Repair Site

Troubleshooting Flash Player Error 1009

It is unlikely that an end-user would ever experience Flash player error 1009, as this error is displayed typically to webmasters/flash developers.  This is due to the nature of this particular error in that it is presented to the developer during testing.  If you are receiving the Flash player error 1009 while visiting a website it is not likely to be the result of a problem with your computer. 

If you are completely sure that the error is on your end and not as a result of the developer you may find some relief in uninstalling and then reinstalling Adobe Flash.  This can be done by following a very simple process:

• Uninstall Flash via the Adobe uninstall tool - Found here (http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/141/tn_14157.html), this tool is the only way to completely remove Macromedia Flash from your system.  Choose the version that is appropriate for your operating system, download, and then run the program.
  
  Once the program has run it will have completely removed Flash from your computer.  You can verify this by trying to visit any Flash-enabled website.

• Reinstall Flash - Once Flash has been completely uninstalled, reinstall Flash by visiting the Adobe Flash website (http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/).  Be sure to download the latest version (as of this writing it was version 10).

Unlike many errors from the Flash player, error 1009 is particularly unhelpful as it does not give any reference as to where the error originated from or how to solve it.  Many errors will at least provide some guideline as to where the error is coming from, making troubleshooting and rectifying the error easier for the developer.  Unfortunately, Flash player error 1009 offers no such remission.

Background Information about the Flash Player Error 1009:

Specific error name: Error #1009: Cannot access a property or method of a null object reference.

This error can be easily identified via the Flash debug player (found here: http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html).  Since Flash player error 1009 does not provide much reference as to where the error is coming from, the Flash debug player will allow you to see a sack trace to where the error occurs.  From there you can possibly identify errors in your code.

Flash player error 1009 is essentially telling you that you are trying to reference something, such as a movie clip, that isn't there yet.  The Flash player is basically dialling a phone number that hasn't been set up yet and no longer knows what to do.

Typically, this error shows up when you are trying to access a movieClip that hasn't been instantiated yet.  Another reason that this error will show up is due to incorrect targeting (targeting variable.one, for example, when the correct reference is variable.variable.one). 

Fixing Flash Player Error 1009:

If you haven't already, download the Flash debug player (found here: http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html) and run your Flash application through it.  It should easily identify where the error in your code lies.  From there it should be a simple fix.

If the Flash debug player is of no help there are a couple of things that you can do to rectify the error:

• Ensure that your reference is instantiated before you call it - Loading the object/video/animation before you call it will almost always eliminate Flash player error 1009. 

• Ensure that your targeting is correct - As mentioned before, incorrect targeting with cause error 1009 to appear.  Make sure that everything is referenced correctly.