Enemy platform behavior - patroling & shooting

Hello,

I have been looking around for answers to my problem and found clues, but nothing conclusive, so here it goes:

My game is a platform game where you play an undertaker who has to bury the enemies as they shoot each other. So I want my enemy to patrol and shoot!

Problem is, I managed to make them patrol back and forth using a text variable:

But when I try to make them shoot, using an invisible sprite (detection, on my sheet) as a trigger, I think the variable that make them move isn't letting the whole shooting animation play. I only see the first frame.

How can I tell the game that the cowboy has to stop walking and shoot instead?

Many thanks in advance to whoever will take time for me!

you could try with something as simple as adding a condition to event 19 and 20

CoBoI2 animation CBfire is not playing..

Yes, that is very simple and a good idea. It's gonna sound pretty dumb but i only have the "is playing" condition. how do I say not playing?

Yes, that is very simple and a good idea. It's gonna sound pretty dumb but i only have the "is playing" condition. how do I say not playing?

right click the "is playing" and choose invert..

YES! Thanks that works. Now I have to make them walk again afterwards. If you have an idea go ahead I'm searching as i write.

Okay, I added to the overlaping detection condition a system wait of the time of the fire animation and played the idle animation so the condition for the character to move again be met.

Tanks a lot for putting me on the right tracks. I'm going to do the bullet spawning now. (I don't know anything about it though )