im really now to if, and i downloaded a z5 source file for studying. can this file be opened by the inform 7 ide? if so, how?
No, storyfiles are compiled and cannot be reversed back into Inform 7 source code.
There are tools that will extract all the text, and it can be disassembled into assembly code (or maybe even low level Inform 6 code), but Inform 7 is a much higher level than those, and the structure of I7 code can’t be reconstructed from a compiled storyfile.
okay, thank you! ill see if i can find the original game files
i have found the original files, but they seem to be in inform 6. how can those be opened by inform 7? or do i have to download inform 6 as well?
My understanding is that there isn’t a single Inform 6 IDE, the way there is for I7 (and no, the I7 IDE won’t know what to make of I6 source; I suppose you could just copy and paste it into the IDE and mark it all as an I6 inclusion, but that sounds really messy and unhelpful).
There was this semi-recent thread where folks shared their tools for working with Inform 6 code that might be helpful for identifying some possible options – maybe one of them would be a good fit?
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Inform7 is not simply a newer version of Inform6. They are two completely different languages.
Inform6 is normally good for people already used to traditional programming languages.
Inform7 is normally better for people not used to them. Because it is in an English-like language.
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aha, i get this now. thank you!
Keep in mind though, that while Inform 7 uses natural language, it IS a very structured computer language. You can’t just say anything, you have to follow the very very specific rules. It’s just that the rules can be quite flexible and intuitive.
Sometimes… not so much.
However, there is no better tool for writing IF.
Sean.
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