Version 0.7 of The Inform 7 Handbook is now available at musicwords.net/if/i7hb.htm. This version is close to 95% complete.
I’ve already had a few very kind emails from people who are finding the Handbook useful. In case you missed the initial announcement … the idea is to present the basics of I7 programming in a task-oriented manner, so that novices (either adult or younger) can get started writing games more easily. There’s a whole chapter on creating rooms and scenery, another chapter on characters, and so on.
Advanced topics such as relations and Glulx effects are covered only in a superficial, dip-your-toes-in-the-water way. The Handbook is never going to be a 500-page O’Reilly monstrosity, or at least I hope not; but it is a book-length work – 75,000 words and counting.
It’s a PDF with bookmarks, clickable cross-references, and a glossary. Your feedback and error-checking will be much appreciated! (My email address is at the end of the Foreword.)
–Jim Aikin
P.S.: Props to OpenOffice Writer, which supplied the cross-referencing and TOC handles.