2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
< html >
< head >
< title > What This Module Does< / title >
< link href = "../docs-assets/Breadcrumbs.css" rel = "stylesheet" rev = "stylesheet" type = "text/css" >
< meta name = "viewport" content = "width=device-width initial-scale=1" >
< meta http-equiv = "Content-Type" content = "text/html; charset=utf-8" >
< meta http-equiv = "Content-Language" content = "en-gb" >
< link href = "../docs-assets/Contents.css" rel = "stylesheet" rev = "stylesheet" type = "text/css" >
< link href = "../docs-assets/Progress.css" rel = "stylesheet" rev = "stylesheet" type = "text/css" >
< link href = "../docs-assets/Navigation.css" rel = "stylesheet" rev = "stylesheet" type = "text/css" >
< link href = "../docs-assets/Fonts.css" rel = "stylesheet" rev = "stylesheet" type = "text/css" >
< link href = "../docs-assets/Base.css" rel = "stylesheet" rev = "stylesheet" type = "text/css" >
< link href = "../docs-assets/Colours.css" rel = "stylesheet" rev = "stylesheet" type = "text/css" >
< / head >
< body class = "commentary-font" >
< nav role = "navigation" >
2022-04-28 19:37:28 +03:00
< h1 > < a href = "../index.html" >
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
< img src = "../docs-assets/Inform.png" height = 72" >
< / a > < / h1 >
2022-04-28 19:37:28 +03:00
< ul > < li > < a href = "../index.html" > home< / a > < / li >
2022-04-04 20:31:44 +03:00
< / ul > < h2 > Compiler< / h2 > < ul >
< li > < a href = "../structure.html" > structure< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "../inbuildn.html" > inbuild< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "../inform7n.html" > inform7< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "../intern.html" > inter< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "../services.html" > services< / a > < / li >
2022-04-18 17:46:46 +03:00
< li > < a href = "../secrets.html" > secrets< / a > < / li >
2022-04-04 20:31:44 +03:00
< / ul > < h2 > Other Tools< / h2 > < ul >
< li > < a href = "../inblorbn.html" > inblorb< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "../indocn.html" > indoc< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "../inform6.html" > inform6< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "../inpolicyn.html" > inpolicy< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "../inrtpsn.html" > inrtps< / a > < / li >
2022-04-06 13:14:15 +03:00
< / ul > < h2 > Resources< / h2 > < ul >
< li > < a href = "../extensions.html" > extensions< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "../kits.html" > kits< / a > < / li >
2022-04-04 20:31:44 +03:00
< / ul > < h2 > Repository< / h2 > < ul >
< li > < a href = "https://github.com/ganelson/inform" > < img src = "../docs-assets/github.png" height = 18 > github< / a > < / li >
< / ul > < h2 > Related Projects< / h2 > < ul >
2022-04-28 19:20:06 +03:00
< li > < a href = "../../../inweb/index.html" > inweb< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "../../../intest/index.html" > intest< / a > < / li >
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
< / ul >
< / nav >
< main role = "main" >
<!-- Weave of 'What This Module Does' generated by Inweb -->
< div class = "breadcrumbs" >
2022-04-28 19:37:28 +03:00
< ul class = "crumbs" > < li > < a href = "../index.html" > Home< / a > < / li > < li > < a href = "../inform7n.html" > Inform7< / a > < / li > < li > < a href = "index.html" > if< / a > < / li > < li > < a href = "index.html#P" > Preliminaries< / a > < / li > < li > < b > What This Module Does< / b > < / li > < / ul > < / div >
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
< p class = "purpose" > An overview of the if module's role and abilities.< / p >
2022-09-01 02:14:18 +03:00
< ul class = "toc" > < li > < a href = "P-wtmd.html#SP1" > § 1. Prerequisites< / a > < / li > < li > < a href = "P-wtmd.html#SP2" > § 2. So many features< / a > < / li > < / ul > < hr class = "tocbar" >
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
< p class = "commentary firstcommentary" > < a id = "SP1" class = "paragraph-anchor" > < / a > < b > § 1. Prerequisites. < / b > The if module is a part of the Inform compiler toolset. It is presented as a
literate program or "web". Before diving in:
< / p >
2022-04-28 19:20:06 +03:00
< ul class = "items" > < li > (a) It helps to have some experience of reading webs: see < a href = "../../../inweb/index.html" class = "internal" > inweb< / a > for more.
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
< / li > < li > (b) The module is written in C, in fact ANSI C99, but this is disguised by the
2022-04-28 19:20:06 +03:00
fact that it uses some extension syntaxes provided by the < a href = "../../../inweb/index.html" class = "internal" > inweb< / a > literate
programming tool, making it a dialect of C called InC. See < a href = "../../../inweb/index.html" class = "internal" > inweb< / a > for
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
full details, but essentially: it's C without predeclarations or header files,
and where functions have names like < span class = "extract" > < span class = "extract-syntax" > Tags::add_by_name< / span > < / span > rather than just < span class = "extract" > < span class = "extract-syntax" > add_by_name< / span > < / span > .
2022-04-04 20:31:44 +03:00
< / li > < li > (c) This module uses other modules drawn from the compiler (see < a href = "../structure.html" class = "internal" > structure< / a > ), and also
2022-04-28 19:20:06 +03:00
uses a module of utility functions called < a href = "../../../inweb/foundation-module/index.html" class = "internal" > foundation< / a > .
For more, see < a href = "../../../inweb/foundation-module/P-abgtf.html" class = "internal" > A Brief Guide to Foundation (in foundation)< / a > .
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
< / li > < / ul >
2022-09-01 02:14:18 +03:00
< p class = "commentary firstcommentary" > < a id = "SP2" class = "paragraph-anchor" > < / a > < b > § 2. So many features. < / b > This module consists entirely of features, and when they are all inactive,
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
as for example with a Basic Inform project, it's as if the module does not exist
at all: it does nothing.
< / p >
< p class = "commentary" > The module is divided into four substantive parts, which form Chapters 2 to 5,
and are largely independent of each other:
< / p >
2022-09-01 02:14:18 +03:00
< ul class = "items" > < li > ● < a href = "2-bd.html" class = "internal" > Chapter 2: Bibliographic Data< / a > is a single feature, "bibliographic data".
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
This manages metadata on projects, notably the Interactive Fiction ID, and
follows a number of Internet standards for such things. < a href = "2-ri.html" class = "internal" > Release Instructions< / a >
collates release details included in the source text, and acts as a bridge to
the releasing agent < a href = "../inblorb/index.html" class = "internal" > inblorb< / a > .
2021-02-23 23:17:13 +02:00
< / li > < li > ● < a href = "3-sm.html" class = "internal" > Chapter 3: Space and Time< / a > , by contrast, is made up of many individual
2022-09-01 02:14:18 +03:00
features, which can independently be active or not: collectively they form the
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
usual model world for interactive fiction, but it's possible, for example,
to remove the concept of a geographical map, or of scenes, and still have
the rest.
2022-09-01 02:14:18 +03:00
< / li > < li > ● < a href = "4-ap.html" class = "internal" > Chapter 4: Actions< / a > is the single feature "actions", which provides a
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
framework for how agents in the world model can perform simple tasks such as
picking things up, or going from place to place.
2022-09-01 02:14:18 +03:00
< / li > < li > ● < a href = "5-pp.html" class = "internal" > Chapter 5: Command Parser< / a > is the single feature "parsing", and
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
provides for command parsing. Projects using other mechanisms for having
2022-09-01 02:14:18 +03:00
the reader interact with them do not need this, and can deactivate the feature.
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
< / li > < / ul >
< nav role = "progress" > < div class = "progresscontainer" >
2022-09-10 01:53:15 +03:00
< ul class = "progressbar" > < li class = "progressprevoff" > ❮ < / li > < li class = "progresscurrentchapter" > P< / li > < li class = "progresscurrent" > wtmd< / li > < li class = "progresschapter" > < a href = "1-im.html" > 1< / a > < / li > < li class = "progresschapter" > < a href = "2-bd.html" > 2< / a > < / li > < li class = "progresschapter" > < a href = "3-sm.html" > 3< / a > < / li > < li class = "progresschapter" > < a href = "4-ap.html" > 4< / a > < / li > < li class = "progresschapter" > < a href = "5-pp.html" > 5< / a > < / li > < li class = "progresschapter" > < a href = "6-db.html" > 6< / a > < / li > < li class = "progressnext" > < a href = "1-im.html" > ❯ < / a > < / li > < / ul > < / div >
2021-02-21 20:47:27 +02:00
< / nav > <!-- End of weave -->
< / main >
< / body >
< / html >