| INFORM(1) | Inform v6.36 - interactive fiction story file compiler | INFORM(1) |
inform - compile Inform interactive fiction story files to Z-machine or Glulx bytecode
inform [options...] infile [outfile]
inform compiles an Inform version 6 story file (usually with the extension .inf) into Z-machine or Glulx bytecode which can then be executed by a variety of Z-machine or Glulx emulators. If the output filename is not explicitly given on the command line, it will be constructed from the input filename.
inform's mode of operation can be controlled with switches (one or two-character expressions preceded by a dash), path modifiers (starting with a plus sign) and memory strategy modifiers (starting with a dollar sign).
Note: it may be necessary to quote these parameters to prevent your shell from expanding them.
The Switches directive, which enables certain compiler switches to be set from within the source file rather than on the compiler command line, has been superseded by a more powerful mechanism. The special comment characters "!%", occurring on the very first line or lines of the source file, enable you to specify Inform Command Language (ICL) commands to control the compilation. For example:
!% -E1G ! Glulx, 'Microsoft' errors
!% -~S ! disable Strict mode
!% +include_path=./test,./,../lib/contrib ! look in 'test' library
!% $MAX_STATIC_MEMORY=20000
Constant STORY "RUINS";
...
ICL is described in Section 39 of the Inform Designer's Manual. In brief: each line specifies a single command, starting with "-" to define one or more switches, "+" to define a path variable, or "$" to define a memory setting. Comments are introduced by "$". The ICL command "compile" is not permitted at the head of a source file.
inform is not capable of creating story files conforming to
versions 1 or 2 of the Z-Machine.
Modules cannot be used with Glulx and are deprecated for Z-Machine.
The canonical documentation for Inform6 is the
Inform_Designer's Manual. This work can be browsed at
<http://inform-fiction.org/manual/html/contents.html> downloaded
from
<http://inform-fiction.org/manual/DM4.pdf> and purchased in
hardcopy at
<http://amazon.com/>
Another noteworthy and somewhat more up-to-date resource is the
Inform Beginner's Guide. This work can be downloaded at
<http://inform-fiction.org/manual/download_ibg.html>
zcode-interpreter(6) and the manuals and language reference
which can be found online at
<http://inform-fiction.org/manual/>
and
<http://inform-fiction.org/inform6.html>.
The various iterations of the Inform language were created by Graham Nelson in 1993.
This manpage was written by Jan Nordholz <hesso@pool.math.tu-berlin.de> for the Debian Project and altered by David Griffith <dave@661.org>.
The compiler and standard library for Inform6 are licensed under
Copyright on Inform, the program and its source code, its example games and documentation (including this book) is retained by Graham Nelson, who asserts the moral right to be identified as the author under the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Having said this, I am happy for it to be freely distributed to anybody who wants a copy, provided that: (a) distributed copies are not substantially different from those archived by the author, (b) this and other copyright messages are always retained in full, and (c) no profit is involved. (Exceptions to these rules must be negotiated directly with the author.) However, a story file produced with the Inform compiler (and libraries) then belongs to its author, and may be sold for profit if desired, provided that its game banner contains the information that it was compiled by Inform, and the Inform version number.
The Artistic License 2.0 can be found at
https://opensource.org/licenses/Artistic-2.0
and the file ARTISTIC in the Inform6 distribution archive.
| 2022-02-19 | Inform v6.36 |