Question

Try to compile:

var object:Object = {};

object.one = "foo";
object.two = "foo";
object.three = "foo";
object.four = "foo";

for(var key:String in object)
{
    trace(key);
}

… you will get:

one
four
two
three

Why the messed up order?

Answer 1

The keys of an object are not ordered. If you need to preserve order and have a lookup, then you need to create a custom collection that provides that functionality.