Inform 7 Indexing

Inform 7 has an already installed indexing system. The indexing system is very useful for larger games as it can help the person find what they are looking for very quickly.

The indexing system can be used relatively quickly and can be very effective. But believe it or not, most people don't know about this indexing system. Thus the people that don't know about spend most of their time trying to find the part they want. Which can take up valued time. So that is why I will be telling you, how to access this easy and quick to use index.

First off you have to know that you must include in every chapter, volume or section and specify that it is a sort of part within your game. This makes it easier for the maker of the game to find what they are looking for and really quickly.

In every part you create, (mostly every room, that's what I do). You must say it is a section within your game. Or inform 7 won't pick up that it is actually there.

Example, (at the start of each room)

Section/Volume or Chapter 1 The Kitchen

When you have finished and completed the sectioning and chapter editing, you must go to the content tab at the top of your source coding. Click that and you can see the chapters and sections you have made. With the slider down the bottom of the content tab put it on recognize all, and it will show you ever little thing about you game.

When clicking on one of these you can quickly find the text your looking for. It will appear in front of you.

Dark Rooms

Dark rooms act as an add on to your game. It gives the player a bit of excitement. Dark rooms cannot be interacted with until the player is carrying a lit torch or light source. When the player is carrying one of these they can see the description of the room and the objects it holds. Without a torch of light source you won't be able to interact with that room. You can move around while in a dark room, but you can't see.
To do this we must think of a name for our room, give a description. If you don't know how to do this look in the blog archive on the right of the screen and find a section on rooms.

Mine will be ........

Study Room is a room. "You are in the study room, you are surrounded by lovely books, old and young. There is a desk on which another thicker book is lying. To the west is another passage."

This is a room you can see. But to make it a dark room you must add this.

Study Room is a dark room.

Put this after you have explained it is a room. You must now make a torch. My torch will be a lantern. I suggest putting this in the room before this one, as the player can pick it up. If you put it in the dark room it won't be a dark room any more.

A Lantern is in Hallway. A Lantern is lit. 

Or

A Lantern is in Hallway. A Lantern is unlit.

The player will not be able to light the unlit light source. So I suggest having any Light Source lit at all times in the game.

How to Make Doors

The first thing we must establish before we start to make our doors, is that rooms and doors and treated the same but are coded differently. Doors connect one room to another, but in one sense, is a room. A room is a place where objects and things can be stored. Doors are rooms, but we tell inform 7 that when entering through the door, you immediately enter the next, objects cannot be stored in doors.

Doors are used to connect rooms, but they don't have to be. A locked door prevents the player from entering the opposing rooms, unless unlocking and opening the door. Only then the player can enter the other rooms.

So to start of we need to see an example of full text for a door, we will break it down later. You can call your door anything. You must make the first rooms first then the door.

The Wooden Gate is north of The Hallway and south of Workroom.

The Wooden Gate is a door.

The Wooden Gate is closed and openable.

Make sure in your second room, you put (Whatever your room name is) is north of The Wooden Gate.

This sentence varies, the name will be different and the direction will be different also.

My second room would be. Note: the second room would NOT be north of the first room.

Workroom is north of The Wooden Gate.

To make a locked door, do the following

The Wooden Gate is north of The Hallway and south of Workroom.

The Wooden Gate is a door.

The Wooden Gate is locked and openable.

And  the key like this. Note: the following key is in a container.

The Wooden Key is in A Brass Box.

The Wooden Key unlocks The Wooden Gate.