public _parent : MovieClip

A reference to the movie clip or object that contains the current movie clip or object. The current object is the object that references the _parent property. Use the _parent property to specify a relative path to movie clips or objects that are above the current movie clip or object.

You can use _parent to move up multiple levels in the display list as in the following:

this._parent._parent._alpha = 20;

Example

The following example traces the reference to a movie clip and its relationship to the main Timeline. Create a movie clip with the instance name my_mc, and add it to the main Timeline. Add the following ActionScript to your FLA or AS file:

my_mc.onRelease = function() {
    trace("You clicked the movie clip: "+this);
    trace("The parent of "+this._name+" is: "+this._parent);
}

When you click the movie clip, the following information appears in the Output panel:

You clicked the movie clip: _level0.my_mc
The parent of my_mc is: _level0

See also

_parent (Button._parent property), _root property, targetPath function, _parent (TextField._parent property)