This page is for the development of documentation for Lua API functions that are currently being worked on. Ideally the entries here can be created in the same format as will be eventually used in Lua Functions and its sub-sites.

Please use the Area_51/Template to add new entries in the sections below.

The following headings reflect those present in the main Wiki area of the Lua API functions. It is suggested that new entries are added so as to maintain a sorted alphabetical order under the appropriate heading.

Basic Essential Functions

These functions are generic functions used in normal scripting. These deal with mainly everyday things, like sending stuff and echoing to the screen.

Database Functions

A collection of functions for helping deal with the database.

Date/Time Functions

A collection of functions for handling date & time.

File System Functions

A collection of functions for interacting with the file system.

Mapper Functions

A collection of functions that manipulate the mapper and its related features.

mapSymbolFontInfo, PR #4038 closed

mapSymbolFontInfo(): See also: setupMapSymbolFont()

Note: pending, not yet available. See https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/pull/4038

returns

either a table of information about the configuration of the font used for symbols in the (2D) map, the elements are:

fontName - a string of the family name of the font specified
onlyUseThisFont - a boolean indicating whether glyphs from just the fontName font are to be used or if there is not a glyph for the required grapheme (character) then a glyph from the most suitable different font will be substituted instead. Should this be true and the specified font does not have the required glyph then the replacement character (typically something like �) could be used instead. Note that this may not affect the use of Color Emoji glyphs that are automatically used in some OSes but that behavior does vary across the range of operating systems that Mudlet can be run on.
scalingFactor - a floating point number between 0.50 and 2.00 which modifies the size of the symbols somewhat though the extremes are likely to be unsatisfactory because some of the particular symbols may be too small (and be less visible at smaller zoom levels) or too large (and be clipped by the edges of the room rectangle or circle).

or nil and an error message on failure.

As the symbol font details are stored in the (binary) map file rather than the profile then this function will not work until a map is loaded (or initialized, by activating a map window).

setupMapSymbolFont, PR #4038 closed

setupMapSymbolFont(fontName[, onlyUseThisFont[, scalingFactor]]): configures the font used for symbols in the (2D) map.; See also: mapSymbolFontInfo()

Note: pending, not yet available. See https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/pull/4038

Parameters

fontName one of:

- a string that is the family name of the font to use;
- the empty string "" to reset to the default {which is "Bitstream Vera Sans Mono"};
- a Lua nil as a placeholder to not change this parameter but still allow a following one to be modified.

onlyUseThisFont (optional) one of:

- a Lua boolean true to require Mudlet to use graphemes (character) only from the selected font. Should a requested grapheme not be included in the selected font then the font replacement character (�) might be used instead; note that under some circumstances it is possible that the OS (or Mudlet) provided color Emoji Font may still be used but that cannot be guaranteed across all OS platforms that Mudlet might be run on;
- a Lua boolean false to allow Mudlet to get a different glyph for a particular grapheme from the most suitable other font found in the system should there not be a glyph for it in the requested font. This is the default unless previously changed by this function or by the corresponding checkbox in the Profile Preferences dialogue for the profile concerned;
- a Lua nil as a placeholder to not change this parameter but still allow the following one to be modified.

scalingFactor (optional): a floating point value in the range 0.5 to 2.0 (default 1.0) that can be used to tweak the rectangular space that each different room symbol is scaled to fit inside; this might be useful should the range of characters used to make the room symbols be consistently under- or over-sized.

Returns

true on success
nil and an error message on failure. As the symbol font details are stored in the (binary) map file rather than the profile then this function will not work until a map is loaded (or initialised, by activating a map window).

Miscellaneous Functions

Miscellaneous functions.

getCharacterName, PR #3952 open

getCharacterName()

Returns the name entered into the "Character name" field on the Connection Preferences form. Can be used to find out the name that might need to be handled specially in scripts or anything that needs to be personalized to the player. If there is nothing set in that entry will return an empty string.

Introduced along with four other functions to enable game server log-in to be scripted with the simultaneous movement of that functionality from the Mudlet application core code to a predefined doLogin() function that may be replaced for more sophisticated requirements.

Note: Not available yet. See https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/pull/3952

Example

lua send("cast 'glamor' " .. getCharacterName())

You get a warm feeling passing from your core to the tips of your hands, feet and other body parts.
A small twittering bird settles on your shoulder and starts to look adoringly at you.
A light brown faun gambles around you and then nuzzles your hand.
A tawny long-haired cat saunters over and start to rub itself against your ankles.
A small twittering bird settles on your shoulder and starts to look adoringly at you.
A light brown faun gambles around you and then nuzzles your hand.
A small twittering bird settles on your shoulder and starts to look adoringly at you.
A mangy dog trots up to you and proceeds to mark the bottom of your leggings.

getCustomLoginTextId, PR #3952 open

getCustomLoginTextId()

Returns the Id number of the custom login text setting from the profile's preferences. Returns 0 if the option is disabled or a number greater than that for the item in the table; note it is possible if using an old saved profile in the future that the number might be higher than expected. As a design policy decision it is not permitted for a script to change the setting, this function is intended to allow a script or package to check that the setting is what it expects.

Introduced along with four other functions to enable game server log-in to be scripted with the simultaneous movement of that functionality from the Mudlet application core code to a predefined doLogin() function, a replacement for which is shown below.

Note: Not available yet. See https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/pull/3952

Only one custom login text has been defined initially:

Predefined custom login texts
Id	Custom text	Introduced in Mudlet version
1	"connect {character name} {password}"	TBD

The addition of further texts would be subject to negotiation with the Mudlet Makers.

Example

-- A replacement for the default function placed into LuaGlobal.lua to reproduce the previous behavior of the Mudlet application:
function doLogin()
  if getCustomLoginTextId() ~= 1 then
    -- We need this particular option but it is not permitted for a script to change the setting, it can only check what it is
    echo("\nUnable to login - please select the 'connect {character name} {password}` custom login option in the profile preferences.\n")
  else
    tempTime(2.0, [[sendCustomLoginText()]], 1)
  end
end

sendCharacterName, PR #3952 open

sendCharacterName()

Sends the name entered into the "Character name" field on the Connection Preferences form directly to the game server. Returns true unless there is nothing set in that entry in which case a nil and an error message will be returned instead.

Introduced along with four other functions to enable game server log-in to be scripted with the simultaneous movement of that functionality from the Mudlet application core code to a predefined doLogin() function that may be replaced for more sophisticated requirements.

Note: Not available yet. See https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/pull/3952

sendCharacterPassword, PR #3952 open

sendCharacterPassword()

Sends the password entered into the "Password" field on the Connection Preferences form directly to the game server. Returns true unless there is nothing set in that entry or it is too long after (or before) a connection was successfully made in which case a nil and an error message will be returned instead.

Introduced along with four other functions to enable game server log-in to be scripted with the simultaneous movement of that functionality from the Mudlet application core code to a predefined doLogin() function, reproduced below, that may be replaced for more sophisticated requirements.

Note: Not available yet. See https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/pull/3952

Example

-- The default function placed into LuaGlobal.lua to reproduce the previous behavior of the Mudlet application:
function doLogin()
  if getCharacterName() ~= "" then
    tempTime(2.0, [[sendCharacterName()]], 1)
    tempTime(3.0, [[sendCharacterPassword()]], 1)
  end
end

sendCustomLoginText, PR #3952 open

sendCustomLoginText()

Sends the custom login text (which does NOT depend on the user's choice of GUI language) selected in the preferences for this profile. The {password} (and {character name} if present) fields will be replaced with the values entered into the "Password" and "Character name" fields on the Connection Preferences form and then sent directly to the game server. Returns true unless there is nothing set in either of those entries (though only if required for the character name) or it is too long after (or before) a connection was successfully made or if the custom login feature is disabled, in which case a nil and an error message will be returned instead.

Introduced along with four other functions to enable game server log-in to be scripted with the simultaneous movement of that functionality from the Mudlet application core code to a predefined doLogin() function, a replacement for which is shown below.

Note: Not available yet. See https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/pull/3952

Only one custom login text has been defined initially:

Predefined custom login texts
Id	Custom text	Introduced in Mudlet version
1	"connect {character name} {password}"	TBD

The addition of further texts would be subject to negotiation with the Mudlet Makers.

Example

-- A replacement for the default function placed into LuaGlobal.lua to reproduce the previous behavior of the Mudlet application:
function doLogin()
  if getCustomLoginTextId() ~= 1 then
    -- We need this particular option but it is not permitted for a script to change the setting, it can only check what it is
    echo("\nUnable to login - please select the 'connect {character name} {password}` custom login option in the profile preferences.\n")
  else
    tempTime(2.0, [[sendCustomLoginText()]], 1)
  end
end

Mudlet Object Functions

A collection of functions that manipulate Mudlets scripting objects - triggers, aliases, and so forth.

Networking Functions

A collection of functions for managing networking.

String Functions

These functions are used to manipulate strings.

Table Functions

These functions are used to manipulate tables. Through them you can add to tables, remove values, check if a value is present in the table, check the size of a table, and more.

Text to Speech Functions

These functions are used to create sound from written words. Check out our Text-To-Speech Manual for more detail on how this all works together.

UI Functions

These functions are used to construct custom user GUIs. They deal mainly with miniconsole/label/gauge creation and manipulation as well as displaying or formatting information on the screen.

hecho PR #5669 merged, PR5719 merged, PR5751 merged

hecho([windowName], text): Echoes text that can be easily formatted with colour tags in the hexadecimal format. You can also use italics, bold, strikethrough, and underline tags.; See Also: decho(), cecho()

Note: Support for labels added in Mudlet 4.15; however, it does not turn a label into a miniconsole and every time you hecho it will erase any previous echo sent to the label.

Parameters

windowName:

(optional) name of the window to echo to. Can either be omitted or "main" for the main window, else specify the miniconsoles name.

text:

The text to display, with color changes made within the string using the format |cFRFGFB,BRBGBB or #FRFGFB,BRBGBB where FR is the foreground red value, FG is the foreground green value, FB is the foreground blue value, BR is the background red value, etc., BRBGBB is optional. |r or #r can be used within the string to reset the colors to default. Hexadecimal color codes can be found here: https://www.color-hex.com/

Note: Transparency for background in hex-format available in Mudlet 4.10+

Example

hecho("\n#ffffff White text!")
-- your text in white
hecho("\n#ca0004 Red text! And now reset #rit to the default color")
-- your text in red, then reset to default using #r
hecho("\n#ffffff,ca0004 White text with a red background!")
-- your text in white, against a red background
hecho("\n|c0000ff Blue text, this time using |c instead of #")
-- your text in blue, activated with |c vs #.
hecho("\n#ff0000Red text with #iitalics#/i, |uunderline|/u, #ooverline#/o, #sstrikethrough#/s, and #bbold#/b formatting.")
-- shows the various individual formatting options
hecho("\n#008000#o#uGreen text with both over and underlines.#/o#/u")

hecho2ansi PR# 5671 merged

ansiFormattedString = hecho2ansi(text)

Converts hecho formatted text to ansi formatted text. Used by hfeedTriggers, but useful if you want ansi formatted text for any other reason.

See also: hecho(), hfeedTriggers()

Available in Mudlet4.10++

Note: non-color formatting added in Mudlet 4.15+

Parameters

text:

The hecho formatted text for conversion

Returns

String converted to ansi formatting

Example

-- replicates the functionality of hfeedTriggers() for a single line.
-- you would most likely just use hfeedTriggers, but it makes for a tidy example.
feedTriggers(hecho2ansi("\n#800000This is red.#r #iitalic#/i, #bbold#/b, #sstrikethrough#/s, #uunderline#/u\n"))

setMovie PR #5827

setMovie(label name, path to gif)

Adds a gif to the selected label and animates it. Note that gifs are pretty expensive to play, so don't add too many at once.

Some websites you can get gifs from are Tenor and Giphy (not officially endorsed).

Returns true

Available in Mudlet4.15+

Parameters

label name:

name of the label the gif will be animated on

path:

path of the gif file

Example

-- download & show a gif within mudlet
local saveto = getMudletHomeDir().."/kymip.gif"
-- animation credit to https://opengameart.org/content/kymiball-ii-third-prototype-scraps
local url = "https://opengameart.org/sites/default/files/kymip_0.gif"

if downloadHandler then killAnonymousEventHandler(downloadHandler) end
downloadHandler = registerAnonymousEventHandler("sysDownloadDone",
  function(_, filename)
    if filename ~= saveto then
      return true
    end
    
    local width, height = getImageSize(saveto)

    createLabel("kymip", 300, 300, width, height, 0)
    setMovie("kymip", saveto)
    setLabelReleaseCallback("kymip", function() deleteLabel("kymip") end)
  end, true)

downloadFile(saveto, url)

local gifpath = getMudletHomeDir().."/movie.gif"

local width, height = getImageSize(gifpath)

-- create a label with the name mygif
createLabel("mygif", 0, 0, width, height,0)
-- put the gif on the label and animate it
setMovie("mygif", gifpath)

startMovie PR #5827

startMovie(label name)

Starts the gif animation - if it was previously stopped or paused.

Returns true

Available in Mudlet4.15+

Parameters

label name:

name of the gif label

Example

-- create a label with the name myMovie
createLabel("myMovie",0,0,200,200,0)

-- puts the gif on the label and animates it
setMovie("myMovie", getMudletHomeDir().."/movie.gif")
--stops the animation
pauseMovie("myMovie")
--restart the animation
startMovie("myMovie")

pauseMovie PR #5827

pauseMovie(label name)

Pauses the gif animation on the label

Returns true

Available in Mudlet4.15+

Parameters

label name:

name of the gif label

Example

-- create a label with the name myMovie
createLabel("myMovie",0,0,200,200,0)

-- puts the gif on the label and animates it
setMovie("myMovie", getMudletHomeDir().."/movie.gif")
--stops the animation
pauseMovie("myMovie")

setMovieFrame PR #5827

setMovieFrame(label name, frame nr)

Jump to a specific frame in the gif.

Returns true if successful, and false if frame doesn't exist.

Available in Mudlet4.15+

Parameters

label name:

name of the gif label

frame nr:

the gif animations frame nr to jump to

Example

-- create a label with the name myMovie
createLabel("myMovie",0,0,200,200,0)

-- puts the gif on the label and animates it
setMovie("myMovie", getMudletHomeDir().."/movie.gif")
--stops the animation
pauseMovie("myMovie")
-- jumps to frame 12 of the animation
setMovieFrame("myMovie", 12)
--start the animation
startMovie("myMovie")

setMovieSpeed PR #5827

setMovieSpeed(label name, speed in percent)

Set the animation speed, in percent.

Returns true

Available in Mudlet4.15+

Parameters

label name:

name of the gif label

speed in percent:

the gif animations speed in percent for example 50 for 50% speed

Example

-- create a label with the name myMovie
createLabel("myMovie",0,0,200,200,0)

-- puts the gif on the label and animates it
setMovie("myMovie", getMudletHomeDir().."/movie.gif")
--accelerates the animation to a speed of 150%
setMovieSpeed("myMovie",150)

windowType PR# 5696 open

typeOfWindow = windowType(windowName)

Given the name of a window, will return if it's a label, miniconsole, userwindow or a commandline.

See also: createLabel(), openUserWindow()

Available in Mudlet4.15+

Parameters

windowName:

The name used to create the window element. Use "main" for the main console

Returns

Window type as string ("label", "miniconsole", "userwindow", or "commandline") or nil+error if it does not exist.

Example

-- Create a Geyser label and and check its type
testLabel = Geyser.Label:new({name = "testLabel"})
display(windowType(testLabel.name))  -- displays "label"

-- the main console returns "miniconsole" because it uses the same formatting functions
display(windowType("main")) -- displays "miniconsole"

-- check for the existence of a window
local windowName = "this thing does not exist"
local ok, err = windowType(windowName)
if ok then
  -- do things with it, as it does exist.
  -- the ok variable will hold the type of window it is ("label", "commandline", etc)
else
  cecho("<red>ALERT!! window does not exist")
end

Additional development notes

Discord Functions

All functions to customize the information Mudlet displays in Discord's rich presence interface. For an overview on how all of these functions tie in together, see our Discord scripting overview.

Area 51

Contents

Basic Essential Functions

Database Functions

Date/Time Functions

File System Functions

Mapper Functions

mapSymbolFontInfo, PR #4038 closed

setupMapSymbolFont, PR #4038 closed

Miscellaneous Functions

getCharacterName, PR #3952 open

getCustomLoginTextId, PR #3952 open

sendCharacterName, PR #3952 open

sendCharacterPassword, PR #3952 open

sendCustomLoginText, PR #3952 open

Mudlet Object Functions

Networking Functions

String Functions

Table Functions

Text to Speech Functions

UI Functions

hecho PR #5669 merged, PR5719 merged, PR5751 merged

hecho2ansi PR# 5671 merged

setMovie PR #5827

startMovie PR #5827

pauseMovie PR #5827

setMovieFrame PR #5827

setMovieSpeed PR #5827

windowType PR# 5696 open

Discord Functions

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