SCRIPT (file format)

From modwiki

Script files define a sequence of events grouped into 1 or more blocks. They are used in different fields like eg. level scripting or GUI actions. Scripts use a custom language with a syntax similar to C++ and are stored in plain-text ASCII files.

Contents 1 Syntax 1.1 General Syntax 1.2 Operators 1.2.1 Simple Operators 1.2.2 Conditional Operators 1.2.3 Bit Operators 1.2.4 Special Assignment Operators 1.3 Conditional Structures 1.4 Loop Structures 1.5 Code grouping 1.6 Special 2 Editing tools

Syntax

The following should be a quick reference for scripting constructs. If you are new, read Scripting basics for more text and examples.

General Syntax

The following is a list of special characters and general syntax information.

; 

Follows all commands. More than one command may exist on a single line. Informs the engine that the following is the end of a command.

// 

Single line comment. Declares the text from this point to the end of the line a comment and is not executed. Can also be used to null out a line of code for debugging.

/* and */ 

Comment. Declares the text from /* to */ a comment and the text contained therein is not executed. Can also be used to null out a portion of code for debugging.

{ and } 

Script block. These show the start and end points of a group of commands. See the more complex structures further down.

( and ) 

Group. Used to fix operator precedence or grouping conditional expressions.

$ 

Precedes all direct entity references. Informs the engine that the following is an entity reference. See basic scripting with entities

. 

Precedes a script event or script object function. Informs the engine that the following function-like call is a script event or object function.

Operators

Simple Operators

= 

Assignment

+ 

Add

- 

Subtract

* 

Multiply

/ 

Divide

% 

Modulo / Remainder

++ 

Add 1 / Increment

-- 

Subtract 1 / Decrement

Conditional Operators

== 

Equals

>= 

Greater or Equal

<= 

Lesser or Equal

&& 

And

|| 

Or

 !  

Not

Bit Operators

& 

Bitwise And

| 

Bitwise Or

~ 

Bitwise XOr (?)

Special Assignment Operators

+= 

Add and Assign

-= 

Subtract and Assign

*= 

Multiply and Assign

/= 

Divide and Assign

%= 

Calculate Remainder and Assign

&= 

Bitwise And and Assign

|= 

Bitwise Or and Assign

Conditional Structures

if ( <condition> ) {

} 

Checks if the condition is true, if so it executes the code block between { and } after the condition.

if ( <condition> ) {

} else {

} 

Check if the condition is true, if so execute the code block just behind the condition. If not, execute the code block after the else keyword.

Loop Structures

while ( <condition> ) {

} 

Execute the code block behind the condition for as long as the condition is true.

for ( [start code]; [condition]; [loop code] ) {

} 

When the structure is entered, the [start code] will be executed. Then the condition will be checked. At the end of the code block, the [loop code] is executed. After this, the condition is checked again and the loop will go on for as long as the condition is true.

Code grouping

<return type> <function name> ( [variable list] ) {

} 

Function structure. Used to group commands which need to be called more then once. The variable list is separated with commas can be empty. A return type is required, use void if nothing is returned.

object <object name> [

<base object>] {

} 

Object structure. Used to describe the behavior of an entity. It can inherit from other object definitions. See script object for more information.

namespace <name> {

} 

Namespace group. All variable and function names are then isolated from the global namespace. Used to avoid conflicts when including more then 1 script.

Special

These are various statements which no real relation.

#define <constant name> <value> 

Defines a read-only global value. The name is mostly written uppercase.

#ifdef <constant name>

#endif 

Conditional inclusion block. The contents will only be parsed if the constant is defined using #define.

#ifndef <constant name>

#endif 

Conditional inclusion block. The contents will only be parsed if the constant is not defined.

#include "<name of script file>" 

Will define all global variables and functions used in the specified script file. Mostly reserved for scripts which need functions from other scripts to increase code reuse.

Editing tools

Since scripts are plain-text files, a simple text editor can be used to edit or create scripts.