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From: erkyrath@netcom.com (Andrew Plotkin)
Subject: Re: [Inform] "describe" for things that are on supporters
Message-ID: <erkyrathE26E70.CCM@netcom.com>
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Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 02:13:48 GMT
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chidder@fred.aurora.edu wrote:
> > > Yeah, I have a similar problem , with a bulletin board.  I have
> > > a routine that will print out whats on the board. I put this routine
> > > in the description property and it works fine; expect it prints out
> > > whats on the board _every time the rooms described_. I dont want it to
> > > do that!
> > 
> > Object board "a small bulletin board" Dorm_Room
> >  has static supporter
> >  with initial "A cheap Wills Mart bulletin board hangs on the wall.",
> >       name "bulletin" "board" "bulletin board",
> >       description "This is a cheap bulletin board you tack important stuff \
> >                    to.";
> >       before 
> >         [; Search, Examine: stuff;stuff=children(board);
> >           print "This is a cheap bulletin board you tack important stuff to.";
> >           if (stuff==0) print "The board is empty.";
> >           print "On the board there ";
> >           if (children(board)==1) print "is ";
> >                                   else print "are";
> >           WriteListFrom(child(stuff),CONCEAL_BIT+ENGLISH_BIT);
> > 
> > 
> >         ];
>   You seem to be saying that I should take out the with description "This...
> ",  clause..

Aha, no. I see the problem. Problems.

First of all, you have a semicolon after the "description" property, which 
terminates the object definition. Obvious typo -- change to comma.

As to your actual problem: I was wrong, it has nothing to do with your 
"description" or "describe" routines. It's just that you have a static 
supporter, and the contents of static objects are listed out 
automatically as part of the room description. If you don't want this to 
happen, give it the scenery attribute instead.

(This will also suppress the display of the "initial" property, I think. 
If that's a big deal, you can always cheat and put "A cheap Wills Mart 
bulletin board hangs on the wall." in the *room* description, after after 
a couple of newlines.)

--Z

-- 

"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the
borogoves..."
