Adding an action attribute (Is this a good idea?)

[KVonGit]

I'm sure I'm overlooking something, and I'm also sure this could be coded better...

When porting the old Infocom games, it's nice to have an ACTION attribute in Quest.

(We can simply use Quest's verb functionality in most cases, but that gets tedious when there are so many objects and rooms.)

In ZIL, an object/room can have an ACTION property which defines a routine that runs before the default command action (and can possibly override everything, if it returns true).

This test game seems to handle everything correctly, but I overlook stuff more often than not. Plus, the code is most assuredly hacky.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

---

Test game

Details

<!--Saved by Quest 5.9.9166.36226-->
<asl version="580">
  <include ref="English.aslx" />
  <include ref="Core.aslx" />
  <include ref="ZIL-Lib.aslx" />
  <game name="Action String Att Tester">
    <gameid>b3a49bf1-2f45-48dc-9c9f-4ef733f3f00d</gameid>
    <version>0.4.6 beta</version>
    <firstpublished>2025</firstpublished>
    <feature_advancedscripts />
    <unresolvedcommandhandler type="script">
      msg ("I don't know how to '" + command + "'.")
    </unresolvedcommandhandler>
  </game>
  <object name="room">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
    <ACTION>ROOM_F</ACTION>
    <object name="player">
      <inherit name="editor_object" />
      <inherit name="editor_player" />
    </object>
    <object name="ball">
      <inherit name="editor_object" />
      <ACTION>BALL_F</ACTION>
    </object>
    <object name="box">
      <inherit name="editor_object" />
      <inherit name="container_open" />
      <feature_container />
      <ACTION>BOX_F</ACTION>
    </object>
    <object name="stick">
      <inherit name="editor_object" />
      <take />
    </object>
    <object name="frob">
      <inherit name="editor_object" />
      <look>It is floating in mid-air, just out of reach.</look>
    </object>
    <exit alias="north" to="room 2">
      <inherit name="northdirection" />
    </exit>
  </object>
  <object name="room 2">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
    <exit alias="south" to="room">
      <inherit name="southdirection" />
    </exit>
  </object>
  <function name="ROOM_F" type="boolean">
    if (game.PRSA = look) {
      msg ("It looks like a boring room.")
      return (true)
    }
    if (game.PRSA = save) {
      msg ("You can't save here!")
      return (true)
    }
    if (game.PRSA = go or game.PRSA = jump or game.PRSA = climb) {
      msg ("You are currently frozen and therefore cannot move.")
      return (true)
    }
    if (game.PRSO = frob or game.PRSI = frob or (game.PRSA = take and ListContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedobjects, frob))) {
      if (not game.PRSA = lookat) {
        msg ("You can't reach the frob from here!")
        return (true)
      }
    }
    return (false)
  </function>
  <function name="BALL_F" type="boolean">
    if (game.PRSO = ball) {
      if (game.PRSA = take) {
        if (not ball.parent = game.pov) {
          AddToInventory (ball)
          msg ("Taken.")
          return (true)
        }
      }
      else {
        msg ("Ball action script.")
        return (true)
      }
    }
    return (false)
  </function>
  <function name="BOX_F" type="boolean">
    if (game.PRSO = ball and game.PRSA = put) {
      msg ("Box action script.")
      return (true)
    }
    return (false)
  </function>
</asl>

---

ZIL-Lib.aslx

Details

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!--
			ZIL-Lib
			v0.1 beta
			For porting games from ZIL
			- Allows ACTION string attribute on objects/rooms, to point to function to
			handle commands similarly to Infocom games.
-->
<library>
  <function name="RESET_PRS">
    // prsa is the action/command/verb
    // prso is the direct object
    // prsi is the indirect object
    game.PRSA = "undefined"
    game.PRSO = "undefined"
    game.PRSO_DIR = "undefined"
    game.PRSI = "undefined"
    game.PRSO_UNRESOLVED = "undefined"
    game.PRSO_TEXT = "undefined"
		// TODO - prsi_dir, prsi_unresolved, prsi_text ?
  </function>
  <function name="SET_PRS">
	  // CURRENTLY UNUSED
    game.PRSA = game.pov.currentcommandpattern
    if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object")) {
      game.PRSO = ObjectDictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object")
    }
    else if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object1")) {
      game.PRSO = ObjectDictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object1")
      if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object2")) {
        game.PRSI = ObjectDictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object2")
      }
    }
    else if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "exit")) {
      game.PRSO = ObjectDictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "exit")
      game.PRSO_DIR = game.PRSO
    }
    if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "text") {
      game.PRSO = ObjectDictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "text")
      game.PRSO_TEXT = game.PRSO
    }
  </function>
	<function name="ACTION_HANDLER_HELPER" parameters="element_name" type="boolean">
		HANDLED_BY_ACTION = false
    O_OR_I = "O"
		if (element_name = "object2"){
			O_OR_I = "I"
	  }
		if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, element_name) and not HANDLED_BY_ACTION) {
			if (not TypeOf(GetAttribute(game, "PRS" + O_OR_I)) = "object") {
			  list = DictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, element_name)
        foreach (o, list) {
          if (HasAttribute(o,"ACTION")) {
						SetAttribute(game, "PRS" + O_OR_I + "_bak", GetAttribute(game, "PRS" + O_OR_I))
						SetAttribute(game, "PRS" + O_OR_I, o)
            HANDLED_BY_ACTION = Eval(o.ACTION + "()")
						SetAttribute(game, "PRS" + O_OR_I, GetAttribute(game, "PRS" + O_OR_I + "_bak"))
						SetAttribute(game, "PRS" + O_OR_I + "_bak", "undefined")
          }
        }
      }
      else {
        o = GetAttribute(game, "PRS" + O_OR_I)
				if (HasAttribute(o,"ACTION")) {
          HANDLED_BY_ACTION = Eval(o.ACTION + "()")
        }
      }
    }
		return (HANDLED _BY_ACTION)
	</function>
  <function name="ACTION_HANDLER" type="boolean">
    HANDLED_BY_ACTION = false
    RESET_PRS
    game.PRSA = game.pov.currentcommandpattern
    if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object")) {
      game.PRSO = ObjectDictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object")
    }
    else if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object1")) {
      game.PRSO = ObjectDictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object1")
      if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object2")) {
        game.PRSI = ObjectDictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object2")
      }
    }
    if (HasAttribute (game.pov.parent, "ACTION")) {
      HANDLED_BY_ACTION = Eval(game.pov.parent.ACTION + "()")
    }
    if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object") and not HANDLED_BY_ACTION) {
      HANDLED_BY_ACTION = ACTION_HANDLER_HELPER("object")
    }
    if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object2") and not HANDLED_BY_ACTION) {
      HANDLED_BY_ACTION = ACTION_HANDLER_HELPER("object2")
    }
    if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object1") and not HANDLED_BY_ACTION) {
      HANDLED_BY_ACTION = ACTION_HANDLER_HELPER("object1")
    }
    return (HANDLED_BY_ACTION)
  </function>
  <function name="ResolveNextName"><![CDATA[
	//MODIFIED FOR ZIL-Lib
    resolvedall = false
    HANDLED_BY_ACTION = false
    RESET_PRS
    game.PRSA = game.pov.currentcommandpattern
    queuetype = TypeOf(game.pov, "currentcommandvarlistqueue")
    if (queuetype = "stringlist") {
      queuelength = ListCount(game.pov.currentcommandvarlistqueue)
      if (queuelength > 0) {
        // Pop next variable off the queue
        var = StringListItem(game.pov.currentcommandvarlistqueue, 0)
        if (queuelength = 1) {
          game.pov.currentcommandvarlistqueue = null
        }
        else {
          newqueue = NewStringList()
          for (i, 1, queuelength - 1) {
            list add (newqueue, StringListItem(game.pov.currentcommandvarlistqueue, i))
          }
          game.pov.currentcommandvarlistqueue = newqueue
        }
        // Resolve variable
        value = StringDictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandvarlist, var)
        if (value <> "") {
          result = null
          resolvinglist = false
          // This is to resolve issue 626
          if (StartsWith(var, "objectexit")) {
            result = ResolveName(var, value, "exit")
          }
          if (result = null) {
            if (StartsWith(var, "object")) {
              if (GetBoolean(game.pov.currentcommandpattern, "allow_all")) {
                scope = FilterByAttribute(GetScope("object", "", "object"), "scenery", false)
                game.pov.currentcommandpendingobjectscope = ListExclude(scope, FilterByAttribute(scope, "not_all", true))
                game.pov.currentcommandpendingvariable = var
                ResolveNameList (value, "object")
                resolvinglist = true
              }
              else if (HasScript(game.pov.currentcommandpattern, "multipleobjects")) {
                game.pov.currentcommandpendingobjectlist = NewObjectList()
                game.pov.currentcommandpendingvariable = var
                do (game.pov.currentcommandpattern, "multipleobjects")
                ResolveNameList (value, "object")
                resolvinglist = true
              }
              else {
                result = ResolveName(var, value, "object")
              }
            }
            else if (StartsWith(var, "exit")) {
              result = ResolveName(var, value, "exit")
              if (not result = null) {
                game.PRSO_DIR = result
              }
            }
            else if (StartsWith(var, "text")) {
              result = StringDictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandvarlist, var)
              game.PRSO_TEXT = result
            }
            else {
              error ("Unhandled command variable '" + var + "' - command variable names must begin with 'object', 'exit' or 'text'")
            }
          }
          // at this point, ResolveName has returned - either an object name, unresolved, or pending
          if (result = null) {
            if ((not resolvinglist) and LengthOf(GetString(game.pov, "currentcommandpendingvariable")) = 0) {
              game.PRSO_UNRESOLVED = value
              if (HasAttribute (game.pov.parent, "ACTION")) {
                HANDLED_BY_ACTION = Eval (game.pov.parent.ACTION + "()")
              }
              if (not HANDLED_BY_ACTION) {
                UnresolvedCommand (value, var)
              }
            }
          }
          else {
            AddToResolvedNames (var, result)
          }
        }
        else {
          ResolveNextName
        }
      }
      else {
        resolvedall = true
      }
    }
    else if (queuetype = "null") {
      resolvedall = true
    }
    else {
      error ("Invalid queue type")
    }
    if (resolvedall) {
      // All the objects have been resolved, so now we can actually do the command
      // TO DO: game.lastobjects should be game.pov.lastobjects
      game.lastobjects = game.pov.currentcommandresolvedobjects
      if (not DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "multiple")) {
        dictionary add (game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "multiple", false)
      }
      if (not GetBoolean(game.pov.currentcommandpattern, "isundo")) {
        if (LengthOf(game.pov.currentcommand) > 0) {
          start transaction (game.pov.currentcommand)
        }
      }
      if (not GetBoolean(game.pov.currentcommandpattern, "isoops")) {
        // TO DO: game.unresolved* should be game.pov.unresolved*
        game.unresolvedcommand = null
        game.unresolvedcommandvarlist = null
        game.unresolvedcommandkey = null
      }
      if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object")) {
        game.text_processor_this = ObjectDictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object")
      }
      else if (DictionaryContains(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object1")) {
        game.text_processor_this = ObjectDictionaryItem(game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements, "object1")
      }
      if (HasScript(game.pov.currentcommandpattern, "script")) {
        // This is the bit that actually runs the commands
        game.PRSA = game.pov.currentcommandpattern
        if (not HANDLED_BY_ACTION) {
          HANDLED_BY_ACTION = ACTION_HANDLER()
        }
        if (not HANDLED_BY_ACTION) {
          do (game.pov.currentcommandpattern, "script", game.pov.currentcommandresolvedelements)
        }
      }
      game.runturnscripts = true
      FinishTurn
      HandleNextCommandQueueItem
    }
  ]]></function>
</library>

[KVonGit]

I now have a version that seems much better: https://gist.github.com/KVonGit/1ef2f0999de528a71d760965f86fd21f

NOTES:

Instead of using verbs, this is setup to check the location and objects for an "action" atribute before handling a command the default way.

For a room or an object, add an "action" script attribute.

Use the Tell function instead of msg in the action script. This will add the text to a queue to print, instead of directly printing, giving the code a chance to prepend the object's display alias before printing the response when there are multiple direct objects.

NOTE: When Tell is used outside of an action script, it will print directly using the msg script.

Your "action" script will have these local variables:

• prsa
  The command object
  This is always defined.

• prso
  The direct object (object or object1)
  If not defined, prso will return the game object.
  IMPORTANT NOTE: In a room's action script, prso might be an object or a list , regardless of whether multiple is true or false; it's a list when the command allows "all"; so be sure to check!

• prsi
  The indirect object (object2)
  If not defined, prsi will return the game object.

• multiple
  This is true if the command was something like TAKE ALL or TAKE BALL AND BAT
  No need I can currently think of for this, really, but I guess it might come in handy.

• rarg
  This is for rooms.
  In this test example, rarg could return either "m_beg" or "m_end".
  When the object is not a room, this is an empty string.
  See below for more details.

• prstext
  If the command allows a text entry, this will return that text.
  If this is not defined, it will return the string "undefined".

• prsdir
  If the command includes an exit (or direction), this will be the exit's alias.
  If this is defined and prso is not, then prso will be set to return this exit object.
  If this is defined and prso is also defined but prsi is not, then prsi will be set to return this exit object.
  If not defined, prsdir will return the string "undefined"

If you wish your script to override the default behavior, set prsa.overridden to true like this: prsa.overridden = true

Currently, a room will have an argument called "rarg", which will be either "m_beg" (for the beginning of the command) or "m_end" (for the end of the command).

(NOTE: "m_enter" and "m_exit" could be added and used in rooms' action scripts, but it would be easier to just use Quest's enter and exit scripts, I think.)

When you enter a command, the order of operations will be:

• check the room for an "action" script with "m_beg" for the rarg
• if there is a prsi (object2), then check the prsi for an "action" script
• if there is a prso (object1 or object), then check the prso for an "action" script
• check the room for an "action" script with "m_end" for the rarg