Passing parameters to a function

Parameters are the elements on which a function executes its code. (In this manual, the terms parameter and argument are interchangeable.) For example, the following function takes the parameters initials and finalScore:

function fillOutScorecard(initials, finalScore) {
  scorecard.display = initials;
  scorecard.score = finalScore;
}

When the function is called, the required parameters must be passed to the function. The function substitutes the passed values for the parameters in the function definition. In this example, scorecard is the instance name of a movie clip; display and score are input text fields in the instance. The following function call assigns the value "JEB" to the variable display and the value 45000 to the variable score:

fillOutScorecard("JEB", 45000);

The parameter initials in the function fillOutScorecard() is similar to a local variable; it exists while the function is called and ceases to exist when the function exits. If you omit parameters during a function call, the omitted parameters are passed as undefined. If you provide extra parameters in a function call that are not required by the function declaration, they are ignored.