array_search function "needle in a haystack"

// function to search through an array to see if a value is in there.  
// Returns the index of the item in the array if found otherwise returns -1
// needle can be other data types, including MovieClip, Number, etc...
 
function array_search(needle:String, haystack:Array):Number {
	var i:Number;
	var found:Boolean = false;
	for (i=0; i<haystack.length; i++) {
		if (haystack[i] == needle) {
			found = true;
			break;
		}
	}
	if (found == true) {
		return (i);
	} else {
		return (-1);
	}
}
 
function searchArray():Void{
var arrayIndex:Number = array_search(mc, inputArray);
	if (arrayIndex != -1) {
		// do something
	} else {
		//trace("Not In Array");
	}
}