How to give a name to dynamic objects?

Authoring Inform 7
1

I’m playing with Dynamic Objects ( by Jesse McGrew) and I’m wondering how to refer to these objects in game.
They answer to the same name as the prototype that was used to create them but I didn’t find a satisfying way to give them their own name.
I gave them a printed name and added Understand the printed name property as describing a thing but if it’s multiple words, it must be typed by the player exactly (if printed name is “red knife”, “red” & “knife” won’t work).
Is there a way to dynamically give the I6 name property? I think it must be filled with dictionary words which I believe can’t be dynamic.

My last resort (not attempted yet) is to write my own parse_name() but I wanted your opinion before going that way.

2

This code is untested, but I’ve used the technique successfully. Give objects 6 different text properties, word1 through word6.

An object can be dynamically-created.
After cloning a new object from an object (called obj): now obj is dynamically-created.
Understand the word1 property as describing an object when the object is dynamically-created. [etc]

Then when you assign the printed name, loop through it and (omitting articles) assign its words to word1 through word6.

A little clunky, but it worked.

3

I understand the technique but I can’t make this statement compile:

Understand the word1 property as describing an object when the object is dynamically-created.

I’ve tried:

Understand the word1 property as describing an object (called o) when o is dynamically-created.

I don’t think understand works with objects.
Understand the word1 property as describing an object. doesn’t work but Understand the word1 property as describing a thing. does.
But rewriting your statements with thing don’t work either.

4

Then stick to things, not objects. You’d need After cloning a new object from an object (called obj) when obj is a thing.

5

I meant your code doesn’t compile with things either.
I got it to compile with “when a thing” instead of “when the thing”. But it looks like it’s ignored (the understand line applies to non dynamic things.)

6

I just checked my code and it was Understand the word1 property as describing a thing when the item described is dynamically-created.

1 Like
7

Progress report:
After cloning a new object from an object (called obj) when obj is a thing:

I think this marks the prototype as dynamically-created, not the new object.
I believe this works (the activity has a “new object” variable):

After cloning a new object from an object:
	now the new object is dynamically-created;
1 Like
8

So a little recap (repeat for word2-6):

An object can be dynamically-created.
An object has a text called word1.

After cloning a new object from an object:
	now the new object is dynamically-created;
	fix the cloned printed name property;
	fix the cloned word1 property;

Understand the word1 property as describing a thing when the item described is dynamically-created.
9

I would really like to use this feature, but the word ‘clone’ or ‘cloning’ does not appear in the documentation. How do I convert a person to a person of a different name (not printed name), the kind that SHOWME or EXAMINE understands?