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# Re: Parsing Problems

- Date: Fri, 1 Sep 1995 16:42:04 PDT
- From:

    >From: Kipp the Kidd <mcmudge@mailbox.syr.edu>
    >
    >This brings to mind a new type of parsing.  I haven't got a name for it..
    >'cause I think I stole it from how I *think* muds do it.  As soon as an
    >object is either in the room with the player, or in their inventory, it's
    >added to a list of commands the player can type.  When the player types
    >the command, the object's (whatever) is invoked, and it takes care of the
    >rest of the parsing.   A simple 'read' will work for a note in the room,
    >even if you don't type it's name.  I've successfully implemented this at
    >my RPG MOO, but haven't found anything that will use it... YET.

    If by "muds" you mean LPmuds, then, yes, this is essentially how LPMuds
    do parsing.

    The actual implementation is more efficient than the following description,
    but the parsing algorithm is effectively as follows:

      -- every object declares which command-line verbs it will handle
         (just the verb -- no argument specification)
      -- when a player types a command, then the first word of the command
         is considered to be the verb
      -- a list of all objects in the player's environment which are willing
         to handle that verb is constructed.  The environment includes the
         player's object, the player's location, objects inside the player,
         and objects in the player's location.  The ordering is done according
         to certain rules.
      -- the first object in the list has the appropriate verb called to attempt
         to handle the player's command.  If the verb returns an failure value,
         then the next object in the list is tried.  This continues until either
         some object is found which successfully handles the command, or until
         the end of the list is reached, in which case an error message is
         printed.

    This works quite well for LPmuds.  However, it does have the drawback
    that if a programmer does the parsing badly on one of their objects,
    there can be really unpleasant results.  On the other hand, it does
    allow for very complex and intelligent command parsing.

      -- Sam

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