Variables #

A variable is a word that stores a number. This word must always start with an ampersand & symbol. The number must be in the range −2,147,483,648 to +2,147,483,647. There is a limit of 249 local and global variables active at any given time.

Each variable must be declared to some extent, and variables can have several mathematical operations performed on them. While variables can only store numbers, sometimes these numbers have a type with a deeper meaning.

Local variables #

A local variable can only be read and changed by the active script. This is very useful for temporary values that other scripts don't need to use. To declare a local variable, you use the int keyword followed by the variable name.

Here's a quick example:

//var.c
void main(void)
{
    int &variable = 5;
    say("I am &variable years old!", 1);
}

Note: A script cannot define a local variable with the same name as a global variable. Any attempt to do so results in the local variable being ignored and the global variable being used instead.

Global variables #

A global variable can be read and changed by every script. This is very useful for values that you want to remember all of the time, like Dink's gold amount. To declare a global variable, you must use the make_global_int() function in main.c.

// Excerpt from main.c
void main()
{
    make_global_int("&exp",0);
    make_global_int("&strength", 3);
    // ...
}

All global variables are automatically saved and loaded in save game files.

For an example of using non-required global variables, see Plot.

Required global variables #

There are several global variables that are required by the Dink engine. These variables must be declared in main.c. If they are not declared, the game may randomly crash.

Previously, it was thought that the &speed and &timing variables were also required, but they are not used by the Dink engine.

Pseudo variables #

There are also several fake variables which aren't declared as local or global. It is not possible to change these variables, only retrieve their value.

Operations #

There are several mathematical operations you can perform on variables. Each operation must have the following syntax:

&variable <operation> <value>;

&variable is a variable name, operation is one of the operations below, and value is a number, another variable, or an internal function.

Unlike almost any other scripting or programming language ever created, DinkC does not support any special math processing. That means if you want to do something like this:

&life += ((&level + 1) / 2;

You have to split it off into single statements, like this:

&temp = &level;
&temp += 1;
&temp /= 2;
&life += &temp; 

Also note that you can insert variable names in most internal function that accept string input (like say() and say_stop()). Each variable will be displayed as the number it represents.

say("You have &life life points, Dink.", &current_sprite);

This might cause the current sprite to say something like "You have 15 life points, Dink."

Variable types #

Now, besides storing plain numbers, variables can be used to store several different types of numbers used internally by the Dink engine.

Special variables #

There are a few special variables that refer to specific aspects of the Dink engine.

The active sprite number 1 will always refer to the player.

// This will cause Dink to say "Hi."
say_stop("Hi.", 1);

The active sprite number 1000 can only be used with script_attach(). Active sprite 1000 isn't a real sprite, but the Dink engine will make any scripts attached to it survive when the player changes screens.

Similarly the active sprite number 0 can only be used with script_attach(). Active sprite 0 isn't a real sprite either, and it can be used to force a sprite to terminate when the player changes screens.