Flash CS3 / Flex 2 AS3 Error #1078

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Error #1078: Label must be a simple identifier.

Description:
The main reason you will get this ActionScript error comes because of mistyping a colon. You can get AS3 Error 1078 by putting a a colon at the end of a line instead of a semicolon. You can get it by trying to ‘Type’ an object without the ‘var’ keyword, and my personal favorite – If you are in Flash writing a Class and hit the quick keys esc >> t >> r to get a trace(); statement you will get trace():void; instead.

Fix 1:
This error can be resolved by correctly typing a semicolon.

Bad Code1

myText.border = false:

Good Code1 :

myText.border = false;

Fix 2:
This can be resolved by using the keyword var. (The bad code example here is really bad code)

Bad Code 2:

this.box:MovieClip = new MovieClip();

Good Code 2:

var box:MovieClip = new MovieClip();

Fix 3:
Delete the silly extra stuff that Flash puts in there for you. If you have the bad code as shown below you will most likely get another error like 1083. Just fix the first and the second will also be resolved.

Bad Code 3:

trace():void

Good Code 3:

trace();

And that is how you solve ActionScript Error #1078

Happy Flashing

24 thoughts on “Flash CS3 / Flex 2 AS3 Error #1078”

  5. Here’s one:

    Bad:
    private getObject():Object
    {
    return
    {
    attrib1:objA.stuff,
    attrib2:objB.stuff
    };
    }

    Good:
    private getObject():Object
    {
    var obj:Object =
    {
    attrib1:objA.stuff,
    attrib2:objB.stuff
    };
    return obj;
    }

  7. Thank you, Curtis!
    I also had colon at the end and lost some time before finding your article.

  9. @Ryan: take the “:void” off the end of that line and replace it with a semicolon… you should have the declaration of the event listener like this:

    splat_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.RIGHT_CLICK, splatter);

    then the function definition like this:

    function splatter(evt:MouseEvent):void
    {
    // event handler stuff here
    }

  10. Hey Curtis awesome helpful blog! I have an error I hope you can help me with. I have watched many tutorials and I’m starting to get the hang of AS 3 but I’m getting an error 1078 that I can’t explain. I would be real grateful if you took a look. I have a variable named splat_mc which is a movieclip. I have a function called splatter. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. Any help would be appreciated thanks!!!

    splat_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.RIGHT_CLICK, splatter):void

  12. Thanks, this helped me find my problem. My issue was that I had mistyped a function declaration like this:

    // correctly defined previous function…

    addEventListener(…):void; // I accidentally put void here instead of the return type in the next function signature

    } // end previous function

    private function nextFunction() { // This line was missing the return type three lines above
    // code
    }

    When I moved my misplaced code the 1078 error went away.

  13. u rock dude….. i just had the same trouble
    DATAGRID_DebitorenAuswahl.y = TEXTINPUT_Debitor_von.y + TEXTINPUT_Debitor_von.height:

    just won’t compile with strange message…

    ur blog saved our souls.

    greetings from outa space

  14. I’ve still got the 1078 error.
    bad code:
    function addParticle2(e.Event)

    it tells me that “Label must be a simple identifier”
    I do not not know why it does this because it checks out with:
    function addParticle(e.Event)
    and I’ve created both Particle and Particle two as movie clips, exporting to action script and in first name. I’ve named 1 “dot” and the other “dot2”. I also appropriately defined dot and dot2 as variables. perhaps maybe you can tell me whats wrong with the code.

    thanks,
    Mike

  16. I’m getting the error when i’m trying to TYPE a variable within an object or array:

    var myVar:Array = new Array();
    myVar[‘aNumber’]:Number = 0;

    Throws: 1078: Label must be a simple identifier.

    Any ideas why?

    thanks,

    Tim

  17. Austin and Brart,

    Glad that this helped. The semicolon is often hard to recognize and therefore difficult to see when troubleshooting. Good example Brart.

    Thanks,
    Curtis J. Morley

  18. It also give this error if:

    var box:Menu1 = Menu1;
    addChild(box):

    Good code:

    var box:Menu1 = Menu1;
    addChild(box);

    THe difference:

    : -> ;

    Brart

  19. This has not helped me yet. I learned flash in actionscript 1.0 so naturally i’m getting all kinds of errors. This is my latest one. Error 1078 every time I just try to reference a movie clip. What am I doing wrong? Here is some examples of code that produced error:

    (Actually, as I just went to go copy the code, I found that I did put in a colon! AHHH.) Thank you!

    hahaha…

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  22. Pingback: curtismorley.com » Added new info to ActionScript Error #1078

  23. Mihai,
    Thanks for the comment. This is another good example of when you will get this ActionScript Compile error. It is due to scope.

    Bad Code:
    this.box:MovieClip = new MovieClip();

    Good Code:
    var box:MovieClip = new MovieClip();

    Hope this helps and Happy Flashing
    Curtis J. Morley

  24. I also got the error because I wrote this (without realising, of course):

    this._box:VBox = new VBox();

    …strange that the error isn’t a bit more descriptive of what the problem actually is.

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