locate(), tag, and key

ID:137905
 
Jun 14 2001, 4:34 am
To keep references of pcs within other pcs I have been just storing their tag, which I set to equal their key when they log in. Then if I need a reference to the actual pc, I use locate(Tag). Somehow this just seems "cleaner" than storing the actual object reference. I'm probably wrong, but that's how I like to code it, dammit!

According to the DM reference, locate() works with:
locate(Type) in Container
locate(X,Y,Z)
locate(Tag)
locate(TextRef)

So my question is, how come there isn't a more direct way to get an object reference by key? Shouldn't the keys be unique?

Jun 14 2001, 8:03 am

So my question is, how come there isn't a more direct way to get an object reference by key? Shouldn't the keys be unique?

I thought about automatically making mob.tag = mob.key, but the problem is that this might interfere with tags the programmer is using internally. I suppose some sort of naming convention such as "key=[ckey]" might be possible.

Otherwise, you could create a list of players with the items in the list being the player keys and the associated values being the mobs. Example:

var/players[0]
mob/Login()
   players[ckey] = src
   return ..()

mob/Logout()
   players -= ckey
   return ..()


That would give you fast lookups.
Jun 14 2001, 8:10 am
In response to Dan
On 6/14/01 11:03 am Dan wrote:
I thought about automatically making mob.tag = mob.key, but the problem is that this might interfere with tags the programmer is using internally. I suppose some sort of naming convention such as "key=[ckey]" might be possible.

Yeah please don't...this would definitely be problematic in a game like Living & Dead, where players are mob-switching all over.
Jun 14 2001, 7:50 pm
In response to Deadron
Yeah please don't...this would definitely be problematic in a game like Living & Dead, where players are mob-switching all over.

I agree with you, Ron... but:

Speaking of mob switching, I absolutely hate anyone who puts their logout messages in the topmost mob class when switching is a possibility.

If you ever change mobs, EVER (and that includes using Deadron's CharacterHandling demo), make your players a subclass of /mob and then put the Logout() proc there.

Or, do what I do, only give "Player has logged out!" messages in the client/Del() proc.

Otherwise, you'll be getting "Player has logged out!" when in actuality he just switched bodies.