Rule for printing the name of a room: Say “[paragraph break]”
Rule for printing the name of a room: Say “[room name][paragraph break]”
Rule after entering room: Say “[paragraph break]”
Rule after entering room: Say “[room name][paragraph break]”
Rule before printing room description details: Say “[paragraph break]”
Rule after printing the name of a room: Say “[paragraph break]”
etc…
Some work, but they add a break after saying the name of any room, even in a description of the room on the other side of a door.
I know there have been complaints about the line breaks that get added when we don’t want them, but how can I add one, just after the name of the room the player is now in?
Example… I want:
Bow
You are on the bow.
To say:
Bow
You are on the bow.
I know I can add a [paragraph break] before every description of a room, both the [if visited] and the [if not visited], and all of the other versions of how the room might be printed if entered into. But this is going to get tedious as the world grows, and I am bound to miss a few. Is there a simple way to add a page break between the title of the room the player is in, and the following text that does not add a break if a room is just mentioned in a description?
The default print method just looks so cramped compared to all of the other white-space on the page.
One possibility is Carry out looking (this is the print an extra line break under a room description heading rule):
say "[line break][run paragraph on]".
The print an extra line break under a room description heading rule is listed before the room description body text rule in the carry out looking rulebook.
The carry out looking rulebook is the one responsible for the heading and description text. This code just adds another step.
You could also get away with Carry out looking (this is the print an extra line break under a room description heading rule):
say "".
The print an extra line break under a room description heading rule is listed before the room description body text rule in the carry out looking rulebook. because output from different rules is normally put on separate lines. But it’s probably harder to tell at a glance why this version works.
Thanks. That worked. I used the first version. I might need to read it later, and you are right… it reads a lot easier than the second version. And I know later on I would wonder why I put in a say “” rule.
Is there some kind of a secret tome somewhere that spells out what default rules come from where and why? I see bits and pieces mentioned in various paces… but is there a comprehensive list someplace? Sort of like in the ‘Default Messages’ extension there is ‘The Complete Table’ listed as an example. That sure makes understanding how messages work (and how/what to change) so much easier. The default rules/rulebook list and the names/source/usage would be GREAT!
(Or you can open the extension Standard Rules by Graham Nelson from the IDE, but the “webs” from the site contain useful and informative comments on these standard rules and the default workings of Inform 7 - a must read for any aspiring I7 junkie. )
The Index can tell you a lot of this sort of thing, but it takes a while to learn where to find things. Before, Instead, Check, Carry Out and Report rules are listed in the Actions tab, although somewhat frustratingly, you have to choose an action first to see which rules affect it, even if the rules apply to all actions.
Another frustrating issue with the Index is that it will only tell you where rules come from in the source if they’re defined in your story file. Otherwise all it gives you is documentation for the extension that they come from. If there’s no link for a rule at all, I think that means it’s in the Standard Rules.
I’ve gotten a lot out of reading the Standard Rules and the extensions that I use. I think Zarf once confessed that the Standard Rules are his main source of documentation. But as I learn to use the Index, I’ve found that it can occasionally tell me things faster. It’s especially useful for seeing what order rulebooks are actually arranged in.
To open the Standard Rules from the IDE, choose File–>Open Extension–>Graham Nelson–>Standard Rules.
I am glad to see it is a PDF as well as in the program so I can print it out and have it in front of me to reference when I need it. I find that is much more efficient when working on something while hunting for details.
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