A miscellany of properties, variables, rulebooks and activities. Whereas the Standard Rules for interactive fiction are luxuriant in providing these, the Basic Inform kernel is as small as it sensibly can be, with just a few of each.

§1. 

Part Two - Miscellaneous Definitions

An abstract object is a kind of object.

§2. Properties. The following declaration is misleading, since Inform doesn't read it literally. "Variable initial value" is in fact the only property common to global variables, a behind-the-scenes convenience. It's not visible or useful in regular coding, and doesn't belong to objects. 

An object has a value called variable initial value.

§3. Objects do, however, have a wealth of properties to do with their naming. "Specification" is special: it isn't compiled, but holds text used to annotate the Kinds index. "Indefinite appearance text" is also an internal property (it holds the text sometimes given in double-quotes immediately after an object is created). 

An object has a text called specification.

The specification of abstract object is "Can be used for objects which are purely
conceptual, like ideas, or are needed for internal book-keeping."

An object has a text called indefinite appearance text.
An object has a text called printed name.
An object has a text called printed plural name.
An object has a text called an indefinite article.
An object can be plural-named or singular-named. An object is usually singular-named.
An object can be proper-named or improper-named. An object is usually improper-named.
An object can be ambiguously plural.

§4. These are Inter identifier names. 

The indefinite article property is defined by Inter as "article".
The printed plural name property is defined by Inter as "plural".
The printed name property is defined by Inter as "short_name".
The plural-named property is defined by Inter as "pluralname".
The ambiguously plural property is defined by Inter as "ambigpluralname".
The proper-named property is defined by Inter as "proper".

§5. Variables. Most of the built-in kinds and kind constructors, such as "number" and "list of K", are defined in special low-level files read in by Inform early in its run — not here. "Natural language" is an exception.

"Language of play" should no longer be taken to imply play; it's really the natural language of our output text, if any. It affects how verbs conjugate, and what "say N in words" does, for example. 

A natural language is a kind of value.
The language of play is a natural language that varies.

§6. The "parameter-object" is, as its hyphenated name suggests, an internal implementation convenience. When a rulebook runs on a given value, it holds that value. It is really an alias, not a fixed variable, and has whatever kind is appropriate to the rulebook currently running. (In particular, despite the definition below, it is not necessarily an object.) 

The parameter-object is an object that varies.
The parameter-object variable is defined by Inter as "parameter_value".

§7. Rulebooks. The Standard Rules (for interactive fiction) create a wealth of rulebooks and activities in order to model a fictional world. Here we are much more sparing: a Basic Inform project begins with a very minimal number of rules.

The startup and shutdown rulebooks and the "starting the virtual machine" activity perform essential work before a Basic Inform project can begin.

Be wary modifying these: rulebooks and activities must be defined in exactly the right order, matching definitions both in the Inform 7 compiler and in the template libraries. (Remember that creating an activity creates three rulebooks.) (And to define rules listed "first" in the right order, we have to reverse their order in the source code. Messy.)

These rules here are the ones which get the basic machinery working to the point where it is safe to run arbitrary I7 source text. They necessarily do very low-level things, and it is not guaranteed that I7 phrases will behave to specification if executed before these early rules have finished. So it is hazardous to obstruct or alter them. 

Chapter - Startup

Startup rules is a rulebook.
The startup rulebook is accessible to Inter as "STARTUP_RB".
Startup rules have outcomes allow startup (success) and deny startup (failure).

Shutdown rules is a rulebook.
The shutdown rulebook is accessible to Inter as "SHUTDOWN_RB".

Starting the virtual machine (documented at act_startvm) is an activity on nothing.
The starting the virtual machine activity is accessible to Inter as "STARTING_VIRTUAL_MACHINE_ACT".
The for starting the virtual machine rules have default no outcome.

First startup rule (this is the virtual machine startup rule):
    carry out the starting the virtual machine activity.

Section - Startup A (for Glulx only)

The recover Glk objects rule is listed first in the before starting the virtual machine rules. th
The recover Glk objects rule translates into Inter as "GGRecoverObjects".

Section - Startup B

The seed random number generator rule is listed first in the before starting the virtual machine rules. th
The seed random number generator rule translates into Inter as "SEED_RANDOM_NUMBER_GENERATOR_R".

The initialise memory rule is listed first in the before starting the virtual machine rules. rd
The initialise memory rule translates into Inter as "INITIALISE_MEMORY_R".

The platform specific startup rule is listed first in the before starting the virtual machine rules. nd
The platform specific startup rule translates into Inter as "PLATFORM_SPECIFIC_STARTUP_R".

Section - Startup C (for Glulx only)

The start capturing startup text rule is listed first in the before starting the virtual machine rules. st
The start capturing startup text rule translates into Inter as "CAPTURE_STARTUP_TEXT_R".

§8. These rules now set up the built in sound channels and windows. 

The set default stylehints rule is listed in the before starting the virtual machine rules. th
The set default stylehints rule translates into Inter as "SET_DEFAULT_STYLEHINTS_R".

The sound channel initialisation rule is listed in the for starting the virtual machine rules.
The sound channel initialisation rule translates into Inter as "SOUND_CHANNEL_INIT_R".

The open built in windows rule is listed in the for starting the virtual machine rules.
The open built in windows rule translates into Inter as "OPEN_BUILT_IN_WINDOWS_R".

The display captured startup text rule is listed in the for starting the virtual machine rules.
The display captured startup text rule translates into Inter as "END_CAPTURE_STARTUP_TEXT_R".

§9. Activities. However, there are a small number of printing related activities which are also functional in Basic Inform. 

Chapter - Printing activities

Constructing the status line (documented at act_csl) is an activity.
The constructing the status line activity is accessible to Inter as "CONSTRUCTING_STATUS_LINE_ACT".

The standard redraw the status window from a table rule is listed in the for constructing the status line rules.
The standard redraw the status window from a table rule is defined by Inter as "REDRAW_STATUS_WINDOW_R".

Printing the name of something (hidden in RULES command) (documented at act_pn) is an activity.
The printing the name activity is accessible to Inter as "PRINTING_THE_NAME_ACT".

The standard name printing rule is listed last in the for printing the name rulebook.
The standard name printing rule is defined by Inter as "STANDARD_NAME_PRINTING_R".

Printing the plural name of something (hidden in RULES command) (documented at act_ppn) is an activity.
The printing the plural name activity is accessible to Inter as "PRINTING_THE_PLURAL_NAME_ACT".

The standard printing the plural name rule is listed last in the for printing the
plural name rulebook.
The standard printing the plural name rule is defined by Inter as
"STANDARD_PLURAL_NAME_PRINTING_R".