Preliminaries

• What This Module Does - An overview of the imperative module's role and abilities.

Chapter 1: Configuration and Control

• Imperative Module - Setting up the use of this module.

Chapter 2: Values

Compiling rvalues, lvalues and conditions.

• Compile Values - To compile specifications of values into Inter value opcodes or array entries.

• Compile Rvalues - To compile rvalues into Inter value opcodes or array entries.

• Compile Lvalues - To compile storage references into Inter value opcodes.

• Compile Conditions - To compile Inter code to test a condition.

• Matching Action Patterns - Testing whether the current action matches an action pattern means compiling a complicated multi-clause condition, which is what this section does.

• Matching Going Action Patterns - Tweaks to compiling APs for the going action.

Chapter 3: Functions

Managing the compilation of Inter functions.

• Stack Frames - When Inform compiles imperative code, it does so in the context of a "stack frame".

• Local Variable Slates - The collection of Inter locals belonging to a stack frame.

• Local Variables - Local variables are used for call parameters, temporary values, and other ephemeral workspace.

• Temporary Variables - When the runtime code needs to borrow a global variable for a while.

• Local Parking - Like Free Parking in Monopoly, except that it is not free and has an overhead cost.

• Code Blocks - Blocks of code are used to give conditionals and loops greater scope, as in more traditional programming languages.

• Functions - To compile Inter functions.

• Jump Labels - Generating numbered families of identifier names to use as jump labels, and creating any associated array storage needed.

• Phrase Requests - To store and later fill requests to compile To... phrases.

• Closures - To provide the names of phrases as first-class values.

• Compile Imperative Definitions - Compiling an Inter function from the body of an imperative definition.

Chapter 4: Propositions

Generating code to test or assert propositions from predicate calculus.

• Compile Schemas - Here we compile fragments of code from paraphrases written in Inform 6 notation, and use that ability to compile general predicate calculus terms.

• Compile Atoms - Given an atom of a proposition we compile Inter code to test it, to make it henceforth true, or to make it henceforth false.

• Compile Propositions - To compile a proposition within the body of the current function.

• Compile Loops - To compile loop headers from a range of values expressed by a proposition.

• Deciding to Defer - To decide whether a proposition can be compiled immediately, in the body of the current function, or whether it must be deferred to a function of its own, which is merely called from the current function.

• Cinders and Deferrals - Cinders are constants in deferred propositions referring to values in the original stack frame.

• Compile Deferred Propositions - To compile the Inter functions needed to perform the tests or tasks deferred as being too difficult in their original contexts.

Chapter 5: Invocations

Generating code to perform invocations of individual phrases.

• Compile Blocks and Lines - Compiling a code block of lines from an imperative definition.

• Compile Invocations - Generating code to perform an invocation.

• Compile Invocations As Calls - An invocation defined with Inform 7 source text is made with an Inter function call.

• Compile Invocations Inline - Here we generate Inter code to invoke a phrase from its inline definition.

• Compile Solutions to Equations - To compile code to solve an equation involving numerical quantities.

• Compile Arithmetic - To compile code performing an arithmetic operation.