Changes for page Mission Director Guide
Last modified by Klaus Meyer on 2025/03/31 16:39
From version 32948.1
edited by Daniel Turner
on 2023/08/22 18:53
on 2023/08/22 18:53
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To version 32944.3
edited by Daniel Turner
on 2023/08/22 17:29
on 2023/08/22 17:29
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... ... @@ -1,13 +1,14 @@ 1 1 The Mission Director (MD) is a subsystem of the game and interprets mission scripts, which are written in an XML-based language. The Mission Director in X Rebirth and X4 is based on the MD in X3: Terran Conflict, with some major changes based on feedback from MD users.\\ 2 2 3 -An introduction to the original MD can be found in the[[(% &text-decoration: underline;" %)Egosoft forums>>url:http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=196971]](%%). There is also a PDF guide for the X3 Mission Director, which is partially used as a template for this document.3 +An introduction to the original MD can be found in the[[(% style="color: rgb(0,0,153);text-decoration: underline;" %)Egosoft forums>>url:http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=196971]](%%). There is also a PDF guide for the X3 Mission Director, which is partially used as a template for this document. 4 4 5 5 This document is primarily supposed to be a guide for MD users (people who use the MD to develop missions or write other MD scripts), not for MD programmers (people who work on the MD engine in C++). 6 6 7 -{{ info}}The general MD scripting system is the same in XR and X4, so this guide applies to both games. However, each game has its own set of supported script features (i.e. actions, conditions and properties), so in general scripts from different games are not compatible.{{/info}}7 +{{{The general MD scripting system is the same in XR and X4, so this guide applies to both games. However, each game has its own set of supported script features (i.e. actions, conditions and properties), so in general scripts from different games are not compatible.}}} 8 8 9 9 (% id="md-scripts" %) 10 10 11 + 11 11 {{toc/}} 12 12 13 13 = MD scripts = ... ... @@ -14,14 +14,14 @@ 14 14 15 15 MD scripts are not necessarily missions. An MD file can contain a part of a mission, multiple missions, or no mission at all, as the MD is used for more than just missions. 16 16 17 -MD files are XML files located in the game folder **md**. All XML files in that folder are loaded at game start. The file names are irrelevant, since the internally used script names are read from the XML root nodes. However, it's recommended to keep file name and internal script name identical to avoid having to look up the names.18 +MD files are XML files located in the game folder {{code}}md{{/code}}. All XML files in that folder are loaded at game start. The file names are irrelevant, since the internally used script names are read from the XML root nodes. However, it's recommended to keep file name and internal script name identical to avoid having to look up the names. 18 18 19 -To edit MD scripts, an XML editing tool is needed. Microsoft Visual Studio (if available) or [[Microsoft Visual Web Developer>>url:http://www.microsoft.com/express/vwd/]](%%) (for free) are highly recommended because they have pretty good support for XML schemas (XSD). The provided Mission Director schema files help you create the XML file by displaying all available tags and attributes as you edit the XML. 20 +To edit MD scripts, an XML editing tool is needed. Microsoft Visual Studio (if available) or [[(% style="color: rgb(0,0,153);text-decoration: underline;" %)Microsoft Visual Web Developer>>url:http://www.microsoft.com/express/vwd/]](%%) (for free) are highly recommended because they have pretty good support for XML schemas (XSD). The provided Mission Director schema files help you create the XML file by displaying all available tags and attributes as you edit the XML. 20 20 21 21 This functionality is only available if the schema files **md.xsd** and **common.xsd** are in the correct folder. If you are editing the XML in the game folder directly, all is well and the files are loaded from the libraries folder. However, if you are editing in a separate folder, copy those XSD files from the libraries folder directly into the folder where your XML files are located. 22 22 23 23 {{info}} 24 -Even if your script is free of XSD errors, that does not mean that the script syntax is correct. For example, there are XML elements that require at least one of multiple attributes, but this requirement cannot be reflected in a schema (apart from documentation text). Please notice the XSD documentation of the elements and attributes, e.g. displayed via tooltips in Visual Studio / Visual Web Developer. Please also note additional requirements for MD cue attributes in this guide (see [[NULL|Conditions]]). 25 +Even if your script is free of XSD errors, that does not mean that the script syntax is correct. For example, there are XML elements that require at least one of multiple attributes, but this requirement cannot be reflected in a schema (apart from documentation text). Please notice the XSD documentation of the elements and attributes, e.g. displayed via tooltips in Visual Studio / Visual Web Developer. Please also note additional requirements for MD cue attributes in this guide (see [[xwiki:MediaWiki.X4.X4_DocumentationX4_Game_Design0_GeneralMission_Director_Guide.NULL|Conditions.WebHome]]). 25 25 26 26 To check for errors, please pay attention to in-game error messages that are produced while your script is imported, and run-time errors while the script runs. The XSD files can help you a lot, but you should not rely on the absence of XSD errors." 27 27 {{/info}} ... ... @@ -32,11 +32,15 @@ 32 32 33 33 To collect all messages in a file, start the game with the following parameters on the command line: 34 34 35 -{{code}}-logfile debuglog.txt{{/code}} 36 +{{code}} 37 +-logfile debuglog.txt 38 +{{/code}} 36 36 37 37 All messages, including enabled non-error messages, will be written into the log file. You can find it in your personal folder, where your save folder is located. To enable scripting-specific debug messages, add the following to the command line: 38 38 39 -{{code}}-debug scripts{{/code}} 42 +{{code}} 43 +-debug scripts 44 +{{/code}} 40 40 41 41 Other debug filters other than "scripts" can be enabled by repeating the -debug command for each filter name, but that is rarely needed for scripting.\\ 42 42 ... ... @@ -80,13 +80,14 @@ 80 80 * **Active**: The cue is about to perform the actions. Child cues have entered the waiting state.\\ 81 81 82 82 83 - 84 84 * **Complete**: The cue has finished performing its actions. 85 85 * **Cancelled**: The cue has been cancelled. This state cannot normally be reached but only if a cue actively cancels itself or another cue. No condition checks or actions are performed in this cue or any sub-(sub-)cue. 86 86 87 87 \\ 88 88 89 -{{info}}There can be a delay between the activation and performing the actions if the <delay> tag is used. In this case, sub-cues will be enter the waiting state before the parent's actions are performed.{{/info}} 93 +{{info}} 94 +There can be a delay between the activation and performing the actions if the <delay> tag is used. In this case, sub-cues will be enter the waiting state before the parent's actions are performed. 95 +{{/info}} 90 90 91 91 This is how a cue node looks like: 92 92 ... ... @@ -153,7 +153,6 @@ 153 153 * Use //onfail// if the conditions should be checked only once. The possible attribute values are "//cancel//" and "//complete//". If the conditions are met, the cue will activate and perform the cue actions. Otherwise it's a failure and the cue will be cancelled or completed, based on the onfail attribute. Typically //onfail="cancel"// is used to prevent any further action. //onfail="complete"// can be used to continue with the sub-cues even in case of failure (but skipping the current cue actions).\\ 154 154 155 155 156 - 157 157 * With //checkinterval//, you can specify a constant time interval between condition checks. The conditions will be checked regularly forever until they are met, unless the cue's state is changed explicitly by an external event. 158 158 159 159 Additionally, you can use the attribute **checktime** to set the time of the first condition check (also possible in combination with //onfail//). The //checktime// can be an expression with variables and is evaluated when the cue is enabled (when the condition checks would normally start ΓÇô for root cues that happens at game start, otherwise after the parent cue becomes active). ... ... @@ -182,9 +182,7 @@ 182 182 183 183 184 184 185 -{{info}} 186 -**Reminder** 187 -When using an XSD-capable editor, it's a great help, but you cannot rely on that alone to verify correctness. Please also check the documentation and look for errors in the game debug output. Concretely, the schema cannot tell whether the above cue attributes are used correctly.{{/info}} 190 +{{info}}Reminder: When using an XSD-capable editor, it's a great help, but you cannot rely on that alone to verify correctness. Please also check the documentation and look for errors in the game debug output. Concretely, the schema cannot tell whether the above cue attributes are used correctly.{{/info}} 188 188 189 189 == Actions == 190 190 ... ... @@ -218,7 +218,9 @@ 218 218 219 219 220 220 221 -{{info}}Messages printed with <debug_text> are usually only visible when the "scripts" debug filter is enabled, see Script debug output{{/info}} 224 +{{info}} 225 +Messages printed with <debug_text> are usually only visible when the "scripts" debug filter is enabled, see Script debug output 226 +{{/info}} 222 222 223 223 224 224 ... ... @@ -234,7 +234,9 @@ 234 234 235 235 Libraries are cues which are not created directly but only serve as templates for other cues. This allows for modularisation, so you can re-use library cues in many different missions. 236 236 237 -{{info}}The syntax of libraries is considerably different from the syntax in the MD of X3TC.{{/info}} 242 +{{info}} 243 +The syntax of libraries is considerably different from the syntax in the MD of X3TC. 244 +{{/info}} 238 238 239 239 240 240 ... ... @@ -288,7 +288,9 @@ 288 288 {{/code}} 289 289 290 290 291 -{{warning}}These examples are definitely <u>not</u> examples of good scripting style.{{/warning}} 298 +{{warning}} 299 +These examples are definitely <u>not</u> examples of good scripting style. 300 +{{/warning}} 292 292 293 293 294 294 ... ... @@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ 298 298 299 299 * It is //not// possible to directly call a cue which is 'inside' the library from 'outside' of the library, but it is possible to signal the library ref itself (possibly with parameters) and have a sub-cue inside the library listen to the signal on the library ref (possibly checking the parameters). 300 300 * You //can// access variables in the library root but generally this should be avoided in favor of parameterizing the library! 301 -** there are some cases where you do want to access these variables directly, for example for maintaining savegame compatibility when patching. (% id="library-parameters" %)310 +** there are some cases where you do want to access these variables directly, for example for maintaining savegame compatibility when patching. 302 302 303 303 == Library Parameters == 304 304 ... ... @@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ 343 343 344 344 = Instantiation = 345 345 346 -One of the possible cue attributes is //**instantiate**//. If you set it to true, this changes what happens when a cue's conditions are met. Normally, if a cue is not instantiated, the cue's actions are run (taking a delay node into account) and the cue is marked as completed. But with **instantiate'//, a// **copy of the cue** (and all its sub-cues) is made when the conditions are met, and it is this copy in which the actions are performed and it is the copy whose status is set to complete when they are finished - this means that the original cue (the so-called **static cue**) remains in the //waiting// state, and if the conditions are met again then the whole thing happens all over again.** 355 +One of the possible cue attributes is //**instantiate**//. If you set it to true, this changes what happens when a cue's conditions are met. Normally, if a cue is (% style="color: rgb(0,0,0);text-decoration: underline;" %)not instantiated, the cue's actions are run (taking a delay node into account) and the cue is marked as completed. But with **instantiate'//, a// **copy of the cue** (and all its sub-cues) is made when the conditions are met, and it is this copy in which the actions are performed and it is the copy whose status is set to complete when they are finished - this means that the original cue (the so-called **static cue**) remains in the //waiting// state, and if the conditions are met again then the whole thing happens all over again.** 347 347 \\An instantiating cue should only be used with conditions that are only going to be met once (or a fairly limited number of times), or with conditions that include an event condition. Instantiation should not be used in a cue which, say, just depends on the game time being greater than a specific value as this will result in a copy of the cue being made after each check interval, which could increase memory usage a lot. The most common use of an instantiated cue is in responding to events such as the player ship changing sector, to react every time that event happens. 348 348 \\Instances that are created via //instantiate// are called **instantiated cues**. But sub-cues of instances are also instances (**sub-instances**) - they are created when they enter the waiting state. An instance is removed again (thereby freeing its memory) when it is complete or cancelled, and when all its instance sub-cues have been removed before. The simplest case is an instantiating cue with no sub-cues: The instance is created, the actions are performed, and the instance is removed immediately on completion. A pitfall could be an instance with a sub-cue that is forever in the waiting state (e.g. waiting for an event from an already destroyed object). It can never be removed, so you should clean up such a cue yourself, e.g. by cancelling it explicitly. 349 349 ... ... @@ -351,13 +351,15 @@ 351 351 352 352 Cancelling a cue with **<cancel_cue>** also cancels all its sub-cues, and cancelling a static cue stops it from instantiating more cues - but it does not cancel its instances. Resetting a cue with **<reset_cue>** resets both sub-cues and instantiated cues, but has the (desired) side effect that condition checks will start again if the parent cue's state allows it. Even a sub-instance that has been reset can return to the //waiting// state. Resetting an instantiated cue will stop it forever, because it is not supposed to be in the //waiting// state (only its static cue is). Resetting will also induce the clean-up reliably, but keep in mind that this is not the case for instance sub-cues. 353 353 354 -{{info body="<cancel_cue> and <reset_cue> only take effect after all remaining actions of the current cue are performed. So you can even safely cancel the cue that you are currently in (keyword " '''this'''") or any ancestor cue, and still perform more actions afterwards."/}}363 +{{info body="<cancel_cue> and <reset_cue> only take effect after all remaining actions of the current cue are performed. So you can even safely cancel the cue that you are currently in (keyword "/}} 355 355 356 356 == Access to instances == 357 357 358 358 359 359 360 -{{info}}This sub-section requires basic knowledge of script expressions.{{/info}} 369 +{{info}} 370 +This sub-section requires basic knowledge of script expressions. 371 +{{/info}} 361 361 362 362 363 363 ... ... @@ -396,13 +396,9 @@ 396 396 397 397 * **Conditions with results:** If the instantiating cue has conditions with results, those results are stored in variables - but in the variables of the static cue, not of the instance! So in the <actions> you have to access the variables via the **static **keyword:\\ 398 398 399 -{{code language="xml"}} 400 - <debug_text text="static.$foo"/> 401 -{{/code}} 402 -It may even be necessary to copy the variables over to the instance because the static variables can be overwritten by the next condition check: 403 -{{code language="xml"}} 404 -<set_value name="$foo" exact="static.$foo"/> 405 -{{/code}} 410 +(% style="color: rgb(0,0,255);text-decoration: none;" %){{code}}<debug_text text="static.$foo"/>{{/code}} 411 +\\It may even be necessary to copy the variables over to the instance because the static variables can be overwritten by the next condition check: 412 +\\{{code}}<set_value name="$foo" exact="static.$foo"/>{{/code}} 406 406 407 407 * **Resetting completed/cancelled instances:** As explained above, sub-instances are only created when needed (when going to the //waiting// state) and are destroyed when they are not needed any more (when they are completed or cancelled, including all sub-cues). There are cases in which you want to access cues that don't exist any more - it simply doesn't work. In some cases you are safe: You can be sure that all your ancestors exist, and instantiating cues won't be removed until they are cancelled. In some other cases you simply don't know and have to check if the instance is already (or still) there. 408 408 * **Lifetime of instances:** Do not make assumptions about when an instance is removed! Just looking at it in the Debug Manager keeps it alive for the time being. So, sometimes you could still have a completed instance that wouldn't exist under other circumstances. ... ... @@ -418,11 +418,12 @@ 418 418 * {{code}}0xCAFE{{/code}} (hexadecimal integer number) 419 419 420 420 428 +{{info}} 429 +Since octal numbers are hardly ever used (usually unknowingly), the parser is will produce a warning if an octal number is encountered." 430 +{{/info}} 421 421 422 -{{info}}Since octal numbers are hardly ever used (usually unknowingly), the parser is will produce a warning if an octal number is encountered."{{/info}} 423 423 424 424 425 - 426 426 You can write string literals by putting the string in single quotes: 427 427 428 428 * {{code}}'Hello world'{{/code}} ... ... @@ -430,9 +430,10 @@ 430 430 * {{code}}'String with a line break\n'{{/code}} 431 431 432 432 441 +{{info}} 442 +Since expressions are written in XML attribute values, you have to use the single quotes inside the double quotes for the actual attribute value. To write characters like '''< > " &''' in an expression string (or anywhere else in an XML attribute value), you'll have to escape them as '''< > " &''' respectively. The backslash '''\''' can be used in strings for escape characters like in C/C++. Most important are '''\'''' for a single quote as part of the string, and '''\\''' for the backslash itself. 443 +{{/info}} 433 433 434 -{{info}}Since expressions are written in XML attribute values, you have to use the single quotes inside the double quotes for the actual attribute value. To write characters like '''< > " &''' in an expression string (or anywhere else in an XML attribute value), you'll have to escape them as '''< > " &''' respectively. The backslash '''\''' can be used in strings for escape characters like in C/C++. Most important are '''\'''' for a single quote as part of the string, and '''\\''' for the backslash itself.{{/info}} 435 - 436 436 == Numeric data types and suffixes == 437 437 438 438 Numbers can have a suffix that determines their numeric type. There are also numerical data types like "money" or "time" which can only be expressed by using an appropriate unit suffix: ... ... @@ -483,7 +483,9 @@ 483 483 \\24h|Time in milliseconds, seconds, minutes, or hours, respectively. A time value is always stored in seconds. 484 484 ))) 485 485 486 -{{info}}All unit data types are floating point types, except for money, which is an integer data type.{{/info}} 495 +{{info}} 496 +All unit data types are floating point types, except for money, which is an integer data type. 497 +{{/info}} 487 487 488 488 == Operators == 489 489 ... ... @@ -497,10 +497,10 @@ 497 497 |true|constant|{{code}}null == 0{{/code}}|{{code}}true{{/code}}|Integer value 1, useful in Boolean expressions 498 498 |pi|constant|{{code}}2 * pi{{/code}}|{{code}}6.2831853rad{{/code}}|╧Ç as an angle (same as 180deg) 499 499 |()|delimiter|{{code}}(2 + 4) * (6 + 1){{/code}}|{{code}}42{{/code}}|Parentheses for arithmetic grouping 500 -|[]|delimiter|{{code}}[1, 2, 2+1, 'string']{{/code}}|{{code}}[1, 2, 3, 'string']{{/code}}|[[List>>MediaWiki.NULL]] of values 501 -|table[]|delimiter|{{code}}table[$foo='bar', {1+1}=40+2]{{/code}}|{{code}}table[$foo='bar', {2}=42]{{/code}}|[[Table>>MediaWiki.NULL]] of values 511 +|[]|delimiter|{{code}}[1, 2, 2+1, 'string']{{/code}}|{{code}}[1, 2, 3, 'string']{{/code}}|[[List>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]] of values 512 +|table[]|delimiter|{{code}}table[$foo='bar', {1+1}=40+2]{{/code}}|{{code}}table[$foo='bar', {2}=42]{{/code}}|[[Table>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]] of values 502 502 |{}|delimiter|{{code}}{101, 3}{{/code}}|{{code}}'Some text'{{/code}}|Text lookup (page ID and text ID) from TextDB 503 -\\(Note: Braces are also used for [[property lookups>>MediaWiki.NULL]]) 514 +\\(Note: Braces are also used for [[property lookups>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]]) 504 504 |+|unary|{{code}}+21 * (+2){{/code}}|{{code}}42{{/code}}|Denotes positive number (no effect) 505 505 |-|unary|{{code}}-(21 * -2){{/code}}|{{code}}42{{/code}}|Negates the following number 506 506 |not|unary|{{code}}not (21 == 42){{/code}}|{{code}}true{{/code}}|Yields true if the following expression is false (equal to zero), false otherwise ... ... @@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ 510 510 \\{{code}}typeof 'Hello world'{{/code}}| 511 511 {{code}}datatype.null{{/code}} 512 512 \\{{code}}datatype.integer{{/code}} 513 -\\{{code}}datatype.string{{/code}}|Yields the [[data type of the following sub-expression>>MediaWiki.NULL]] 524 +\\{{code}}datatype.string{{/code}}|Yields the [[data type of the following sub-expression>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]] 514 514 |sin|unary| 515 515 {{code}}sin(30deg){{/code}} 516 516 \\{{code}}sin(pi){{/code}}| ... ... @@ -569,10 +569,10 @@ 569 569 \\{{code}}if 1 == 2 then 'F' else 'T'{{/code}}| 570 570 {{code}}null{{/code}} 571 571 \\{{code}}'T'{{/code}}|Conditional operator ("inline if") 583 +))) 572 572 573 -)))(% id="operator-precedence-rules" %) 574 -(%%) 575 575 586 + 576 576 === Operator precedence rules === 577 577 578 578 You can group sub-expressions using parentheses, but if you don't, the following order of operations is applied, so that 5-1+2*3 == 10 as you would expect. The order is the same as in the table above, but there are operators with the same precedence - these are applied from left to right. ... ... @@ -589,6 +589,7 @@ 589 589 590 590 (% id="type-conversion" %) 591 591 603 + 592 592 === Type conversion === 593 593 594 594 When a binary arithmetic operator is used on numbers of different types, they will be converted to a suitable output type. The resulting type depends on whether a unit data type is involved (types that are not plain integers or floats). The following cases may occur: ... ... @@ -619,6 +619,7 @@ 619 619 620 620 (% id="boolean-operators" %) 621 621 634 + 622 622 === Boolean operators === 623 623 624 624 Some additional notes on Boolean operators (such as and, or, not, ==): ... ... @@ -629,13 +629,14 @@ 629 629 * "and" and "or" use short-circuit semantics: The right side of the operation can be skipped if the left side already determines the outcome of the operation 630 630 ** Example:{{code}} false and $foo{{/code}} ⟹ {{code}}false{{/code}} (the value of $foo is not checked at all) 631 631 * Unlike != and ==, the comparison operators <, <=, >, >= are only supported **for numeric values**, **difficulty levels**, and **attention levels**. Comparing other non-numeric values will result in an error and an undefined result. 632 -* <, <=, >, >= cannot be used in XML directly, so lt, le, gt, ge are provided as alternatives. In some cases you won't have to use them, though - using [[range checks>>MediaWiki.NULL]] with additional XML attributes can be more readable. 645 +* <, <=, >, >= cannot be used in XML directly, so lt, le, gt, ge are provided as alternatives. In some cases you won't have to use them, though - using [[range checks>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]] with additional XML attributes can be more readable. 633 633 634 634 635 - 636 636 (% id="categorybroken_macroanchorstrings-and-formatting" %)== Strings and formatting== 649 + 637 637 (% id="categorybroken_macroanchorstrings-and-formatting" %) 638 638 652 + 639 639 {{{==}}} 640 640 641 641 You can concatenate string literals using the + operator, but there is also a printf-like formatting syntax, which is easier to use than concatenating lots of small pieces: ... ... @@ -643,7 +643,7 @@ 643 643 * {{code}}'The %1 %2 %3 jumps over the %5 %4'.['quick', 'brown', 'fox', 'dog', 'lazy']{{/code}} 644 644 * {{code}}'%1 + %2 = %3'.[$a, $b, $a + $b]{{/code}} 645 645 646 -See also the section about [[value properties>>MediaWiki.NULL]]. 660 +See also the section about [[value properties>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]]. 647 647 648 648 Instead of ΓÇÿ%1 %2 %3', you can also use ΓÇÿ%s %s %s', which is also compatible with Lua string formatting in the UI system. However, this should only be used if you are sure that the order is the same in all supported languages. If you want to make translators aware that they can change the order of parameters, you should prefer '%1 %2 %3'. 649 649 \\To get a percent character in the result string, use '%%' in the format string. ... ... @@ -662,32 +662,36 @@ 662 662 * "." must be followed by a single digit (0-9). In case of ".0" any fractional digits are discarded (rounding towards zero, not half away from zero). 663 663 664 664 679 +{{info body="There are also special methods to [[NULL|format money values and time values]] using the "/}} 665 665 666 -{{info body="There are also special methods to [[NULL|format money values and time values]] using the "formatted" property."/}} 667 667 668 668 669 - 670 670 \\ 671 671 672 672 (% id="categorybroken_macroanchorlists" %) 673 673 687 + 674 674 == Lists == 675 675 676 -Another example for a non-numeric value is a list: It is an ordered collection of other arbitrary values (called array or vector in other languages). It can be constructed within an expression using the [[~[~] syntax>>MediaWiki.NULL]]. It may also be generated by special actions and conditions, and there are actions that can [[insert or remove values>>MediaWiki.NULL]]. 690 +Another example for a non-numeric value is a list: It is an ordered collection of other arbitrary values (called array or vector in other languages). It can be constructed within an expression using the [[~[~] syntax>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]]. It may also be generated by special actions and conditions, and there are actions that can [[insert or remove values>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]]. 677 677 678 -A list can contain values of arbitrary data types, even mixed in the same list - so a list can actually contain other lists. However, some of the things that you can do with lists require that all contained elements are of a certain type. The contents of a list can be accessed via properties, see the section about [[value properties>>MediaWiki.NULL]]. Lists can be empty, these are written as "[ ]". 692 +A list can contain values of arbitrary data types, even mixed in the same list - so a list can actually contain other lists. However, some of the things that you can do with lists require that all contained elements are of a certain type. The contents of a list can be accessed via properties, see the section about [[value properties>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]]. Lists can be empty, these are written as "[ ]". 679 679 680 -{{info}}When accessing a list's elements, the numbering is '''1-based''', so the first element has number 1. This is intuitive but different from 0-based numbering in most programming languages."{{/info}} 694 +{{info}} 695 +When accessing a list's elements, the numbering is '''1-based''', so the first element has number 1. This is intuitive but different from 0-based numbering in most programming languages." 696 +{{/info}} 681 681 682 682 683 683 684 684 Lists are stored in variables as references, so multiple variables can refer to the same **shared list**: If you change a shared list through a variable, e.g. by changing the value of an element, you change it as well for all other variables. However, the operators == and != can also be used on two distinct lists to compare their elements. 685 685 686 -{{info}}When using <remove_from_list/>, be aware that all elements are checked and potentially removed during the action. Do not provide this action with a index lookup of that list as it may become out of bounds. 702 +{{info}} 703 +When using <remove_from_list/>, be aware that all elements are checked and potentially removed during the action. Do not provide this action with a index lookup of that list as it may become out of bounds. 687 687 688 688 Bad usage attempting to remove the last element of the list: <remove_from_list name="$List" exact="$List.{$List.count}"/> 689 689 690 -If you know the index, simply use <remove_value/> e.g. <remove_value name="$List.{$List.count}"/>{{/info}} 707 +If you know the index, simply use <remove_value/> e.g. <remove_value name="$List.{$List.count}"/> 708 +{{/info}} 691 691 692 692 693 693 ... ... @@ -695,9 +695,10 @@ 695 695 696 696 (% id="categorybroken_macroanchortables" %) 697 697 716 + 698 698 == Tables == 699 699 700 -Tables are associative arrays - they are like lists, but you can assign values to (almost) arbitrary keys, not just to index numbers. A table is constructed within an expression using the [[table~[~] syntax>>MediaWiki.NULL]]. See the section about [[value properties>>MediaWiki.NULL]] for how to access the contents of a table. [[Creating and removing entries>>MediaWiki.NULL]] works similarly to lists, but instead of inserting, you simply assign a value to a table key. If the key does not exist yet, it will be created.\\ 719 +Tables are associative arrays - they are like lists, but you can assign values to (almost) arbitrary keys, not just to index numbers. A table is constructed within an expression using the [[table~[~] syntax>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]]. See the section about [[value properties>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]] for how to access the contents of a table. [[Creating and removing entries>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]] works similarly to lists, but instead of inserting, you simply assign a value to a table key. If the key does not exist yet, it will be created.\\ 701 701 702 702 Almost all values are allowed as table keys, but there are a few exceptions: 703 703 ... ... @@ -706,21 +706,18 @@ 706 706 * Lists, tables, groups and buildplans cannot be used as table keys\\ 707 707 708 708 709 - 710 710 These restrictions only apply to the keys, there are no restrictions for values that you assign to them. For example: 711 711 712 -* {{code language="xml"}}table[]{{/code}} ⟹ creates an empty table713 -* {{code language="xml"}}table[{0} = null]{{/code}} ⟹ creates a table that maps the number 0 to null\\730 +* {{code}}table[]{{/code}} ⟹ creates an empty table 731 +* {{code}}table[{0} = null]{{/code}} ⟹ creates a table that maps the number 0 to null\\ 714 714 715 715 734 +* {{code}}table[{'$foo'} = 'bar']{{/code}} ⟹ a table that maps the string '$foo' to the string 'bar' 735 +* {{code}}table[$foo = 'bar']{{/code}} ⟹ exactly the same, just a shorter notation for string keys 736 +* {{code}}table[foo = 'bar']{{/code}} ⟹ error, 'foo' does not start with a '$' 737 +* {{code}}table[{1} = [], {2} = table[]] {{/code}} ⟹ a table that maps 1 to an empty list and 2 to an empty table\\ 716 716 717 -* {{code language="xml"}}table[{'$foo'} = 'bar']{{/code}} ⟹ a table that maps the string '$foo' to the string 'bar' 718 -* {{code language="xml"}}table[$foo = 'bar']{{/code}} ⟹ exactly the same, just a shorter notation for string keys 719 -* {{code language="xml"}}table[foo = 'bar']{{/code}} ⟹ error, 'foo' does not start with a '$' 720 -* {{code language="xml"}}table[{1} = [], {2} = table[]] {{/code}} ⟹ a table that maps 1 to an empty list and 2 to an empty table\\ 721 721 722 - 723 - 724 724 Just like lists, tables are stored as references, so it's possible that multiple variables reference the same table (see above).\\ 725 725 726 726 \\ ... ... @@ -727,6 +727,7 @@ 727 727 728 728 (% id="categorybroken_macroanchorvalue-properties" %) 729 729 746 + 730 730 == Value properties == 731 731 732 732 Properties are a crucial concept in script expressions. In the previous sections you have seen mostly constant expressions, which are already evaluated when they are parsed at game start. For reading and writing variables and evaluating the game's state, properties are used. ... ... @@ -750,7 +750,6 @@ 750 750 * {{code}}table[{21} = 42].{21}{{/code}} ⟹ 42\\ 751 751 752 752 753 - 754 754 In most cases the property key is a fixed string, like "name" or "class". You can write this like above: 755 755 756 756 * {{code}}[42].{'count'}{{/code}} ... ... @@ -759,7 +759,6 @@ 759 759 * {{code}}table[$foo='bar'].{'$foo'}{{/code}}\\ 760 760 761 761 762 - 763 763 But it is easier just to write the property key without braces, which is equivalent: 764 764 765 765 * {{code}}[0].count{{/code}} ... ... @@ -768,7 +768,6 @@ 768 768 * {{code}}table[$foo='bar'].$foo{{/code}}\\ 769 769 770 770 771 - 772 772 (In this case, $ship is a variable. All variables start with a "$", so they cannot be confused with keywords.) 773 773 774 774 A list has even more properties: ... ... @@ -803,16 +803,16 @@ 803 803 * {{code}}$table.keys.list{{/code}}: Yields a list of all keys in the table (reliably sorted by key if all keys are numeric)\\ 804 804 805 805 806 - 807 807 * {{code}}$table.keys.sorted{{/code}}: Yields a list of all keys in the table, sorted by their associated values (which requires that all values are numeric) 808 808 * {{code}}$table.keys.random{{/code}}: A randomly chosen key (which requires that the table is non-empty) 809 809 810 810 824 +{{info}} 825 +The string formatting syntax that you have seen [[xwiki:MediaWiki.X4.X4_DocumentationX4_Game_Design0_GeneralMission_Director_Guide.NULL|above.WebHome]] is also based on the property system. You basically pass a list as property key to a string. Braces around the brackets are not required, so 'foo'.[...] is just a convenient alternative notation for 'foo'.{[...]}. 826 +{{/info}} 811 811 812 -{{info}}The string formatting syntax that you have seen [[NULL|above]] is also based on the property system. You basically pass a list as property key to a string. Braces around the brackets are not required, so 'foo'.[...] is just a convenient alternative notation for 'foo'.{[...]}.{{/info}} 813 813 814 814 815 - 816 816 (% id="lookup-tests-and-suppressing-errors" %)=== Lookup tests and suppressing errors 817 817 818 818 ... ... @@ -825,7 +825,6 @@ 825 825 * {{code}}$table.$key?{{/code}} ⟹ Analogously, true if $table exists and has the string property '$key'\\ 826 826 827 827 828 - 829 829 The question mark can even be applied to variables: 830 830 831 831 * {{code}}$list{{/code}} ⟹ The value stored under the name $list, or an error if there is no such variable ... ... @@ -843,6 +843,7 @@ 843 843 844 844 (% id="static-lookups" %) 845 845 859 + 846 846 === Static lookups === 847 847 848 848 There are a few data types which are basically enumerations: They only consist of a set of named values, e.g. the "class" data type, which is used for the component classes that exist in the game. For all these static enumeration classes there is a lookup value of the same name, from which you can get the named values as properties by their name. So for the type "class", there is a value "class" that can be used to access the classes. ... ... @@ -875,11 +875,11 @@ 875 875 |profile| 876 876 profile.flat 877 877 \\profile.increasing 878 -\\profile.bell|Probability distribution profile (see [[random ranges>>MediaWiki.NULL]]) 892 +\\profile.bell|Probability distribution profile (see [[random ranges>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]]) 879 879 |cuestate| 880 880 cuestate.waiting 881 881 \\cuestate.active 882 -\\cuestate.complete|[[Cue states>>MediaWiki.NULL]] 896 +\\cuestate.complete|[[Cue states>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]] 883 883 |level| 884 884 level.easy 885 885 \\level.medium ... ... @@ -899,15 +899,19 @@ 899 899 \\faction.argongovernment|Factions 900 900 ))) 901 901 902 -{{info}}With the ''typeof'' operator you can get the datatype of any expression and compare it with what you expect, for example: 916 +{{info}} 917 +With the ''typeof'' operator you can get the datatype of any expression and compare it with what you expect, for example: 903 903 904 904 <code>typeof $value == datatype.faction</code> 905 905 906 906 However, you should not compare the type to datatype.string because there are strings that have different data types. To check for a string you should use the datatype's property "'''isstring'''" instead. For example, to check if the variable $value is a string, use the following term: 907 907 908 -<code>(typeof $value).isstring</code>"{{/info}} 923 +<code>(typeof $value).isstring</code>" 924 +{{/info}} 909 909 910 -{{info}}There is also the datatype "tag" with the lookup name "tag" - however, this is not an enumeration type. Looking up a value by name never fails, you actually create a tag value for a given name if it does not exist. For example, if you have a typo, like "tag.mision" instead of "tag.mission", there won't be an error because any name is valid for a tag, and the tag "mision" is created on its first use."{{/info}} 926 +{{info}} 927 +There is also the datatype "tag" with the lookup name "tag" - however, this is not an enumeration type. Looking up a value by name never fails, you actually create a tag value for a given name if it does not exist. For example, if you have a typo, like "tag.mision" instead of "tag.mission", there won't be an error because any name is valid for a tag, and the tag "mision" is created on its first use." 928 +{{/info}} 911 911 912 912 \\ 913 913 ... ... @@ -915,6 +915,7 @@ 915 915 916 916 (% id="player-properties" %) 917 917 936 + 918 918 === Player properties === 919 919 920 920 You can access many player-related game properties via the keyword "player": ... ... @@ -925,17 +925,15 @@ 925 925 * player.**ship**: The ship the player is currently on (not necessarily the player's ship), or null if the player is on a station\\ 926 926 927 927 928 - 929 929 * player.**primaryship**: The player's own ship (but the player is not necessarily on board) 930 930 * player.**entity**: The actual player object\\ 931 931 932 932 933 - 934 934 * player.**zone**, player.**sector**, player.**cluster**, player.**galaxy**: Location of the player entity 935 935 * player.**copilot**: The co-pilot NPC 936 936 937 937 The game consists of objects of different classes (zones, ships, stations, NPCs). They have the common datatype "component", however, they have different properties, e.g. NPCs have the property "race", but ships don't. 938 -\\ (% id="safe-properties" %)955 +\\ 939 939 940 940 === Safe properties === 941 941 ... ... @@ -956,13 +956,12 @@ 956 956 {{{===}}} 957 957 958 958 **[New as of X Rebirth 4.0]** 959 -\\Numbers don't have any properties, except for money and time: They have a "**formatted**" property, which allows you to get a custom string representation with more advanced options than the [[generic formatting method>>MediaWiki.NULL]] for numbers. 976 +\\Numbers don't have any properties, except for money and time: They have a "**formatted**" property, which allows you to get a custom string representation with more advanced options than the [[generic formatting method>>xwiki:MediaWiki.NULL.WebHome]] for numbers. 960 960 961 961 * {{code}}$money.formatted.{'formatstring'}{{/code}} 962 962 * {{code}}$money.formatted.default{{/code}} (using default format string '%s')\\ 963 963 964 964 965 - 966 966 * {{code}}$time.formatted.{'formatstring'}{{/code}} 967 967 * {{code}}$time.formatted.default{{/code}} (using default format string '%T') 968 968 ... ... @@ -989,7 +989,6 @@ 989 989 * %%: A % sign\\ 990 990 991 991 992 - 993 993 Examples:\\ 994 994 995 995 ... ... @@ -1000,7 +1000,7 @@ 1000 1000 * {{code}}(1234Cr).formatted.{'%1s'}{{/code}}⟹{{code}}'1 k'{{/code}} (rounding towards zero) 1001 1001 * {{code}}(1234Cr).formatted.{'%cM'}{{/code}}⟹{{code}}'0 M'{{/code}} 1002 1002 1003 -For documentation of time format strings, see the Lua function ConvertTimeString() in the [[MediaWiki.ARCHIVE.XRWIKIModding_supportUI_Modding_supportLua_function_overview]]. 1018 +For documentation of time format strings, see the Lua function ConvertTimeString() in the [[xwiki:MediaWiki.ARCHIVE.XRWIKIModding_supportUI_Modding_supportLua_function_overview.WebHome]]. 1004 1004 1005 1005 Examples: 1006 1006 ... ... @@ -1011,6 +1011,7 @@ 1011 1011 1012 1012 (% id="complete-property-documentation" %) 1013 1013 1029 + 1014 1014 === Complete property documentation === 1015 1015 1016 1016 To access the script property documentation that is included in the game, you can extract the required files from the game's catalog files using the [[X Catalog Tool>>url:https://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=363625]]. Extract the HTML file __scriptproperties.html__ in the game's root folder, and all files in the "libraries" sub-folder. For resolving text references in the browser automatically, also extract 0001-L044.xml in the "t" sub-folder. ... ... @@ -1019,10 +1019,12 @@ 1019 1019 1020 1020 1021 1021 1022 -{{info}}scriptproperties.html has to load files from different folders, which modern browsers do not allow by default for security reasons. In order to open scriptproperties.html, the following is required: 1038 +{{info}} 1039 +scriptproperties.html has to load files from different folders, which modern browsers do not allow by default for security reasons. In order to open scriptproperties.html, the following is required: 1023 1023 1024 1024 * Firefox: On the about:config page, the value of "security.fileuri.strict_origin_policy" has to be changed to "false". 1025 -* Chrome: The Chrome launcher has to be started with the command-line parameter --allow-file-access-from-files{{/info}} 1042 +* Chrome: The Chrome launcher has to be started with the command-line parameter --allow-file-access-from-files 1043 +{{/info}} 1026 1026 1027 1027 1028 1028 ... ... @@ -1038,7 +1038,9 @@ 1038 1038 1039 1039 1040 1040 1041 -{{info}}The documentation contains some data types that are no real script data types, but which are useful for documentation purposes. For example, ships and stations are both of datatype "component", but have different properties based on their component class.{{/info}} 1059 +{{info}} 1060 +The documentation contains some data types that are no real script data types, but which are useful for documentation purposes. For example, ships and stations are both of datatype "component", but have different properties based on their component class. 1061 +{{/info}} 1042 1042 1043 1043 1044 1044 ... ... @@ -1046,6 +1046,7 @@ 1046 1046 1047 1047 (% id="md-refreshing-and-patching" %) 1048 1048 1069 + 1049 1049 = MD refreshing and patching = 1050 1050 1051 1051 When a saved game is loaded, the saved MD state is restored, but also all MD files are reloaded and changes in them are applied to the MD state. This is called "refresh". It is also possible to refresh the MD at run-time using the command "refreshmd" on the in-game command line. This is a convenient way to update MD scripts while the game is already running. ... ... @@ -1054,6 +1054,7 @@ 1054 1054 1055 1055 (% id="details-and-restrictions" %) 1056 1056 1078 + 1057 1057 == Details and restrictions == 1058 1058 1059 1059 Here are some noteworthy facts about refreshing scripts and cues, and the restrictions: ... ... @@ -1077,9 +1077,13 @@ 1077 1077 1078 1078 1079 1079 1080 -{{warning}}Be aware that completed instances can be auto-deleted, and so added sub-cues will not become active in such a case.{{/warning}} 1102 +{{warning}} 1103 +Be aware that completed instances can be auto-deleted, and so added sub-cues will not become active in such a case. 1104 +{{/warning}} 1081 1081 1082 -{{warning}}When adding a variable in a new MD script version and using that variable in multiple places, be aware that the variable doesn't exist yet in older savegames. You may have to check the existence of the variable before accessing it, or add some patch logic that initiailses the variable after loading the savegame, if necessary.{{/warning}} 1106 +{{warning}} 1107 +When adding a variable in a new MD script version and using that variable in multiple places, be aware that the variable doesn't exist yet in older savegames. You may have to check the existence of the variable before accessing it, or add some patch logic that initiailses the variable after loading the savegame, if necessary. 1108 +{{/warning}} 1083 1083 1084 1084 1085 1085 ... ... @@ -1087,17 +1087,22 @@ 1087 1087 1088 1088 (% id="patching" %) 1089 1089 1116 + 1090 1090 == Patching == 1091 1091 1092 1092 Cues can have **<patch>** elements with actions that will be performed when an old savegame is loaded. To control which savegames should be affected, you can add a //**version **//attribute to the <cue> node and a //**sinceversion**// attribute in the patch. When a cue is loaded from a savegame that has an older version than //sinceversion//, the <patch> actions will be performed immediately after loading. 1093 1093 1094 -{{code language="xml"}}<cue [...] version="42"> <conditions> [...] </conditions> <actions> [...] </actions> <patch sinceversion="42"> [patch actions] </patch></cue>{{/code}} 1121 +{{code}} 1122 +<cue [...] version="42"> <conditions> [...] </conditions> <actions> [...] </actions> <patch sinceversion="42"> [patch actions] </patch></cue> 1123 +{{/code}} 1095 1095 1096 1096 The patch actions are only performed if the cue is in a certain state, "complete" by default. Use the //**state**// attribute to change this requirement. For more information, see the XML schema documentation of the <patch> element. 1097 1097 1098 1098 A sequence of multiple <patch> elements is possible. They will be performed in order of appearance, checking the //sinceversion// and //state// attributes in each case. Patches are also applied to all users of a library and to instances. 1099 1099 1100 -{{info}}The <patch> elements will be ignored when refreshing the MD at run-time. They only affect loaded savegames."{{/info}} 1129 +{{info}} 1130 +The <patch> elements will be ignored when refreshing the MD at run-time. They only affect loaded savegames." 1131 +{{/info}} 1101 1101 1102 1102 1103 1103 ... ... @@ -1105,6 +1105,7 @@ 1105 1105 1106 1106 (% id="common-attribute-groups" %) 1107 1107 1139 + 1108 1108 = Common attribute groups = 1109 1109 1110 1110 There are many commonly used actions and conditions which share groups of attributes. The most important ones are explained here. ... ... @@ -1113,99 +1113,135 @@ 1113 1113 1114 1114 (% id="categorybroken_macroanchorvalue-comparisons" %) 1115 1115 1148 + 1116 1116 == Value comparisons == 1117 1117 1118 1118 There are many conditions and conditional actions that require a value comparison, for example the condition <check_value>: 1119 1119 1120 -{{code language="xml"}}<check_value value="$ware == ware.silicon and $amount != 0"/>{{/code}} 1153 +{{code}} 1154 +<check_value value="$ware == ware.silicon and $amount != 0"/> 1155 +{{/code}} 1121 1121 1122 1122 In the value attribute you specify a boolean expression, and if it is true (that is, not equal to zero), the condition is met. This is a special case: This condition and all other nodes that support a value comparison allows you to specify an upper limit, a lower limit, a number range, or a list of allowed values. Examples: 1123 1123 1124 -{{code language="xml"}}<check_value value="FooCue.state" exact="cuestate.complete"/><check_value value="$foo.count" min="5"/><check_value value="$foo" max="player.age + 1min"/><check_value value="player.money" min="300Cr" max="600Cr"/><check_value value="$method" list="[killmethod.hitbymissile, killmethod.collected]"/><check_value value="$attention" min="attention.visible"/>{{/code}} 1159 +{{code}} 1160 +<check_value value="FooCue.state" exact="cuestate.complete"/><check_value value="$foo.count" min="5"/><check_value value="$foo" max="player.age + 1min"/><check_value value="player.money" min="300Cr" max="600Cr"/><check_value value="$method" list="[killmethod.hitbymissile, killmethod.collected]"/><check_value value="$attention" min="attention.visible"/> 1161 +{{/code}} 1125 1125 1126 -{{info}}Values of most enumeration types cannot be compared via ''min'' or ''max'' (also not via lt, gt, etc.). The only data types that can be used with ''min'' and ''max'' are numbers and the enumeration types ''level'' and ''attention'' (see Boolean operators). The ''exact'' attribute can be used with any type, and is equivalent to using the == operator."{{/info}} 1163 +{{info}} 1164 +Values of most enumeration types cannot be compared via ''min'' or ''max'' (also not via lt, gt, etc.). The only data types that can be used with ''min'' and ''max'' are numbers and the enumeration types ''level'' and ''attention'' (see Boolean operators). The ''exact'' attribute can be used with any type, and is equivalent to using the == operator." 1165 +{{/info}} 1127 1127 1128 1128 1129 1129 1130 1130 \\ 1131 1131 1171 +(% id="categorybroken_macroanchorrandom-ranges" %) 1172 + 1173 + 1132 1132 == Random ranges == 1133 1133 1134 1134 If an action requires a value, e.g. when you set a variable to a value, you can have some randomisation. To specify an exact value, e.g. in <set_value>, you can write this: 1135 1135 1136 -{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$race" exact="race.teladi"/>{{/code}} 1178 +{{code}} 1179 +<set_value name="$race" exact="race.teladi"/> 1180 +{{/code}} 1137 1137 1138 1138 To select a random element from a list, this syntax can be used: 1139 1139 1140 -{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$prime" list="[2, 3, 5, 7, 11]"/>{{/code}} 1184 +{{code}} 1185 +<set_value name="$prime" list="[2, 3, 5, 7, 11]"/> 1186 +{{/code}} 1141 1141 1142 1142 To get a random number within a given range, you can use min/max: 1143 1143 1144 -{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$foo" min="-20" max="20"/><set_value name="$timeout" max="20s"/>{{/code}} 1190 +{{code}} 1191 +<set_value name="$foo" min="-20" max="20"/><set_value name="$timeout" max="20s"/> 1192 +{{/code}} 1145 1145 1146 1146 min and max have to be compatible number types. Enumeration types are not allowed, not even level and attention. The min attribute is optional and defaults to 0 (of the number type used in max). 1147 1147 1148 1148 You can select one of 5 different probability distribution profiles for the random range, "flat" being the default (all values in the range are equally likely). If you select another profile, e.g. "increasing" to make higher numbers more likely, you also have to specify a scale value (integer) that is greater or equal to 2. Higher scale values result in higher peaks in the distribution profiles (probable values become even more probable). 1149 1149 1150 -{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$foo" min="-20" max="20" profile="profile.increasing" scale="4"/>{{/code}} 1198 +{{code}} 1199 +<set_value name="$foo" min="-20" max="20" profile="profile.increasing" scale="4"/> 1200 +{{/code}} 1151 1151 1152 -\\(% id="variables-and-namespaces" %) 1202 +(% style="color: rgb(0,0,255);text-decoration: none;" %) 1203 +\\ 1153 1153 1154 1154 = Variables and namespaces = 1155 1155 1156 1156 As you have seen above, you can easily access variables by writing their name (including $ prefix) in an expression. Namespaces define in which cue the variables are actually stored (and from which cue they are read). 1157 1157 1209 +(% style="color: rgb(0,0,255);text-decoration: none;" %) 1158 1158 1159 -\\\\ \\(% id="categorybroken_macroanchorcreating-and-removing-variables" %)1211 +\\\\ 1160 1160 1161 1161 == Creating and removing variables == 1162 1162 1163 -You can create variables with certain actions and conditions, such as the <set_value> action: 1215 +{{{You can create variables with certain actions and conditions, such as the <set_value> action:}}} 1164 1164 1165 -{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$foo" exact="$bar + 1" />{{/code}} 1217 +{{code}} 1218 +<set_value name="$foo" exact="$bar + 1" /> 1219 +{{/code}} 1166 1166 1167 1167 <set_value> also exists as a "condition", which can be useful if you want to pass information about the conditions to the actions, that would otherwise be lost - like in a complex <check_any> event condition, where you want to create a variable only if you are in a certain check branch. (Other pseudo-conditions are <remove_value> and <debug_text>.) 1168 1168 1169 1169 The default operation of <set_value> is "**set**", but there are more: "**add**", "**subtract**", and "**insert**". //add// and //subtract// change the value of an existing variable, which is created as 0 if it didn't exist before. If neither //min//, //max// nor //exact// attribute is provided, an exact value of 1 is assumed. 1170 1170 1171 -{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$foo" operation="add" />{{/code}} 1225 +{{code}} 1226 +<set_value name="$foo" operation="add" /> 1227 +{{/code}} 1172 1172 1173 1173 The trick is that <set_value> not only works on variables, but also on list elements and table keys: 1174 1174 1175 -{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$list.{1}" exact="42" /><set_value name="$table.$foo" exact="42" />{{/code}}\\1231 +{{code}}<set_value name="$list.{1}" exact="42" /><set_value name="$table.$foo" exact="42" />{{/code}}\\ 1176 1176 1177 1177 The operation //insert// is special, and it only works on lists. It inserts the value at the specified position (note that the position beyond the last element is also valid here): 1178 1178 1179 -{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$list.{1}" exact="42" operation="insert" />{{/code}} 1235 +{{code}} 1236 +<set_value name="$list.{1}" exact="42" operation="insert" /> 1237 +{{/code}} 1180 1180 1181 1181 This shifts the positions of all following elements up by one. If min/max/exact are missing, the default value is null for insertions, not 1 like in other cases. 1182 1182 1183 1183 Appending is easier than that. The following actions are equivalent: 1184 1184 1185 -{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$list.{$list.count + 1}" exact="42" operation="insert" /><append_to_list name="$list" exact="42" />{{/code}} 1243 +{{code}} 1244 +<set_value name="$list.{$list.count + 1}" exact="42" operation="insert" /><append_to_list name="$list" exact="42" /> 1245 +{{/code}} 1186 1186 1187 1187 Inserting at a position below 1 or above $list.count + 1 is not possible. 1188 1188 1189 1189 To remove variables or list/table entries, use <remove_value>: 1190 1190 1191 -{{code language="xml"}}<remove_value name="$foo" /><remove_value name="$list.{1}" /><remove_value name="$table.$foo" />{{/code}}\\1251 +{{code}}<remove_value name="$foo" /><remove_value name="$list.{1}" /><remove_value name="$table.$foo" />{{/code}}\\ 1192 1192 1193 1193 Removing an entry from a list shifts all following elements down by one. If you want to clear an entry without removing it from the list, just use <set_value> instead. 1194 1194 1195 - \\\\\\(%id="accessing-remote-variables" %)1255 +(% style="color: rgb(0,0,255);text-decoration: none;" %) 1196 1196 1257 +\\\\ 1258 + 1197 1197 == Accessing remote variables == 1198 1198 1199 1199 You can also read and write variables in other cues by using the variable name as property key: 1200 1200 1201 -{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="OtherCue.$foo" min="0.0" max="1.0" /><set_value name="md.OtherScript.YetAnotherCue.$bar" exact="OtherCue.$foo" />{{/code}} 1263 +{{code}} 1264 +<set_value name="OtherCue.$foo" min="0.0" max="1.0" /><set_value name="md.OtherScript.YetAnotherCue.$bar" exact="OtherCue.$foo" /> 1265 +{{/code}} 1202 1202 1203 1203 Instead of referencing a cue by name, you could also reference it via a keyword or another variable: 1204 1204 1205 -{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="static.$counter" operation="add" /><set_value name="parent.$foo" exact="42" /><set_value name="this.$bar" exact="parent" /><set_value name="$baz" exact="this.$bar.$foo" />{{/code}} 1269 +{{code}} 1270 +<set_value name="static.$counter" operation="add" /><set_value name="parent.$foo" exact="42" /><set_value name="this.$bar" exact="parent" /><set_value name="$baz" exact="this.$bar.$foo" /> 1271 +{{/code}} 1206 1206 1207 - \\\\\\(%id="namespaces" %)1273 +(% style="color: rgb(0,0,255);text-decoration: none;" %) 1208 1208 1275 +\\\\ 1276 + 1209 1209 == Namespaces == 1210 1210 1211 1211 In the examples above, a variable was written to and read from the "this" cue. This can be necessary: the expression "$foo" may be different from the expression "this.$foo". The reason for that are namespaces. ... ... @@ -1212,7 +1212,9 @@ 1212 1212 1213 1213 Consider this case: 1214 1214 1215 -{{code language="xml"}}<cue name="Root"> <actions> <set_value name="$foo" /> </actions> <cues> <cue name="SubCue"> [...] </cue> </cues></cue>{{/code}} 1283 +{{code}} 1284 +<cue name="Root"> <actions> <set_value name="$foo" /> </actions> <cues> <cue name="SubCue"> [...] </cue> </cues></cue> 1285 +{{/code}} 1216 1216 1217 1217 When the root cue creates $foo, the variable is stored in the Root cue directly. But SubCue and its descendants will also need access to $foo. Of course they could write "parent.$foo" or "Root.$foo", but since it's very common to have a single location for most variables in the whole cue tree, the easy solution is to write just "$foo" - because variable names are looked up in the **namespace cue**, which is the root by default. Also newly created variables end up in the namespace, and not in "this" cue. 1218 1218 ... ... @@ -1220,6 +1220,7 @@ 1220 1220 1221 1221 (% id="defining-a-cues-namespace" %) 1222 1222 1293 + 1223 1223 === Defining a cue's namespace === 1224 1224 1225 1225 When writing a cue, you can specify what the namespace of the cue should be, by adding the //**namespace**// attribute. The following values are possible: ... ... @@ -1228,7 +1228,12 @@ 1228 1228 * **static**: Same as "this", but when instantiated, use the static cue: $foo == static.$foo 1229 1229 * **default**: The namespace is inherited from the parent cue. The default for root cues and for libraries is the same as "static". 1230 1230 1302 +(% style="color: rgb(0,0,255);text-decoration: none;" %) 1231 1231 1232 -{{warning}}Although in general the expression "$foo == namespace.$foo" is true, there is one exception: When library parameters are evaluated in the referencing cue, variables are resolved using the parent's namespace. However, the referencing cue creates a new namespace, so the namespace keyword already points to the library, not to the parent's namespace. Example: 1233 1233 1234 -<code language="xml"><cue name="LibRef" ref="Lib"> <param name="Param1" value="$foo" /> <!-- $foo from parent namespace --> <param name="Param2" value="namespace.$foo" /> <!-- LibRef.$foo (error) --></cue></code>{{/warning}} 1305 + 1306 +{{warning}} 1307 +Although in general the expression "$foo == namespace.$foo" is true, there is one exception: When library parameters are evaluated in the referencing cue, variables are resolved using the parent's namespace. However, the referencing cue creates a new namespace, so the namespace keyword already points to the library, not to the parent's namespace. Example: 1308 + 1309 +<code><cue name="LibRef" ref="Lib"> <param name="Param1" value="$foo" /> <!-- $foo from parent namespace --> <param name="Param2" value="namespace.$foo" /> <!-- LibRef.$foo (error) --></cue></code> 1310 +{{/warning}}