Block()... in Developer Help

ID:148961
 
Aug 5 2002, 5:13 pm
I've had many troubles with the block() proc as of recently, so I'm here to confirm that I am using it correctly.

Let me throw this snippet of code at you, that's giving me troubles:

        for(var/a = 1, a < world.maxz+1, a++)
            if(a != z_level)
                for(var/area/Start_Zone/C in block(locate(1,1,a),locate(world.maxx,world.maxy,a)))
                    del(C)

This little tidbit of code is supposed to go through all of the Z levels of a .dmp (once loaded) and delete all of the areas on each of the Z levels (save the level equivlant to the 'z_level' var). Now...this code seems to do absolutely nothing, so I'm wondering if I'm using block() correctly.

I am seeking help on either another method of doing this, or how I can properly use the block() proc for this.

Thanks.
#1 Aug 5 2002, 5:20 pm
block() only returns the turfs within the given range, not areas or other atoms. When you try to filter the areas out of a list of turfs, you get nothing.

You could try filtering all areas in world:
    for(var/area/A in world)


or you could create a list of areas and loop through it for greater efficiency.
var/list/AreaList = list()

area
    New()
        ..()
        AreaList += src
    Del()
        AreaList -= src
        ..()

// and use this within your proc
    for(var/area/A in AreaList)


#2 Aug 5 2002, 5:22 pm
In response to Shadowdarke (#1)
Ah, I see now. I thought that block() could be used just like range(), but in a simular manner.

What I need to do is only locate the areas on a certain Z level of the map, not the whole world.

But I can't figure out how to go about doing that. My knowledge is a bit limited in the field of areas.
#3 Aug 5 2002, 5:29 pm
In response to Malver (#2)
I think that the z value for an area is the first z level it appears on, with may not suit your needs. If your areas do not span z levels you could just compare the z of each area to your target z.

You could loop through all the turfs on that z layer and add their loc (a turf's loc is always an area) to the list of areas on that z layer. With large maps this will be slow though.
#4 Aug 5 2002, 5:48 pm
In response to Shadowdarke (#3)
Shadowdarke wrote:
I think that the z value for an area is the first z level it appears on, with may not suit your needs. If your areas do not span z levels you could just compare the z of each area to your target z.

Is there a way to prevent areas from spanning over Z levels?

You could loop through all the turfs on that z layer and add their loc (a turf's loc is always an area) to the list of areas on that z layer. With large maps this will be slow though.

This is definitely not an option, it's too inefficient for my likings. ;)