SEXP Container

For cargo containers, see Containers.

SEXP containers allow you to store groups of pieces of information for later use.

As opposed to a SEXP variable, which stores only one value, a SEXP container stores a collection of values.

Consequently, containers allow for handling data in much more sophisticated ways than variables.

Overview

Get started with containers using FRED's "Add/Modify Container" dialog, which you can reach from the right-click menu:

The new Replace Container Name/Data submenus are explained below.

Containers come in two types:

• List container - an ordered sequence of values, sort of a cross between Python lists and deques
• Map container - pairs of keys associated with data, like Lua tables or Python dictionaries

Just as variables have a type of either string or number, a container's data and a map container's keys have a type of either string or number.

Features

Replace Container Data

Similar to how Replace Variable allows you to access data stored in variables, Replace Container Data allows you to access data stored in containers.

Use one of the following list modifiers to access data in list containers:

• Get_First
• Remove_First
• Get_Last
• Remove_Last
• Get_Random
• Remove_Random
• At

The list modifier options appear in the Replace Data submenu in FRED.

The At list modifier allows you to access data at a specific position in the list. Specify the index using Number under the Add Data submenu. The first item is at index 0.

The Get_First, Get_Last, and At list modifiers just retrieve the data, but the Remove_First and Remove_Last modifiers both retrieve the data and remove it from the container.

To access map container data, specify the key using Edit Data.

The container modifier can also be the value of a variable (use Replace Variable), the "special argument" if relevant (use Replace Data), or even a nested usage of Replace Container Data.

Restrictions on Replace Container Data usage

You can't use Replace Container Data in the "argument list" of special argument SEXPs, such as any-of, but you can use it in the "condition" or "actions" parts of those SEXPs. This applies for all special argument SEXPs, not just the ones that now take containers as arguments (see Special argument list options below).

Text replacement

Similar to text replacement for variables with $VariableName$, you can access container data in the text used in

• Command briefings
• Briefings
• Debriefings
• Messages
• Scripting
• Subtitles
• Debug SEXP

For list containers, use the format &ListContainerName&ListModifier&, where ListModifier is one of the modifiers listed above. To access the first data item in the list, use the modifier At0.

For map containers, use the format &MapContainerName&MapKey&.

Container data and map keys are case-sensitive, but container names and list modifiers are not.

SEXPs and Replace Container Name

You can access the Status and Change SEXPs from the new Containers subcategory in the Status and Change categories for Replace/Insert/Add Operator.

Status SEXPs

• is-container-empty
• get-container-size
• list-has-data
• list-data-index
• map-has-key
• map-has-data-item

Change SEXPs

• add-to-list
• remove-from-list
• add-to-map
• remove-from-map
• get-map-keys
• clear-container
• copy-container
• apply-container-filter

Conditional SEXPs

• for-container-data
• for-map-container-keys

FRED's built-in SEXP help explains how they work.

To specify the SEXP arguments that are container names, use the Replace Container Name submenu from FRED's right-click menu. You can specify those arguments using Replace Variable or Replace Container Data, too.

Persistence

Containers support the same persistence options that variables do, except for "Network" (Issue #3708).

Multidimensionality

For both text replacement and Replace Container Data, you can chain accesses to container data. The data stored in the first container should be formatted as &ContainerName&.

Unlike the other containers features, there is no equivalent for variables.

Multidimensionality example 1

In the above screen shots, if the random-of in the first screen shot happens to select "Taurus" as the special argument, then the ship "Taurus" will send the message "Ah! A plot is revealed!".

Multidimensionality example 2

If I have two map containers, Map1 and Map2, and I want to display the data associated with the key "Key 1" from one of the two map containers, selected at random, I'd have a list container called Maps whose entries are &Map1& and &Map2&.

The expression to use in text replacement is &Maps&Get_Random&Key 1&.

To do the same thing in FRED's SEXP tree, I'd first use Replace Container Data with Maps using the list modifier Get_Random, and then I'd add "Key 1" using the String option under the Add Data submenu.

Special argument list options

For some SEXPs that are used with when-argument, you can use a mix of strings, list containers of string data, and/or map containers of string keys (map data can be any type) as arguments.

The string data/keys will then be included among the options for the special argument in that SEXP.

When the containers' contents change, the special argument options they provide will change as well.

These SEXPs are supported:

• any-of
• every-of
• number-of
• first-of
• random-multiple-of

Use the "Replace Container Name" submenu to include containers as arguments.

Restrictions on usage in special argument list

1. You can't use validate-argument or invalidate-argument with containers. However, validate-all-arguments and invalidate-all-arguments will apply to container arguments as well.
2. You also can't use validate-argument or invalidate-argument with arguments retrieved from containers.
3. You can't use change SEXPs or Remove_* list modifiers on a container as part of a when-argument SEXP if the container is one of the arguments. However, it's OK to use the container with Get_*/At list modifiers or as an argument to any status SEXP or to a change SEXP that doesn't modify it, such as the map container in get-map-keys. It's also OK to modify containers that aren't among the arguments.

Remaining Features

1. Network persistence (Issue #3708)
2. Add/Modify Container dialog for qtFRED (Issue #3818) but qtFRED's SEXP tree should fully support containers.