Zugg Software :: View topic - working with stringlist... (starting over)

Magician Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 334 Location: Chicago

I'm starting to confuse myself I'm afraid. I'm trying to rebuild an old script that used an array, and I'm having issues with converting over to a string list. Here is the jist of things...

When I first enter a room. I've got two triggers set up {@gob_list} and a {@sob_list} that works at seeing the mobs that are in there. Those two are a stringlist. Now. My first issue, is working with this information. For example....

This is one mob A here.
This is one mob B here.
There are [ 4 ] of mob C here.
There are [ 2 ] of mob D here.

Here are the two predefined variables:

#var {sob_list} {There is one mob A here.|There is one mob B here.}
#var {gob_list} {of mob C here.|of mob D here.}

Now I also have predefined variable @key_list that contains the mobs name.

#var {key_list} {A|B|C|D}

And a @mob_list that holds the amount of each mob... (which should change as I kill the mobs, and/or I move rooms. I'd also like to manipulate this as mobs enter and leave the room, but thats more for later)

#var {mob_list} {1|1|4|2}

Now what I'm having a problem with, is manipulating @mob_list. Meaning... If there is no mob, if there are mobs, single or muliple. I need it to change the corresponding number in @mob_list to reflect how many (if any) of the mob name and the trigger. All... Of course, tied in to each other. After I get that solved, I'm going to move to my next issue. LoL! TIA, and... If this is confusing, or you need more information, I'll do my best to put it down for ya. Thanks!!! =D

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

One immediate problem you will have is that string lists do not stay in the order you create them. That is, if you create it as {A|B|C|D} it may display later as {B|D|A|C}. So, you will lose the relationship between key_list and mob_list.

What you actually want is a database variable, like so:
#var mob_list {A=1|B=1|C=4|D=2}

Look up Database Variables on cmud help. To change one of the values, do:
#addkey mob_list A 4

That should make your life much simpler. Smile

Enchanter Joined: 05 Mar 2003 Posts: 593 Location: Canada

Stringlists items should stay in the order created or added unless the SORT flag is set

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

Bleh, I'm probably getting mixed up with database variables, which don't stay in order.

In any case, a db variable is probably the right solution for what Shaun wants. It's a lot easier than figuring out which index to change.

Magician Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 334 Location: Chicago

So... If I don't use the SORT flag, then they will stay in order... Correct? And my problem still is here. Going to look into the database variables. See if maybe that will be a better route. Not really concerned about simplicity (as eventually I will get it all sorted out) more worried about speed. FAST FAST FAST!! =D

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

Unless you have a huge number of mobs in your lists, speed is not an issue. Cmud is fast fast fast. Lookup in a database variable will be faster than determining the index of a value in a string list, but we are talking tiny lookup times on any reasonable size string list.

If you can explain a little more precisely what you need, we can help further.

Magician Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 334 Location: Chicago

So ok... I am not 100% sure that this will work. But how about this then?

Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 7:39 pm

When you use a data record variable in a trigger, the keys (not the values) are concatenated into key1|key2|key3. This is useful for stuff like:

#trig {({@recordvar})} {#addkey seenmobs %1 (%db(@seenmobs,%1)+1)}

Or something.

Let me see if I have this correct. You have a list of mobs that you want your script to be looking for, and when those mobs are encountered, you want the count added to a variable so you know how many of each of the mobs you're interested in are in the room. You can either do that with a generic trigger that fires on ALL mobs in the room and captures them - then you look through for the ones you're after, or you can use a dbvar whose keys are the exact strings that appear in the room, then have the variable in the pattern. Each key's value is reset to 0 when you move in this method, whereas in the previous, you can just clear the variable completely. It's up to you which you'd rather do.

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

If I am understanding correctly, the mud will list each type mob on a line of its own. So the triggers should only change one mob value at a time. The way you have it, a line reading "This is one mob A here." will set A, B, C, and D all to 1. You need a way to capture the name of the mob and use that in the addkey.

How about this: let us say that the mobs are Horse, Cow, Pig, and Chicken.
#var {sob_list} {Horse|Cow|Pig|Chicken}
#var {mob_list} {Horse=0|Cow=0|Pig=0|Chicken=0}
#trig {This is one (@sob_list) here.} {#addkey mob_list %1 1}
#trig {There are ~[ (%d) ~] of (@sob_list) here.} {#addkey mob_list %1 %2}

Even better, I recall reading on the forum recently that using a database variable in a trigger pattern uses just the keys, so you may not even need a separate @sob_list:

#var {mob_list} {Horse=0|Cow=0|Pig=0|Chicken=0}
#trig {This is one ({@mob_list}) here.} {#addkey mob_list %1 1}
#trig {There are ~[ (%d) ~] of ({@mob_list}) here.} {#addkey mob_list %2 %1}

I assume that the mud won't say "There are 0 of mob A here." That means you need one more thing to make this work. You need to reset the values to 0 every time you enter a new room. That will probably be another trigger. Is there some text that always preceeds the list of mobs? If you can find something to trigger on, you just need:

#trig {appropriate initializing text} {#addkey mob_list {A=0|B=0|C=0|D=0}

Magician Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 334 Location: Chicago

FANG! Your avatar changed! LoL!

Well.. Probably whatever is easiest. As I'm starting from scratch, and finding I really don't know as much as I thought I did!

I'm thinkging that the dbar might be the way to go, so that I can change later, depending on the area, or whatever else I'm trying to acccomplish. Sounds the most dynamic. You got me a little confused. So it should read (for the trigger):

#trig {({gob_list})} {#addkey mob_list %1 (%db(@mob_list,%1)+1)}
#trig {({sob_list})} {#addkey sob_list %1 1}

Right? And when I first get into the room, all the keys should = 0 already... So only if there is a mob in the room that matches either the gob_list and/or sob_list will it get added. Am I correct in this thinking?

Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 8:00 pm

Yeah, I change it every couple of weeks if I remember. Collect the full set! ;)

This script (if you add the @s to the pattern like you should and if you correct your triggers so that gob_list or mob_list is used throughout) will add 1 to the value of whichever key matched. So if you were to do:

#addkey gob_list "a hairy marmot" 0

Then every time the words "a hairy marmot" appeared, 1 would be added to the hairy marmot count. I hope you can see how that works - it adds a new key (overwriting the old one) that's got the value of the old one +1. Your sob_list's values will only ever be 1, no more.

Magician Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 334 Location: Chicago

Rahab -- I guess that works, but the problem is, that the triggers are each different. IE a Horse, Cow, Pig, and Chicken would have a completly different line then each other. For example (along with the initializing trigger that could be used)

[ Exits: North South ]
Galloping by, a horse nearly runs you over.
There is a cow grazing in the field.
In the distance you see [ 2 ] pigs rolling in the mud.
There are [ 8 ] chickens in a flock, clucking making noise.

[ Lag: 0 ] [ Reply: MySelf ]
[H: 100/100] [M: 100/100] [S: 100/100] [E: 100/100]

So then you would have... For example:

#var {sob_list} {Galloping by, a horse nearly runs you over.|There is a cow grazing in the field.|Rolling in the mud, a pig makes a mess.|One chicken got seperated from the flock.}

#var {gob_list} {A stallion leads a herd of ~[ (%d) ~] horses around.|There are ~[ (%d) ~] cows here eating away at the grass.|In the distance you see ~[ (%d) ~] pigs rolling in the mud.|There are ~[ (%d) ~] chickens in a flock, clucking making noise.}

#var {mob_list} {Horse=0|Cow=0|Pig=0|Chicken=0}

#trig {^~[ Exits:} {#addkey mob_list {Horse=0|Cow=0|Pig=0|Chicken=0}}

#trig {({@sob_list})} {#addkey mob_list %1 1}

#trig {({@gob_list})} {#addkey mob_list %1 %2}

Right?

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

Ah, yes, if the phrases are different, something like that will work. You still need to capture the name of the mob, though, for the #addkey. Something like:

#var {sob_list} {Galloping by, a (horse) nearly runs you over.|There is a (cow) grazing in the field.|Rolling in the mud, a (pig) makes a mess.|One (chicken) got seperated from the flock.}

#var {gob_list} {A stallion leads a herd of ~[ (%d) ~] (horse)s around.|There are ~[ (%d) ~] (cow)s here eating away at the grass.|In the distance you see ~[ (%d) ~] (pig)s rolling in the mud.|There are ~[ (%d) ~] (chicken)s in a flock, clucking making noise.}

I'm actually not sure whether the () captures will work inside a list like that. Also, you need to swap the %1 and %2 in the last trigger:

#trig {({@gob_list})} {#addkey mob_list %2 %1}

Or you can go with Fang's idea, which is a bit different.

Magician Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 334 Location: Chicago

Ok... Another wrench in the gears!!! =D

Say for example, the mobname is NOT in the trigger. Like so....

[ Exits: North ]
Galloping by, a horse nearly runs you over.

[ Lag: 100 ]

But the mobname is stallion. But... Isn't the name of the mob defined in the @mob_list? And I think I'm going to go this route ATM, cuz I feel I've got a better handle on how things flow this way. LoL! Unless... Its not 'effective'... *shrug*

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

Ooh, getting tricky! Very Happy

I'm running out of time today, so I'll just put out a quick idea. Make @sob_list a db variable, as you started to do at one point:

#var {sob_list} {Galloping by, a horse nearly runs you over.=Stallion|There is a cow grazing in the field.=Bull|Rolling in the mud, a pig makes a mess.=Sow|One chicken got seperated from the flock.=Rooster}

Then in your trigger, use %line as a key in @sob_list to find the right value to use as the key in @mob_list. Good luck!

Magician Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 334 Location: Chicago

Ok. Got the db variable down. Not sure how you mean to use the %line. The syntax is %line(num) right? Would the @gob_list trigger be the same? Thanks for everyone's help by the way! =D

This?

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

I realized after I logged out yesterday that what I described would work for @sob_list, but not for @gob_list. The phrases you have for @gob_list have an unknown numerical value in them, so you can't use that as your key. So, we may have to use another layer of indirection.

But in any case, I have discovered a problem in using captures within a stringlist. I'm about to post about it. I'll think about alternative methods for a bit.

Magician Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 334 Location: Chicago

Well... Here is the OLD triggers... Maybe that will help a lil? Keep in mind that doing it this way, @key_list is a list of the mob names. That, and the @gob_list would only have the trigger off of the line, but off of the part AFTER the ]. Finally... It is using an array, which I am trying to move away from...

Magician Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 334 Location: Chicago

Would this work then?

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

I've done some experiments, and it looks like #var has problems when the key has spaces in it. But we can use #addkey instead. Here is my next try.

Magician Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 334 Location: Chicago

Why does my *_list keep reording itself? Everytime I try to delete it, and readd it, it changes. Even when I manually move things around in the xml, it realigns it when I save it. Does the matter actually order tho, since they are have a unique key, that corresponds with each other?

Enchanter Joined: 05 Mar 2003 Posts: 593 Location: Canada

It's DB variable not a stringlist, so the order is irrelevant, you refer to the entries using the key.

Magician Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 334 Location: Chicago

Heh... Yea, I just checked it out! It works like a champ!! =D Ok... Now that I've gotten that down (I actually changed up this a little....)

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

Here's an idea. For resetmobs:

Magician Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 334 Location: Chicago

Ok... I think I see what your try'n to do. Gonna test it out. I'm not worried about moving QUITE yet... I'm more concerned about the triggers that are being used, and if it will initiate combat before the mob is actually dead. I've got the trigger part figured out... Its a case sensitive trigger...

[H: 100/100] [S: 100/100] [M: 100/100] [E: 100/100] <)---- not in combat
[h: 100/100] [s: 100/100] [m: 100/100] [e: 100/100] <)---- in combat