.. highlight:: inform
+.. default-role:: samp
+
.. epigraph::
| |CENTER| *G was a gamester, who had but ill-luck;*
location = before_cottage;
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ pair: location; library variable
+
to reset the value of the :var:`location` variable to the
``before_cottage`` object, and we wrote::
indeed the player herself is also an object (one that's automatically
defined by the library).
-.. todo::
-
- The set-off below needs to be tweaked or perhaps a custom lexer
- created to get italics in the right places.
+The general model of an :term:`object` definition looks like this:
-The general model of an :term:`object` definition looks like this::
-
- Object obj_id "external_name" parent_obj_id
- with property value ,
- property value ,
- ...
- property value ,
- has attribute attribute ... attribute
- ;
+ | `Object {obj_id} "{external_name}" {parent_obj_id}`
+ | `with`
+ | `{property} {value},`
+ | `{property} {value},`
+ | `...`
+ | `{property} {value},`
+ | `has {attribute} {attribute} ... {attribute}`
+ | `;`
The definition starts with the word ``Object`` and ends with a semicolon;
in between are three major blocks of information:
An object header comprises up to three items, all optional:
-* An internal ``obj_id`` by which other objects refer to this object. It's
+* An internal `{obj_id}` by which other objects refer to this object. It's
a single word (though it can contain digits and underscores) of up to
thirty-two characters, and it must be unique within the game. You can
- omit the ``obj_id`` if this object isn't referred to by any other
+ omit the `{obj_id}` if this object isn't referred to by any other
objects.
For example: ``bird``, ``tree``, ``top_of_tree``.
-* An ``external_name``, in double quotes, which is what the interpreter
+* An `{external_name}`, in double quotes, which is what the interpreter
uses when referring to the object. It can be one or more words, and need
not be unique (for instance, you might have several ``"Somewhere in the
desert"`` rooms). Although not mandatory, it's best to give *every*
- object an ``external_name``. For example: ``"baby bird"``, ``"tall
+ object an `{external_name}`. For example: ``"baby bird"``, ``"tall
sycamore tree"``, ``"At the top of the tree"``.
-* The internal ``obj_id`` of another object which is the initial location
+* The internal `{obj_id}` of another object which is the initial location
of this object (its "parent" -- see the next section) at the start of the
game. This is omitted from objects which have no initial parent; it's
*always* omitted from a room.
finds all the words, and they seem to represent a sensible course of
action, that's what happens next.
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ pair: name; library property
+
So far, we've seen dictionary words used as the values of an object
:prop:`name` property::
deadflag = 2;
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ pair: deadflag; library variable
+
which changes the value of the library variable :var:`deadflag` from its
current value to 2. Incidentally, ``if`` statements are often written
on two lines, with the "controlled" statement indented. This makes it