String to Code

ID:158183
 
Oct 15 2009, 5:23 am
Alright, i want to be able to do this.

Is it possible to make a text string, which, when a verb is pressed, will turn it into code and make it work?

Eg:
NeonJ writes something* onto the whiteboard.
NeonJ presses button
hullo

*Note: The something explained would be this
mob/verb
Button()
[WORDS TYPED GO HERE - In this case (world << "hullo")]
Oct 15 2009, 5:34 am
NeonJ wrote:
Alright, i want to be able to do this.

Is it possible to make a text string, which, when a verb is pressed, will turn it into code and make it work?

Eg:
NeonJ writes something* onto the whiteboard.
NeonJ presses button
hullo

*Note: The something explained would be this
mob/verb
Button()
[WORDS TYPED GO HERE - In this case (world << "hullo")]

I'm having a hard time understanding what you need. Perhaps my guess is correct:

mob/verb/button()
 var/a = input(usr,"Write Here", "Blackboard")
 world<<a

http://www.byond.com/docs/ref/info.html#/proc/input
Oct 15 2009, 5:41 am
Yes, this is possible, but the code written on the blackboard would not be written in the DM language. DM is a compiled language, meaning that the compiler must take the code you write and turn it into byte code which BYOND understands. By itself, BYOND can't do anything with the original text code.

What you would have to do is invent a scripting language and then write a system to understand and execute this script. Several libraries exist which address the issue with varying levels of success. I know Nickr5 is currently working on one, though I don't know how complete it is right now. Hazman made a language called "MAESTRO" along with a library for interpreting it, but I can't find that library on the hub anymore.
Oct 15 2009, 5:46 am
In response to Calus CoRPS
No, that's not it at all.

I want the code to actually EXECUTE when typed

Well, it's hard to explain, but i want a thing that will actually execute code when it's typed.

Eg:
Type..."
mob/verb/walkaround()
if(usr.stop == 0)
step_rand(usr)
sleep(50)
usr.walkaround()
"
Then, once you pressed "GO" on the machine, that code will become availible to you and all other mobs.
(And perhaps if you press "STOP", the string will become empty and that code will become unavailible again.)
Oct 15 2009, 5:48 am
In response to IainPeregrine
So I pretty much have to make it myself?

If so, what exactly would it be called? You said there were a few libs on it..
Oct 15 2009, 5:51 am
In response to NeonJ
Search the forums for "Scripting Language". The two libraries that I know of I already gave you all the information I have for finding them.
Oct 15 2009, 5:55 am
In response to IainPeregrine
I don't actually want it to be a different code, though. I want it to be BYOND code...
Oct 15 2009, 5:59 am
In response to NeonJ
You want the code as it's written to appear in world?
I'm not sure how to do that, but if this is what you mean...

You seem pretty new to DM, so I'll add some comments to explain this.
var/txt // set the variable

mob
    verb
        Set_Word(word as text) // this will open a menu in which you type a word.
            txt = word // set the variable txt to the word you typed in.
        Show_Word() // when you click this, the current value of the variable txt will be shown to the world
            world<<txt // the code that does above.

// note: if you click show_word before setting the word, it will just be a blank line.



Am I on the right track?
Oct 15 2009, 5:59 am
In response to NeonJ
I fear you missed some part of what Iain told you there...

IainPeregrine wrote:
DM is a compiled language, meaning that the compiler must take the code you write and turn it into byte code which BYOND understands. By itself, BYOND can't do anything with the original text code.
Oct 15 2009, 6:00 am
In response to Schnitzelnagler
No, I understood it completely. Just thought it could be possible to make a code thingy which understands the EXACT same code BYOND actually uses.
Oct 15 2009, 6:01 am
In response to Stereo
That's exactly what the other guy said. It's not right at all.
Oct 15 2009, 6:03 am
In response to NeonJ
NeonJ wrote:
That's exactly what the other guy said. It's not right at all.

Can you be a little more forthright with what you mean? I'm not sure anyone understands what you mean by pressing a "machine button"?


Do you want the code to be actually PASTED into the world's output?
Oct 15 2009, 6:03 am
In response to NeonJ
What you're asking for is impossible. Consider the type/path system. When your game is compiled, all the objects you've defined are compiled into a tree structure with /datum at the top. If it were possible to have a DM scripting language which supported all aspects of the DM language (in other words, it is "the same") then it would have to be able to define new objects, like so:

mob/my_new_object_definition
    var
        mob/my_friend
        power_level = 9001
    proc/vageta_what_does_the_scouter_say()
        yada_yada_yada()


The problem is that once compiled the object tree cannot be modified, so you cannot define new objects which will behave "just like DM" and be interchangeable between DM and the DM script. If you want a "text to code" function in your game, it must use a scripting language, and that scripting language must deviate from DM in some basic ways.
Oct 15 2009, 6:07 am
In response to IainPeregrine
Alright, I understand.

Well, thanks anyway!

--CASE CLOSED--
Oct 15 2009, 2:47 pm
In response to Stereo
I believe that what he wants is to be you enter dm code
e.g.
obj/blah/icon = 'blah.dmi'
obj/blah/Click()
       world<<"hi"

into a "whiteboard" or a "post" and the code is added to a section of his game and, the code becomes availible inside game so, if he had some kind of create verb he could now make "blah" and click on "blah", correct?

 or maybe my english is failing again
Oct 15 2009, 2:50 pm
In response to Gigimoi
sorry about bump but....

Maybe you could make it so they could import thier own code? dunno, just pitching out ideas...
Oct 20 2009, 9:02 am
In response to NeonJ
Impossible

No game can do this. At all.

Not just to BYOND; either.
Oct 20 2009, 9:26 am
In response to Mista-mage123
GCC (the C compiler) is written in C. Now lay a brick.
Oct 20 2009, 11:20 am
In response to IainPeregrine
The library's more than usable now (as the demo shows), although some basic functionality is missing, ie there's a while loop but no break or continue statement. The main reason I haven't released it, though, is because it's a little tricky to figure out how to use and I'm still working on the documentation. If anyone wants to see it early, contact me via the pager and I'll definitely send it to you.