Tim
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1979
Registered: 08-07-2004
IP: Logged

Let's be honest, the current scripting system must be really tedious, as every week there seems to be someone who says that it costs him/her too many lines to get some scripting done, or that some complex expression cannot be written onto one line. It's tedious to copy and paste, as most scripting requests have said before.

Is it possible to get all commands on one line so that it is easier to write scripts?

For example, can we use ";" (semicolon) to join multiple lines together, and use "\" (backslash) to join multiple commands on one line? That must make scripting easier, right?

-- Tim

____________________________
The best way to lose customers is to let little kids running loose on a forum with too many mod points.

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5064
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Tim wrote:
Is it possible to get all commands on one line so that it is easier to write scripts?

For example, can we use ";" (semicolon) to join multiple lines together, and use "\" (backslash) to join multiple commands on one line? That must make scripting easier, right?

I'm not sure whether you're talking about pasting commands into the editor from a text file (i.e the clipboard), or requesting a change to the editor dialog itself. As you know, the script editor isn't a text editor -- it displays one command per line and edits one command per line in the dialog. This fundamental design probably won't be changed, at least for a long time.

We could provide some improvements, like augment pasting script text from a clipboard into DROD's script editor to support ";" and "\" characters on a line of text, which would indicate multiple commands or a partial command, respectively, on that line.

But commands wouldn't be pasted from the script editor back to the text clipboard in that form -- they'd be formatted as one command per line, as we have now -- so this seems a minor improvement at best. Multiple commands on one line could be implemented in the script editor too, but would require substantial GUI changes. For instance, when the user double-clicks that line to edit it, then which command on that line would be edited? Would we have to pop up another dialog from which the user would choose which command on that line is to be modified? I'm ambivalent about doing anything like this, but will continue this discussion in the other active request thread about compound expressions.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

Tim
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1979
Registered: 08-07-2004
IP: Logged

Sorry, I really have to stress that this is not meant as a real request. The longer I think about it, the stupider I think this idea is.

Even though I would probably like to have some features to make duplication easier, I don't believe this is the solution at all, because I don't think duplication is the answer. I understand from some people that they are planning to include, or have already included the same large amount of scripts into every room of their holds. Duplication in this case is very easy to create errors.

Perhaps we can have some (global) functions as functionality (pun not intended)?

Please disregard the first post, I'm retracting the request.

____________________________
The best way to lose customers is to let little kids running loose on a forum with too many mod points.

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5064
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Tim wrote:
Perhaps we can have some (global) functions as functionality (pun not intended)?

Yes, I'm planning to add global scripts in a future major release so people don't have to copy-and-paste the same script to an NPC in each room of their hold.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.