How do I set the visibility of a widget to false? - lua

Question

So, I have this function:
local function addMainMenu()
local widget = require( "widget" )
-- Function to handle button events
local function handleButtonEvent( event )
if ( "ended" == event.phase ) then
scene = "GAME"
end
end
-- Create the widget
local button1 = widget.newButton(
{
label = "button",
onEvent = handleButtonEvent,
emboss = false,
-- Properties for a rounded rectangle button
shape = "roundedRect",
width = 200,
height = 40,
cornerRadius = 2,
fillColor = { default={0.9,0.9,0.9,1}, over={1,0.1,0.7,0.4} },
strokeColor = { default={0,0,0,1}, over={0.8,0.8,1,1} },
strokeWidth = 5
}
)
-- Center the button
button1.x = display.contentCenterX
button1.y = display.contentCenterY
-- Change the button's label text
button1:setLabel( "Start Game" )
end
That adds the button to start the game, and then I have:
local function enterFrame()
local dt = getDeltaTime()
if (scene == "MAIN_MENU") then
addMainMenu()
elseif (scene == "GAME") then
if (running == false) then
startGame()
else
moveBg(dt)
moveEnemy(enemy)
updateScore()
end
elseif (scene == "GAME_OVER") then
local gameOverLabel = display.newText( "Game Over!", 50, 20, native.systemFont, 16)
gameOverLabel:setFillColor(1, 1, 1)
end
end
As you can see, once I click on the button to start, the scene changes to "GAME", and the button should go away. The thing is: It stays there. And reading the docs, I can't find a way to set its visibility to false. How can I cease displaying a widget?

Answer 1

To make it not visible use .isVisible:
button1.isVisible = false
To hide it use .alpha
button1.alpha = 0.00
-- or hide just a little by 50%
button1.alpha = 0.50
To remove it:
display.remove( button1)
button1= nil

Answer 2

A ButtoWidget inherits from GroupObject which inherits from DisplayObject which provides the property isVisible
Overview
Controls whether the object is visible on the screen. The
property is also readable. The default is true.
Example
local rect1 = display.newRect( 100, 100, 50, 50 )
rect1:setFillColor( 0.7 )
local rect2 = display.newRect( 150, 100, 50, 50 )
rect2:setFillColor( 1, 0, 0, 0.6 )
rect2.isVisible = false
button1.isVisible = false will hide the button. It will disappear with the next screen update.
In case you don't need the button anymore you can as well just remove it by calling button1:removeSelf() or by removing it from it's parent group