Zugg Software :: View topic

Novice Joined: 13 Jan 2002 Posts: 36 Location: USA

A few days ago I posted this
http://www.zuggsoft.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5177&FORUM_ID=7&CAT_ID=1&Topic_Title=String+list%3F%3F%3F&Forum_Title=zMUD+General+Discussion

And one of the responses that solved my problem was this;

#var list {armor|shield|sanctuary|protection good}

#alias spellup {#t+ Spellup;#var templist @list;castcurr}

#alias castcurr {#var currspell %item(@templist, 1);cast '@currspell'} "Spellup"

#trigger {^You lost your concentration!} {cast '@currspell'} "Spellup"

#trigger {^You cast {@list}} {#delitem templist @currspell;#if (@templist) {castcurr} {#say SpellUp Done!;#t- Spellup}} "Spellup"

Now, I've fiddled with it a bit and I think I'm making a bit of progress on learning this. But I can't figure out the last line. I mean I understand the trigger catches 'you cast @list' meaning the spell that was just cast. Then the delitem takes that spell out of the templist variable. Now, here's where I'm having trouble fully understanding. The #if @templist doesn't have anything it's being compared against, yet it has a true and false condition!! Wouldn't the @templist always be true? Could someone please explain it a bit for me? I mean, it's not being compared against anything.... It seems to me that it's just checking to see if it exists, which it does.... I mean, I know this can't be whats happening from the way it works. It goes through my string list casting each spell in turn and removing each from the @templist Variable, then when it's done with the last it activated the false statement. But I can't see why it does so...

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Kyote

Happiness isn't a destination. It's a way of life!!! In other words... Don't live until you can be happy... Be happy while you live!!!!

SubAdmin Joined: 18 Nov 2001 Posts: 5182

%null, "", and 0 are considered false. Everything else is true. So when templist becomes empty by having all the items deleted the if considers it to be false. It is a programming shorthand.

Novice Joined: 13 Jan 2002 Posts: 36 Location: USA

Ahhh!!!! Thanks Vijilante!!!! Now it makes sense. :) Thanks for your time!

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Kyote

Happiness isn't a destination. It's a way of life!!! In other words... Don't live until you can be happy... Be happy while you live!!!!