addChild custom class AS3

This is the class I am trying instantiate into my main class:

public class Character extends Sprite {

    [Embed(source='../lib/front1.svg')]
    private var front1Class:Class;
    private va开发者_如何学Cr crosshair:Sprite = new front1Class ();

    public function Character() {
        trace("started");
        Mouse.hide();

        crosshair.scaleX = 5;
        crosshair.scaleY = 5;
        this.addChild(crosshair);

        stage.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, MrEveryFrame);
        stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, click);
    }


    private function click(evt:MouseEvent):void {
        trace("clicked @ " + evt.stageX + "," + evt.stageY);

    }
    public function MrEveryFrame(e:Event):void
    {
        crosshair.x = mouseX - 15;
        crosshair.y = mouseY - 15;


    }

}

When I set it to the document class, it works fine.

However... when I make THIS my document class and try to call it from there:

public class Shell extends Sprite
{


    private var character:Sprite = new Character ();


    public function Shell() 
    {

        addChild(character);


    }


}

It breaks, and no longer shows the sprite object (though it does erase the mouse pointer).

What's the deal here? You can't instantiate custom sprite or movieclip classes into a DisplayObject class???

The stage is null in the constructor. That only works when your class is the Document Class, as you found out yourself. So change your constructor like this:

public function Character() {
    trace("started");
    Mouse.hide();

    crosshair.scaleX = 5;
    crosshair.scaleY = 5;
    this.addChild(crosshair);

    addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, onAddedToStage);
}

private function onAddedToStage(event:Event):void
{

    stage.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, MrEveryFrame);
    stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, click);
}

Adding the listener will access the stage only after the stage is known, and it's no longer null