"
            +"value of getAtomCenter() is: " + textLine.getAtomCenter(i)+"\n"
            +"value of getAtomIndexAtCharIndex() is: " + textLine.getAtomIndexAtCharIndex(i)+"\n"
            +"value of getAtomTextBlockBeginIndex() is: " + textLine.getAtomTextBlockBeginIndex(i)+"\n"
            +"value of getAtomTextBlockEndIndex() is: " + textLine.getAtomTextBlockEndIndex(i)+"\n"
            +"value of getAtomTextRotation() is: " + textLine.getAtomTextRotation(i)+"\n";
            var atomtextBlock:TextBlock = new TextBlock();
            var te3:TextElement = new TextElement(atomInfo, format);
            atomtextBlock.content = te3;
            createLines(atomtextBlock,20,200,500, atomDataContainer)
            addChild(atomDataContainer);
        }
            
        private function removeAtom(textLine):void
        {
            textLine.removeChild(textLine.userData);
        }
    }    
}