I have html from an xml file that gets loaded into a text field. looks like
this:
<a href='asfunction:displaySub,Audio Control Module (ACM)'><font
color='#0000FF'>Audio Control Module (ACM)</font></a>
In the Flash app when the user clicks on this link it calls the displaySub
function and passes the value "Audio Control Module (ACM)" to it.
In Flex I have gotten it to fire displaySub but not sure if it is passing the
string or how I would go about retrieving that value.
Any thoughts?

Perhaps...

<a href='asfunction:displaySub," ' + String( Audio Control Module (ACM) ) + ' " '>

that actually kills the string. remember, this is being pulled from an xml file and assigned to a text field in Flex.

Ah yes....

In your case, "Audio Control Module (ACM)" is sent to the 'displaySub()' as a
string - 'Audio Control Module (ACM)'

So at best:
function displaySub( str:String ) : void { trace( str ); }

...should trace:
Audio Control Module (ACM)

...no?

returns nothing at all. here's the code, this will trace:

[Bindable(event="click")]
private function displaySub():void {
trace("here = ");
}

<mx:Text x="10" y="10" width="752" id="full" htmlText="{textdata}"
enabled="true" fontSize="12" fontFamily="Arial" leading="0" resize="true"
selectable="true" click="displaySub()"/>

if I add a variable to the function, it will not. I need to add a value to
the calling control (mx:Text) and this is where it falls apart because it is
not the link in the text that actually calls the function but the mx control. I
need to get the link to call the function. (I've tried the link method of the
text control but that didn't seem to work as well - could still be my not fully
understanding how these things are really working)

I added a listener to my textfield using TextEvent.LINK and was able to fire off a function from a link in the text field. Dunno if that helps.

I tried the link= method of the textfield but was unable to ge the compiler to
recognize the id name of the textfield when trying to establish a listener in
code (full.addListener(...)).If there is a different way to attach a listener
to a textfield please let me know. There has to be a way this works in Flex if
it already works in Flash.

asfunction no longer exists in AS and is replaced by the TextEvent link event.

Do this:
<a href='event:mytext)' ...

And access "mytext" in the listener:
private function onTextLinkClick(event:TextEvent):void {
var sMyText:String = event.text;

The TextEvent bubbles, so you can listen for it most anywhere.

Tracy

thanks everyone for your help on this.

New wrinkle: I'm getting the following message when accessing the TextEvent
link:

*** Security Sandbox Violation ***
Connection to TextEvent:Safing Sensor halted - not permitted from
app:/StoryboardPlayer.swf
-- This is due to the value of 'allowNetworking'.

the strange thing is, it worked fine @ home last night but today @ work I get
the message. My thinking is, it's the network since the development machine is
not authenticated to the network (its my personal laptop). I get the message as
soon as I click on the link 'cause the trace() in the listener doesn't fire.
Any thoughts?