HPL2/Script Pre-Processor
Script Pre-Processor
The C pre-processor is a powerful tool that allows programers many options when writing their code - among these options are commands such as #include ””, which allows the user to include the contents from one code file into another.
Setting Up
In the below ZIP-File a copy of MCPP is included as the pre-processor. I have also written a batch script which will call the pre-processor with the appropriate arguments as well as a display error messages & log them into a text file.
The next thing to do is set up notepad++ to use the batch file and MCPP. Extract the contents of the zip file to a safe place (For example in a new folder in the amnesia directory). Open up notepad++ and go into the “run” menu and click “run” (or press F5). Into this dialogue box put the following:
[FOLDER]\PreProcess.bat $(CURRENT_DIRECTORY) $(FILE_NAME) $(NAME_PART).hps
Replace [FOLDER] with the folder the batch file is in. For example:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Amnesia\HPS_PREPROCESSOR\PreProcess.bat $(CURRENT_DIRECTORY) $(FILE_NAME) $(NAME_PART).hps
It is recommended that you then click save and bind the command to something like F6 - otherwise you will have to enter this every time you start notepad++ .
Warning: Do not press “run” (or F6 if you bound it) on a script file which ends in ”.hps”! This will wipe the script file!!! Give your script files which use the pre-processor a different extension (E.g .phps or .lhps).
Usage
The files that exist before pre-processing will have to have a different extension to the one after pre-processing. The simplest way to do this is to call your script files something like “level.phps” so that the pre-processor writes “level.hps”. Consider the following test code:
//level.phps//
#include "inclusion_test.phps"
void OnEnter()
{
AddDebugMessage("File 1",false);
}
//inclusion_test.phps//
void OnStart()
{
AddDebugMessage("File 2",false);
}
Running the script from test.phps (F6 if you followed the instructions above) should create “test.hps”:
void OnStart()
{
AddDebugMessage("File 2",false);
}
void OnEnter()
{
AddDebugMessage("File 1",false);
}
Which is what the game will see from test.map and run. When you distribute your custom stories only this exported file is required. Obviously, since we are now using a C pre-processor there is a whole host of other things you can do.
Reccomended Extra Installation Setup
You may notice that stuff like #include isn't color coded - and that your new script files ”.phps” aren't automatically recognised as HPS files! I Have updated the notepad++ files to fix this (Note that these are updated versions of the overhauled notepad++ files, which provide a fixed function list, folding regions and a new color scheme)
Installation (Steps 1→4 are optional but recommended):
- Close notepad++
- Go to where you installed notepad (Probably C:\Program Files\Notepad++ or C:\Program Files (X86)\Notepad++\)
- Go to the folder "Plugins" Then to the folder "APIs"
- Copy across the downloaded version of "hps.xml" into this folder. If you a prompted to overwrite, say yes.
- Start notepad++
- Go into view→ User-Defined Dialogue
- On the drop-down box, if there is the option to select "HPS", select it and and click "Remove"
- Click import, and import "UserDefinedDialogue.xml"
You will now a fixed functions list for amnesia (Adds missing functions & keywords, removes non-existing ones), as well as a new color scheme, folding regions (+ - /** **/ Begin End) etc. ”.hps, .phps, .lhps” are now detected, and ”#…” are coloured correctly.