Developer’s Reference

This online version of the Developer’s Reference is still being created little by little – Please use the PDF version until we’ve finished.

Download PDF version – current version is 7.1.7

• 1 BASICS

• 1.1 Important notice
• 1.1.1 Tutorial
• 1.1.2 Support
• 1.1.3 Send us your work!
• 1.1.4 Contribution
• 1.2 How DimensioneX works
• 1.2.1 Folder structure – What goes where
• 1.2.2 Custom command panel
• 1.2.3 Dynamic pages and description
• 1.2.4 Game connection sequence
• 1.2.5 Game Object Types (TYPE system)
• 1.2.6 Flash (SWF) and QuickTime (MOV) support
• 1.2.7 MP3 support
• 1.2.8 Custom client behaviour
• 1.2.9 Stopwords system
• 1.2.10 Banning system
• 1.2.11 Multi-Area support (Clustering)
• 1.2.12 Persistence
• 1.2.12.1 World environment/context
• 1.2.12.2 User item
• 1.2.13 Server-Side Hook
• 1.2.14 mySQL Support
• 1.2.15 Output to RSS feed – integrating with Facebook, Twitter and other social network
• 1.3 Configuration
• 1.3.1 System folder
• 1.3.1.1 Using an alternate system folder
• 1.3.2 Server Setting
• 1.3.3 Game Setting
• 1.3.4 Local Language file
• 1.3.4.1 Syntax
• 1.3.4.2 Text Format
• 1.3.4.3 Setting
• 1.4 Developing a game
• 1.4.1 Recommended development environment
• 1.4.2 Developing in local language (non-english)
• 1.4.3 About game images and sound
• 1.4.4 Developing multi-area game
• 1.4.5 The Administrator’s page
• 1.4.5.1 Functionalities
• 1.4.5.2 Optimizer statistics
• 1.4.6 The Maintenance page
• 1.4.6.1 Functionalities

• 2 DIMENSIONEX DXW REFERENCE

• 2.1 Structure of the .DXW file
• 2.2 WORLD
• 2.3 GUI section
• 2.4 HOOKS definition
• 2.4.1 Example
• 2.5 PANEL definition
• 2.5.1 Pre-defined PANEL
• 2.5.2 How PANELs work
• 2.5.3 BUTTON definition
• 2.5.4 CR definition
• 2.5.5 MAP definition
• 2.5.6 TEXTBOX definition
• 2.5.7 LABEL definition
• 2.5.8 DROPDOWN definition
• 2.5.9 DELETE specification
• 2.6 PAGE definition
• 2.6.1 HTML template
• 2.7 ROOMS section
• 2.8 ROOM
• 2.9 SHOW type
• 2.9.1 showMode
• 2.9.2 showX, showY
• 2.9.3 showFor
• 2.10 IMAGE
• 2.10.1 Allowed formats
• 2.11 Attributes/properties, ATTRLIST definitions
• 2.11.1 Hidden properties
• 2.11.2 CAPACITY and VOLUME attributes
• 2.12 LINKS, LINK
• 2.13 CHARACTERS section
• 2.14 CHARACTER
• 2.15 ITEMS section
• 2.16 ITEM
• 2.17 VEHICLE
• 2.18 SETS section
• 2.18.1 ARRAY defined
• 2.18.2 SET defined
• 2.19 SCRIPTS section (formerly EVENTS)

• 3 DIMENSIONEX SMALLBASIC REFERENCE

• 3.1 Notice
• 3.2 Introduction
• 3.3 Notes about SmallBasic code – very important!
• 3.4 Include
• 3.5 Script containers: Sub, Function, EVENT
• 3.5.1 Sub
• 3.5.2 Function
• 3.5.3 EVENT
• 3.5.4 Example
• 3.6 Type
• 3.6.1 Simple Type
• 3.6.2 Complex Type
• 3.7 Operator
• 3.7.1 Arithmetical
• 3.7.2 String
• 3.7.3 Comparation
• 3.7.4 Logical
• 3.7.5 Priority
• 3.8 Variables and propertie
• 3.8.1 Defined
• 3.8.2 Declaring Variable
• 3.8.2.1 Example
• 3.8.3 Special variable
• 3.9 Object model
• 3.9.1 Class Hierarchy
• 3.9.2 Object model for: WORLD
• 3.9.3 Object model for: any GAME OBJECT
• 3.9.3.1 Propertie
• 3.9.3.2 Method
• 3.9.3.3 OBJECT.getProperty(property)
• 3.9.3.4 OBJECT.setProperty(property,value)
• 3.9.4 Object model for: ROOM
• 3.9.4.1 Propertie
• 3.9.5 Object model for: CHARACTER
• 3.9.5.1 Propertie
• 3.9.5.2 Method
• 3.9.5.3 CHARACTER.go(direction)
• 3.9.6 Object model for: PLAYER
• 3.9.6.1 Propertie
• 3.9.6.2 Method
• 3.9.6.3 PLAYER.getCookie(key)
• 3.9.6.4 PLAYER.getPanel()
• 3.9.6.5 PLAYER.printXY(stuff,x,y)
• 3.9.6.6 PLAYER.saveCookie(key,value)
• 3.9.7 Object model for: ITEM and VEHICLE
• 3.9.7.1 Propertie
• 3.9.8 Object model for: IMAGE
• 3.9.8.1 Method
• 3.9.8.2 IMAGE.html(title[,player])
• 3.10 Constructs, Flow Control
• 3.10.1 assignment: [object.]property = expression
• 3.10.2 If condition … ( Else … ) End_If
• 3.10.3 For idx = startVal To endVal … Next
• 3.10.4 For Each key In set … Next
• 3.11 System EVENT
• 3.11.1 The DimensioneX event model
• 3.11.1.1 Basic principle
• 3.11.1.2 Figuring out EVENT
• 3.11.1.3 EVENTs parameter
• 3.11.1.4 EVENTs Return value
• 3.11.2 beforeOpen
• 3.11.3 Living
• 3.11.4 onClose
• 3.11.5 onDbDown
• 3.11.6 onDbUp
• 3.11.7 onDie
• 3.11.8 onEnter
• 3.11.9 onExit
• 3.11.10 onHear
• 3.11.11 onLoose
• 3.11.12 onLooseItem
• 3.11.13 onLook
• 3.11.14 onNew
• 3.11.15 onOpen
• 3.11.16 onReceive
• 3.11.17 onReceiveItem
• 3.11.18 onSave
• 3.11.19 onSearch
• 3.11.20 onSpeechFinish
• 3.11.21 onStart
• 3.11.22 onTick
• 3.11.23 onUse
• 3.11.24 onUseWith
• 3.11.25 restore(type,restoreinfo,player) : boolean
• 3.11.26 saveInfo( ) : string
• 3.11.27 whenPicked
• 3.11.28 whenDropped
• 3.12 Instructions (also defined Statements or Actions)
• 3.12.1 AttachEvent dest, “eventId” , “attachedEventID”
• 3.12.2 Ban player
• 3.12.3 Call subroutine
• 3.12.4 Dim
• 3.12.5 Debug message
• 3.12.6 Display [dest,] message [, message …]
• 3.12.7 DropItems victim
• 3.12.8 For idx = startVal To endVal … Next
• 3.12.9 For Each key In set … Next
• 3.12.10 Goal [message]
• 3.12.11 Journal title,link,text,categorie
• 3.12.12 Kill [victim]
• 3.12.13 Move [what], where
• 3.12.14 MoveOutside what, areaid
• 3.12.15 NewRoom id
• 3.12.16 PlaySound [dest,] soundFile
• 3.12.17 PlayBackground [dest,] soundFile [, loop]
• 3.12.18 Print [dest,] message [, message …]
• 3.12.19 PrintRight [dest,] message [, message …]
• 3.12.20 Reset
• 3.12.21 RefreshView [dest]
• 3.12.22 Return [retvalue]
• 3.12.23 SaveSetting key,value
• 3.12.23.1 Special key
• 3.12.24 SendCmd [dest,] command
• 3.12.24.1 Custom Command
• 3.12.25 SetAdd set,key,value
• 3.12.26 SetPanel [destination,] “panelId”
• 3.12.27 SetRemove set,key
• 3.12.28 SendPage (formerly UseView)
• 3.12.29 Speak [ [speaker], dest ] , message [, message …]
• 3.13 Function
• 3.13.1 Abs( n )
• 3.13.2 Asc( “c” )
• 3.13.3 Chr( n )
• 3.13.4 Copy( array_or_set )
• 3.13.5 Exists( objectID )
• 3.13.6 ExistScript( “scriptID” )
• 3.13.7 gameInfo(“variable”)
• 3.13.8 getCharactersIn( object )
• 3.13.9 getLinksFrom( rooms )
• 3.13.10 getItemsIn( object )
• 3.13.11 getObject ( id )
• 3.13.12 getObjectsSubtype( container, subtype )
• 3.13.13 getObjectsType( container, type )
• 3.13.14 getPlayerProperties( user_name )
• 3.13.15 getPlayersIn( object )
• 3.13.16 getRooms ( [ setExclusions ] )
• 3.13.17 getRoomsFrom( room )
• 3.13.18 getSetting(key, [default])
• 3.13.19 getTime( “format” )
• 3.13.20 HttpFetch(url)
• 3.13.21 InStr(haystack,needle [,startpos])
• 3.13.22 InStrCount(haystack,needle)
• 3.13.23 Int( n )
• 3.13.24 IsCharacter( )
• 3.13.25 IsPlayer( )
• 3.13.26 IsRoom( )
• 3.13.27 LCase(string)
• 3.13.28 Left(string,nchars)
• 3.13.29 Len(string)
• 3.13.30 Log(number)
• 3.13.31 MainType(object)
• 3.13.32 Mid(string,start,nchars)
• 3.13.33 NewArray([string])
• 3.13.34 NewCharacter(room,name,description,image,attributes)
• 3.13.35 NewImage(url,width,height)
• 3.13.36 NewLink(from,to,orientation,bidirectional,name,description,image,attributes)
• 3.13.37 NewSet([string])
• 3.13.38 NewItem(container,name,descr,image,attributes)
• 3.13.39 NOT( )
• 3.13.40 PanelHtml(“panel”)
• 3.13.41 Replace(haystack,needle,replacement)
• 3.13.42 Right(string,nchars)
• 3.13.43 RndInt(N)
• 3.13.44 Rnd()
• 3.13.45 RndSet(aSet)
• 3.13.46 Round(number,int)
• 3.13.47 SetContainsKey(set,key)
• 3.13.48 SetIndexOf(setarray,value)
• 3.13.49 SetKey(set,n)
• 3.13.50 SetKeys(set)
• 3.13.51 SetLen(set)
• 3.13.52 Split(valuestring,separatorstring)
• 3.13.53 Sqr(x)
• 3.13.54 UCase(string)
• 3.14 Method

• 4 SKINS – CUSTOMIZING THE USER INTERFACE

• 4.1 Placement of SKIN file
• 4.2 DXS syntax
• 4.2.1 STYLESHEET – Additional style
• 4.2.2 Packing a skin for sending it to other user
• 4.2.3 _net skin version
• 4.2.4 Troubleshooting SKIN

• 5 ABOUT DIMENSIONEX CLIENT

• 5.1 How it work
• 5.2 Calling the dimensioneX client
• 5.2.1 Selecting the proper screen size
• 5.3 Who’s online – The players view
• 5.3.1 Showing players’ position