% InfoLib At Your Fingertips
% Roger Firth <roger@firthworks.com>

A quick reference to the Inform Library.

Copyright © 2002 Roger Firth <roger@firthworks.com>. Copying and
distribution, with or without modification, are permitted in any
medium without royalty provided the copyright notice and this notice
are preserved.

<http://www.firthworks.com/roger/>

Version 1.5 (March 2002)

The road to brevity is via solecism and imprecision.

Library objects
---------------

`compass` - A `container` object holding the twelve direction objects
`d_obj` `e_obj` `in_obj` `n_obj` `ne_obj` `nw_obj` `out_obj` `s_obj`
`se_obj` `sw_obj` `u_obj` `w_obj`.

`LibraryMessages` - If defined (between Includes of `Parser` and
`VerbLib`), changes standard library messages:

    Object  LibraryMessages
      with  before [;
                action : "string";
                action : "string";
                action : switch (lm_n) {
                    value : "string";
                    value : "string ",(a) lm_o,".";
                    ...
                    }
                ...
                ];

`selfobj` - The default player object. Avoid: use instead the `player`
variable, which usually refers to `selfobj`.

`thedark` - A pseudo-room which becomes the `location` when there is
no light (although the player object is not moved there).

Library constants
-----------------

In addition to the standard constants `true` (1), `false` (0) and
`nothing` (0), the Library defines `NULL` (-1) for an action, property
or pronoun whose current value is undefined.

User-defined constants
----------------------

Some constants control features rather than represent values.

AMUSING_PROVIDED - Activates the `Amusing` entry_point.

DEATH_MENTION_UNDO - Offers "UNDO the last move" when the game is
over.

DEBUG - Activates the debug commands.

Headline = "*string*" - **Mandatory**: the game style, copyright
information, etc.

MANUAL_PRONOUNS - Pronouns reflect only objects mentioned by the
player.

MAX_CARRIED = *expr* - Maximum number of direct possessions that the
player can carry (default 100).

MAX_SCORE = *expr* - Maximum game score (default 0).

MAX_TIMERS = *expr* - Maximum number of active timers/daemons
(default 32).

NO_PLACES - The "`OBJECTS`" and "`PLACES`" verbs are not allowed.

NUMBER_TASKS = *expr* - Number of `scored` tasks to be performed
(default 1).

OBJECT_SCORE = *expr* - For taking a `scored` object for the first
time (default 4).

ROOM_SCORE = *expr* - For visiting a `scored` room for the first time
(default 5).

SACK_OBJECT = *object* - A `container` object where the game places
held objects.

Story = "*string*" - **Mandatory**: the name of the story.

TASKS_PROVIDED - Activates the task scoring system.

USE_MODULES - Activates linking with pre-compiled library modules.

WITHOUT_DIRECTIONS - De-activates standard compass directions (bar
"IN" and "OUT"). Place alternative directions in the compass.