Joining Variables

Damien

Need to know if this is possible. I want to switch images based upon a dynamic number, ie, number may change from 1-10. The images are eg. image1.png ... image10.png. What I am finding is if I have 3 global variables : pre="image", cImg=(1-10), post=".png" I cant join them together.

ie, display text = game.pre + game.cImg + game.post ==> "image3.png"

Just to clarify, its the joining of strings that doesn't work. Am I correct in this or am I being too much of a programmer?
Cheers,

quantumsheep

I have a health bar that changes image dependent on whether you're hit or not.

So you have the global variable 'Lives' which is set at 10.

If your main actor collides with another then the variable 'Lives' is put down by one.

So in the health bar, I have the rules:

If Lives = 10, then change image to 10.png

If Lives = 9, then change image to 9.png

and so on.

Is that the kind of thing you're on about? Or have I missed the point entirely?

Cheers,

QS

Damien

Yeh, that would be one way to do it. The 1-10 was an example its actually 1-32, dont really want to use 32 rules. Much easier to say image = game.lives+".png"

But for now, I'll use 32 rules. lol.

Thanks,

Fetaboy

I've been trying to join strings unsuccessfully as well (trying to create a keyboard for text entry). Has anyone figured this out?

CodeMonkey

"Text"..game.Attrib..".pgf"

Although I wouldn't suggest that as a permanent solution.

Fetaboy

Thanks! That worked perfect for my on screen keyboard. I'm curious, why wouldn't you recommend it as a permanent solution? The game I'm designing requires the user to input some text. Is there a better way that I can accomplish building a string from the keys that they press?

I'm loving this product so far. I just downloaded it this afternoon and already have a prototype up an running. I'm now leaning towards using gamesalad instead of itorque (even though I already own and know tgb).

CodeMonkey

It works. But you can't add spaces or multiple lines with other attributes unless the spaces and multiple lines are in other attributes first.

Damien

Awesome, works perfectly for what I need to do.

QS, I'd use this for your health bar animation, save you 9 rules.

Thanks CM.

Cobra

It's possible to use this technique for changing between different animations as well.

For example, a game I've been working on makes use of hand-drawn, animated numbers for displaying each digit of a score. Originally this took ten rules per actor, but I was able to cut that down to one. All I did was rename my images using numbers, for example "01.png" = the digit 0, frame 1 and "93.png" = the digit 9, frame 3, and then create a single rule per actor like this:

Constrain Attribute [ self.Image ] to [ self.Value..game.CurrentFrame..game.ImageSuffix ]

self.Value is the integer to be displayed;
game.CurrentFrame is an integer that rotates from 1-3 to create the 3-frame animation;
game.ImageSuffix is simply the text ".png"

CodeMonkey

As opposed to the Animate behavior?

Cobra

Yes, exactly -- the point being that the above takes care of a _changing_ animation, e.g. a situation where I was previously using "If X, Animate using this set of images... If Y, Animate using this other set of images..." and so on.

quantumsheep

"QS, I'd use this for your health bar animation, save you 9 rules."

Sounds good to me - will revisit all my health bars at some point - cheers!