A _/switch_ is a special, optional flag to the command to make it behave differently. It is always put directly after the command name, and begins with a forward slash (`/`). The _arguments_ are one or more inputs to the commands. It's common to use an equal sign (`=`) when assigning something to an object.
If you just installed Evennia, your very first player account is called user #1, also known as the _superuser_ or _god user_. This user is very powerful, so powerful that it will override many game restrictions (such as locks). This can be useful, but it also hides some functionality that you might want to test.
This will make you start using the permission of your current character's level instead of your superuser level. If you didn't change any settings, your game Character should have an _Developer_ level permission - high as can be without bypassing locks like the superuser does. This will work fine for the examples on this page. Use
This created a new 'box' (of the default object type) in your inventory. Use the command `inventory` (or `i`) to see it. Now, 'box' is a rather short name, let's rename it and tack on a few aliases.
Some traditional MUD clients use the semi-colon `;` to separate client inputs. If so, the above line will give an error. You need to change your client to use another command-separator or to put it in 'verbatim' mode. If you still have trouble, use the Evennia web client instead.
We now renamed the box to _very large box_ (and this is what we will see when looking at it), but we will also recognize it by any of the other names we give - like _crate_ or simply _box_ as before. We could have given these aliases directly after the name in the `create` command. This is true for all creation commands - you can always tag on a list of `;`-separated aliases to the name of your new object. If you had wanted to not change the name itself, but to only add aliases, you could have used the `alias` command.
If you try the `get` command, we will pick up the box. So far so good, but if we really want this to be a large and heavy box, people should _not_ be able to run off with it that easily. To prevent this we need to lock it down. This is done by assigning a _Lock_ to it. Make sure the box was dropped in the room, then try this:
Locks represent a rather [big topic](../../../Components/Locks.md), but for now that will do what we want. This will lock the box so no one can lift it. The exception is superusers, they override all locks and will pick it
Think this default error message looks dull? The `get` command looks for an [Attribute](../../../Components/Attributes.md) named `get_err_msg` for returning a nicer error messageod (this can be seen from the default `get` command code). You set attributes using the `set` command:
Try to get it now and you should see a nicer error message echoed back to you. To see what this message string is in the future, you can use 'examine.'
Examine will return the value of attributes, including color codes. `examine here/desc` would return the raw description of your current room (including color codes), so that you can copy-and-paste to set its description to something else.
You create new Commands (or modify existing ones) in Python outside the game. We will get to that later, in the [Commands tutorial](./Beginner-Tutorial-Adding-Commands.md).
[Scripts](../../../Components/Scripts.md) are powerful out-of-character objects useful for many "under the hood" things. One of their optional abilities is to do things on a timer. To try out a first script, let's put one on ourselves. There is an example script in `evennia/contrib/tutorials/bodyfunctions/bodyfunctions.py` that is called `BodyFunctions`. To add this to us we will use the `script` command:
This string will tell Evennia to dig up the Python code at the place we indicate. It already knows to look in the `contrib/` folder, so we don't have to give the full path.
> Note also how we use `.` instead of `/` (or `\` on Windows). This is a so-called "Python path". In a Python-path, > you separate the parts of the path with `.` and skip the `.py` file-ending. Importantly, it also allows you to point to Python code _inside_ files, like the `BodyFunctions` class inside `bodyfunctions.py` (we'll get to classes later). These "Python-paths" are used extensively throughout Evennia.
This will show details about scripts on yourself (also `examine` works). You will see how long it is until it "fires" next. Don't be alarmed if nothing happens when the countdown reaches zero - this particular script has a randomizer to determine if it will say something or not. So you will not see output every time it fires.
You create your own scripts in Python, outside the game; the path you give to `script` is literally the Python path to your script file. The [Scripts](../../../Components/Scripts.md) page explains more details.
If we get back to the box we made, there is only so much fun you can have with it at this point. It's just a dumb generic object. If you renamed it to `stone` and changed its description, no one would be the wiser. However, with the combined use of custom [Typeclasses](../../../Components/Typeclasses.md), [Scripts](../../../Components/Scripts.md)
Let's take an example. So far we have only created objects that use the default object typeclass named simply `Object`. Let's create an object that is a little more interesting. Under
`evennia/contrib/tutorials` there is a module `red_button.py`. It contains the enigmatic `RedButton` class.
The same way we did with the Script earlier, we specify a "Python-path" to the Python code we want Evennia to use for creating the object. There you go - one red button.
The RedButton is an example object intended to show off a few of Evennia's features. You will find that the [Typeclass](../../../Components/Typeclasses.md) and [Commands](../../../Components/Commands.md) controlling it are inside [evennia/contrib/tutorials/red_button](../../../api/evennia.contrib.tutorials.red_button.md)
The main command for shaping the game world is `dig`. For example, if you are standing in Limbo, you can dig a route to your new house location like this:
This will create a new room named 'house'. Spaces at the start/end of names and aliases are ignored so you could put more air if you wanted. This call will directly create an exit from your current location named 'large red door' and a corresponding exit named 'to the outside' in the house room leading back to Limbo. We also define a few aliases to those exits, so people don't have to write the full thing all the time.
If you wanted to use normal compass directions (north, west, southwest etc), you could do that with `dig` too. But Evennia also has a limited version of `dig` that helps for compass directions (and also up/down and in/out). It's called `tunnel`:
This will create a new room "cliff" with an exit "southwest" leading there and a path "northeast" leading back from the cliff to your current location.
As mentioned, `here` is an alias for 'your current location'. The box should now be back in Limbo with you. We are getting tired of the box. Let's destroy it.
You can destroy many objects in one go by giving a comma-separated list of objects (or a range of #dbrefs, if they are not in the same location) to the command.
The Command-help is something you modify in Python code. We'll get to that when we get to how to add Commands. But you can also add regular help entries, for example to explain something about the history of your game world:
After this brief introduction to building and using in-game commands you may be ready to see a more fleshed-out example. Evennia comes with a tutorial world for you to explore. We will try that out in the next lesson.
