Multiple screen - side by side layer comparison

TracySchloss

I am starting out with a map and a combo box with 3 different layers in it.  As you pick different layer names from the combo box, that layer is turned on and the other turns off. 
   

<esri:Map id="mainMap"  width="100%" height="100%"
     units="{Units.METERS}" visible="true" initialize"initMap()">

     <esri:extent >
              <esri:Extent id="startExtent" xmin="-10944809" ymin="4276422" xmax="-9568555" ymax="5020001">
               <esri:SpatialReference wkid="102100"/>
              </esri:Extent>
             </esri:extent>
  <esri:ArcGISTiledMapServiceLayer id="medIncomeLayer" alpha="0.7" visible="true"
        url="http://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Demographics/USA_Median_Household_Income/MapServer" />
       
        <esri:ArcGISTiledMapServiceLayer id="socialVunLayer" alpha="0.7" visible="false"
        url="http://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Demographics/USA_Social_Vulnerability_Index/MapServer" />
       
        <esri:ArcGISTiledMapServiceLayer id="unemployLayer" alpha="0.7" visible="false"
        url="http://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Demographics/USA_Unemployment_Rate/MapServer"

   </esri:Map>

This is the combo box:

mx:ComboBox id="layerPickList1" change="changeMap(mainMap)"
  paddingBottom="10" paddingTop="10"
  paddingLeft="10" paddingRight="10"
  dataProvider="{comboList}" x="67"/>  

This is the array that is populating it:

           public var comboList:Array = ["Median Income","Social Vunerability","Unemployment"];
           public var LayerList:Array = ["medIncomeLayer","socialVunLayer","unemployLayer"];

           [Bindable]
           public var LayerArray:ArrayCollection = new ArrayCollection;
This is my function that changes the map:

           

public function changeMap (myMap:Map): void {
             var mapName:String = myMap.id;
          var chosenLayer:String = layerPickList1.text;
          var listPosition:Number = comboList.indexOf(chosenLayer);
          var displayLayer:Object = LayerList[comboList.indexOf(chosenLayer)];  
             
       for each (var mapLayer:Layer in LayerArray) {
      trace (mapLayer.id);     
          if (mapLayer.id == displayLayer) {
           mapLayer.visible=true;
           } else {
             mapLayer.visible=false;
            }          
          }                 
         }

I have a function that runs when the map initializes that just puts the 3 layers of the map in an arraycollection. 

public function initMap () : void {

LayerArray.addItem(medIncomeLayer);
LayerArray.addItem(socialVunLayer);
LayerArray.addItem(unemployLayer);
}

My issue is that I want to be able to open up additional maps and use the same 3 layers.  I can't just use the arraycollection I've made on the 2nd /3rd / 4th maps because all this does is move the layers from my original main map and put it on the newly created maps.

I know I can add set more maps and use the same layers again with different names and set up more comboboxes too for each.  However this sounds like such a sloppy hack-y way to go about it.  Mostly I can't figure out a work around to the fact I can't seem to clone the arraycollection.  I've looked all around and found some working examples on the web (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sdds/ed/index.asp is posted on the ESRI forum but without the code.

TracySchloss

Now that I've played with it a bit more, it does seem to be listening and responding to extent changes from more than just the original map.  Thanks very much and Merry Christmas!