void do_nothing() { }
This function accepts no input, performs no instructions, and returns no
value.
There are three parts to every properly written LPC function:
Like with variables, functions must be declared. This will allow the driver to know 1) what type of data the function is returning as output, and 2) how many input(s) and of what type those input(s) are. The more common word for input is parameters. A function declaration therefore consists of: type name(parameter1, parameter2, ..., parameterN); The declaration of a function called drink_water() which accepts a string as input and an int as output would thus look like this:
int drink_water(string str);where str is the name of the input as it will be used inside the function.
The function definition is the code which describes what the function actually does with the input sent to it. The call is any place in other functions which invokes the execution of the function in question. For two functions write_vals() and add(), you thus might have the following bit of code:
/* First, function declarations. They usually appear at the beginning
of object code.
*/
void write_vals();
int add(int x, int y);
/* Next, the definition of the function write_vals(). We assume that
this function is going to be called from outside the object
*/
void write_vals() {
int x;
/*N Now we assign x the value of the output of add() through a call */
x = add(2, 2);
write(x+"\n");
}
/* Finally, the definition of add() */
int add(int x, int y) {
return (x + y);
}
Remember, it does not matter which function definition appears first in the
code. This is because functions are not executed consecutively. Instead,
functions are executed as called. The only requirement is that the
declaration of a function appear before its definition and before the
definition of any function which makes a call to it.
In the function write_vals() above, two functions calls were made. The first was to the functions add(), which you declared and defined. The second call, however, was to a function called write(), and efun. The driver has already declared and defined this function for you. You needs only to make calls to it.
Efuns are created to hanldle common, every day function calls, to handle input/output to the internet sockets, and other matters difficult to be dealt with in LPC. They are written in C in the game driver and compiled along with the driver before the mud comes up, making them much faster in execution. But for your purposes, efun calls are just like calls made to your functions. Still, it is important to know two things of any efun: 1) what return type does it have, and 2) what parameters of what types does it take.
Information on efuns such as input parameters and return types is often found in a directory called /doc/efun on your mud. I cannot detail efuns here, because efuns vary from driver to driver. However, you can often access this information using the commands "man" or "help" depending on your mudlib. For instance, the command "man write" would give you information on the write efun. But if all else fails, "more /doc/efun/write" should work.
By looking it up, you will find write is declared as follows:
void write(string);This tells you an appropriate call to write expects no return value and passes a single parameter of type string.
x = add(2, 2);Must come before the write() efun call if you want to see the appropriate value of x used in write().
With respect to values returned by function, this is done through the "return" instruction followed by a value of the same data type as the function. In add() above, the instruction is "return (x+y);", where the value of (x+y) is the value returned to write_vals() and assigned to x. On a more general level, "return" halts the execution of a function and returns code execution to the function which called that function. In addition, it returns to the calling function the value of any expression that follows. To stop the execution of a function of type void out of order, use "return"; without any value following. Once again, remember, the data type of the value of any expression returned using "return" MUST be the same as the data type of the function itself.
Function declarations generally appear at the top of the file before any defintions, although the requirement is that the declaration must appear before the function definition and before the definition of any function which calls it. Function definitions may appear in the file in any order so long as they come after their declaration. In addition, you may not define one function inside another function. Function calls appear inside the definition of other functions where you want the code to begin execution of your function. They may also appear within the definition of the function itself, but this is not recommended for new coders, as it can easily lead to infinite loops.
The function definition consists of the following in this order:
The trivial function would thus be:
void do_nothing() {}
since this function does not accept any input, perform any instructions, or
return any output.
Any function which is not of type void MUST return a value of a data type matching the function's data type.
Each driver has a set of functions already defined for you called efuns These you need neither need to declare nor define since it has already been done for you. Furthermore, execution of these functions is faster than the execution of your functions since efuns are in the driver. In addition, each mudlib has special functions like efuns in that they are already defined and declared for you, but different in that they are defined in the mudlib and in LPC. They are called simul_efuns, or simulated efuns. You can find out all about each of these as they are listed in the /doc/efun directory on most muds. In addition many muds have a command called "man" or a "help" command which allows you simply to call up the info files on them.
Note on style:
Some drivers may not require you to declare your functions, and some
may not require you to specify the return type of the function in its
definition. Regardless of this fact, you should never omit this information
for the following reasons: