How do I work with lists in Quest?

Question

Within the Quest tool, how would I go about working with lists?

I have had answers with instructions in code form, but since I'm pretty new to this, I have no clue what to do with them.

Comments

To be honest, the question as posted is a bit hard to answer.  It's like asking someone "how do I work with wood?" And the answer is basically: well, it depends on what you want to do. It might be more helpful to ask questions based on things you want to accomplish. Then, if a list will suffice for what you're trying to do, someone can give you an example of that particular usage. (The reason I'm saying this is that often people will think they need to use X, when in reality, they need to use Y, and asking how to use X in that case just confuses things since it doesn't address the initial problem they wanted to solve to begin with.)

Answer 1

here's (a rare, lol) mostly non-code post for you, hehe:

within the GUI~Editor, there's two types of means~ways of making your game:

.1. initial creation ('adding'~'setting') before the game begins:

Add -> Object, Exit, Function, Verb, Command, Attribute, etc

example of adding~creating~intially_setting of Attributes:

'player' Player Object -> 'Attributes' Tab -> Attributes -> Add -> (see below)

(Object Name: player)
Attribute Name: strength
Attribute Type: int (integer)
Attribute Value: 100

.2. scripting (ACTION~EVENTS: creating~adding, setting, re-setting, removing, deleting, changing, altering, etc. At the beginning of the game and~or during the game):

(Object's Verb~Command~Function~Turnscript~Timer~etc) -> run as script -> add a~new script (the circle buttons)

example of scripting:

'strength potion' Object -> 'Verb' Tab -> add -> Name: consume -> (see below)

add new script -> variables -> 'set a variable or attribute' Script -> set variable player.strength = [expression] player.strength + 2

add a script -> output -> 'print a message' Script -> print message [expression] "You consume the strength potion, increasing your strength by 2, having now {player.strength} strength."

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Lists and Dictionaries are a Type of Attribute ~ Attribute Type:

Attribute Types ~ Types of Attributes:

String Attributes
Boolean Attributes
Integer Attributes
Double Attributes
Object Attributes
Script Attributes
String List Attributes
Object List Attributes (this unfortunately doesn't exist in the GUI~Editor's 'add creation', so your only option is via the GUI~Editor's scripting or just doing~writing it in~as code)
String Dictionary Attributes
Object Dictionary Attributes
Script Dictinary Attributes

'Include Reference' Attributes (Libraries)
'Inherited' Attributes (Object Types)

---

so, for lists, examples:

adding~creation~initially_setting:

'player' Player Object -> 'Attributes' Tab -> Attributes -> Add -> (see below)

(Object Name: player)
Attribute Name: favorite_foods
Attribute Type: string list
Attribute Value: (add, repeat as needed for each Value): pizza, hamburger, ice cream, chocolate, pasta, candy

or, via scripting instead (example):

'hk' Object -> 'Verb' Tab -> Add -> Name: foods -> (see below)

[run as script] -> add new script -> variables -> 'set a variable or attribute' Script -> (see below)

set variable hk.favorite_foods = [expression] NewStringList ()

add a script -> variables -> 'add a value to a list' Script -> (see below)

add to list hk.favorite_foods [text] pizza

add a script -> variables -> 'add a value to a list' Script -> (see below)

add to list hk.favorite_foods [text] hamburger

etc etc etc

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as for actually then doing stuff with the lists... that's a whole behemoth beast in itself... not for this post, lol.

---

resources:

http://docs.textadventures.co.uk/quest/guides/using_lists.html
http://docs.textadventures.co.uk/quest/functions/newstringlist.html
http://docs.textadventures.co.uk/quest/functions/string/split.html
http://docs.textadventures.co.uk/quest/scripts/list_add.html
http://docs.textadventures.co.uk/quest/scripts/list_remove.html
http://docs.textadventures.co.uk/quest/functions/listcount.html
http://docs.textadventures.co.uk/quest/functions/listcontains.html
etc etc etc

Comments

the point of lists is that you can iterate (cycle, go through each Value) through the list, and select what (specific and~or random and~or All~Every) item (Value) from the list. This allows for doing some very cool stuff. Also, it's easy to add~remove items (Values) from the list too.

Do note that with Object Lists, you actually are NOT 'physically' doing anything with the Object, but rather 'virtually~logically'. For example, if you 'add an Object to an Object List', you are NOT actually moving that Object (from where ever it is located at) over into that Object List. So I can have 'pizza' be in 'my bedroom' Room Object's Objectlist, while the actual 'physical' 'pizza' Object is still in the 'pizza restuarant' Room Object.

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This gives a good GUI~Editor example of the most basic usage of lists:

http://docs.textadventures.co.uk/quest/guides/character_creation.html

good for a start~intro into using lists.

my attempt at understanding this 3 years ago:

http://forum.textadventures.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3348 (my noobie thread at starting to learn quest and its code: good for a laugh, I was so confused+overwhelmed by all of the terms after I finished with the tutorial, laughs. I didn't know how to do anything on my own outside of the simple direct instructions of the tutorial)

http://forum.textadventures.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3348#p22036 (the first post of me trying to understand the character creation)