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§9.11. Future events

We often want to arrange for something to happen at some point in the future. Here is yet another timepiece:

paste.png An egg-timer is in the Chamber. "A plastic egg timer in the shape of a chicken can be pressed to set it going."

Instead of pushing the egg-timer:
    say "It begins to mark time.";
    the egg-timer clucks in four turns from now.

At the time when the egg-timer clucks:
    say "Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! says the egg-timer."

The event here is called "the egg-timer clucks". It only happens if we instruct so, using one of the following phrases:

(rule) in (time) from now

This phrase causes the given rule to be run at a given time offset from the current time of day. Example:

the egg-timer clucks in 18 minutes from now;

(rule) in (number) turn/turns from now

This phrase causes the given rule to be run at a given number of turns after the current one. Example:

the egg-timer clucks in four turns from now;

(rule) at (time)

This phrase causes the given rule to be run at a given time of day. Example:

the egg-timer clucks at 11:35 AM;

If we know in advance what time we want something to happen, we can more simply write:

At 4 PM: say "The great bells of the clock tower chime four."

(Note that in either case such rules begin with the word "at": they are the only rules allowed to begin with the word "at".)

A small warning: timed events like these only have a chance to occur during the turn sequence, that is, once every turn. In most stories, one turn takes one minute, so there will in due course be a turn happening at exactly (say) 11:35 AM. But if the clock is being advanced faster than this, it's possible that there are turns at (say) 11:32 AM and then not until 11:37 AM. But an event set for 11:35 AM will nevertheless happen -- it will run at the first available turn after that time, which will be 11:37 AM. Events can thus happen up to half an hour late, though Inform cancels them if the elapsed time is greater than that.

The Scenes panel of the Index can be a useful way to see what events have been set.


arrow-up.png Start of Chapter 9: Time
arrow-left.png Back to §9.10. Calculating times
arrow-right.png Onward to §9.12. Actions as conditions

*ExampleMRE
Hunger that eventually kills the player, and foodstuffs that can delay the inevitable by different amounts of time.

**ExampleTotality
To schedule an eclipse of the sun, which involves a number of related events.

**ExampleEmpire
A train which follows a schedule, stopping at a number of different locations.

***ExampleHour of the Wren
Allowing the player to make an appointment, which is then kept.