Flash CS3 Documentation

Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash > Functions and Methods > About functions and methods > About types of methods and functions > About constructor functions

About constructor functions

The constructor of a class is a special function that is called automatically when you create an instance of a class by using the new keyword (such as, var my_xml:XML = new XML();). The constructor function has the same name as the class that contains it. For example, a custom Person class that you create would contain the following constructor function:

public function Person(speed:Number) {
    Person.numPeople++;
    this._speed = speed;
}

Then you could create a new instance by using:

var myPerson:Person = new Person();

A class can contain only one constructor function; overloaded constructor functions are not allowed in ActionScript 2.0. Also, a constructor function cannot have a return type. For more information on writing constructor functions in class files, Writing the constructor function.

Flash CS3