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.

How To Make Locked Containers

Like with the open and closed chests, the format is the same, but you will need to make a key to open it.

To make the locked chest, do the following

The Jewelry Box is a container.
The Jewelry Box is in The Classroom.
The Jewelry Box is locked.
The Jewelry Box can hold 3 items.
The Jewelry Box is fixed in place.
The Jewelry Box is openable.
The description of The Jewelry Box is "An ornate box!"

You must state that your object is openable, but if you state your box is locked, it can only be opened with the key. Without this your box will never be opened.

To make the key, do the following.

A Small Key is in The Hall.
A Small Key unlocks The Jewelry Box.
The Description of A Small Key is "A tiny gold key!"

It is a good idea to put they key in a different room, but it does not need to be. The keys and the containers can be called anything.

How to Make Closed and Opened Containers

Containers which are closed must be opened by the player to revel it's content, but open containers tell the player what the objects are within without opening it. There will be a tutorial on how to make locked containers later on, this type of container must have a key to be opened but we will get onto this later.

To make a closed container do the following. Your container can be called anything.

The Jewelry Box is in The Classroom.

The Jewelry Box is a container.

The Jewelry Box is closed.

The Jewelry Box is openable.

The Jewelry Box can hold 3 items.

The Jewelry Box is fixed in place.

The description of The Jewelry Box is "An ornate box!"

Additional Information

If you want your box not to be picked up type. 

The Jewelry Box is fixed in place.

If you wan't a description type. 

The description of The Jewelry Box is "An ornate box!"

If you want to specify the maximum amount of items which can be stored in your container type.

The Jewelry Box can hold 3 items.

For an open box, change closed to open in the second sentence.

The Jewelry Box is in The Classroom.

The Jewelry Box is a container.

The Jewelry Box is open.

The Jewelry Box is openable.

The Jewelry Box can hold 3 items.

The Jewelry Box is fixed in place.

The description of The Jewelry Box is "An ornate box!"

How To Make Simple Objects

When I say, simple objects I mean non usable object things like, cases, broken items etc. These are items which have no use what so ever. We will get on to other items like keys, locks, weapons and so forth later.

The first thing you will need to do is think of the name of your object, in my case it will be a broken pen.
(I like to list sentences down.)

A Broken Pen is an object.

Then you must state where the object is, mine will be in the classroom.

A Broken Pen is an object.
A Broken Pen is in The Classroom.

Remember to make the room before you make the object.

You can also add a description, but it is not needed.

A Broken Pen is an object.
A Broken Pen is in The Classroom.
The description of A Broken Pen is "Just a useless piece of rubbish, if you ask me."