SetSkinString(object, string, string)

Stores a persistent string variable on a creature's skin item.

void SetSkinString(
    object oCreature,
    string sVariableName,
    string sValue
);

Parameters

oCreature

The creature object whose skin will have the variable stored on it.

sVariableName

The variable name used to identify the variable placed on the skin.

sValue

The string value assigned to the variable.

Description

Stores a string variable on a creature's skin item set to a specified string value. These variables are persistent when applied to a PC and travel with the character when exported.

Remarks

The variable name specified in sVariableName will be stripped of all underscore characters. Thus, a variable name specified as "My_Custom_Variable" will actually be stored under the name "MyCustomVariable".

If the object specified by oCreature is an NPC, the variable is stored on the creature itself rather than its skin. If used on an NPC who possesses an item with the TAG "x3_it_pchide", that item will be destroyed.

If used on a PC, the variable is stored on the skin item equipped in the PC's creature armor slot.

If used on a PC who has no item equipped in the creature armor slot, the PC is searched for an item with the TAG "x3_it_pchide". If one is found, the variable is stored on that item and the PC is forced to try and equip it into its creature armor slot. Should the item found be one that is not equippable in the creature armor slot, the equip action will fail but the variable will still be stored on the item found.

If used on a PC who has no item equipped in the creature armor slot and also does not possess an item with the TAG "x3_it_pchide", a new skin item is created from the standard blueprint "x3_it_pchide" and added to the PC's inventory. The variable is stored on the new skin, and the PC is forced to equip the new skin in the creature armor slot.

Because of the special treatment of items whose TAG is set to "x3_it_pchide", it is important to not create items with that TAG that are not skin items. It is also important to ensure creatures will never possess more than one item with the TAG "x3_it_pchide".

Known Bugs

Although not technically a bug per se, a PC that has no skin equipped who is carrying an item with the TAG "x3_it_pchide" will be commanded to equip that item into the creature armor slot even when the item is not a skin. This does not cause a bug, but it does waste time trying to make the PC do something he is incapable of.

Should this function be used on a PC who has no skin equipped and is carrying more than one item with the TAG "x3_it_pchide", there's no telling which of the items will get the variable stored on it.

Due to the fact that the variable name is stripped of all underscores, it is not possible to use this function (or GetSkinString either) to treat two skin variables whose names differ only by underscores as independent separate variables. In other words, if you use a skin variable called "My_Custom_Variable" you cannot have a different skin variable called "MyCustomVariable" since this function (and GetSkinString as well) will treat them both as the same variable. The easiest way to avoid any potential problems related to this issue is to simply not put any underscores into your skin variable names.

Requirements

#include "x3_inc_skin"

Version

1.69

Example


// This example uses two events, a conversation ActionTaken and an NPC's
// OnConversation. The idea is that when a player talks to the NPC and clicks the
// final node to end the conversation, a persistent string variable is stored on the
// PC's skin specifying the conversation name which the NPC will use the next time
// the player talks to him. The NPC's OnConversation script looks up the variable to
// determine the name of the conversation to use then starts it up.


// ActionTaken script
#include "x3_inc_skin"

void main()
{
    // Find the player who is finishing the conversation.
    object oPC = GetPCSpeaker();

    // Set the name of the next conversation for the NPC to use for this player on
    // his skin. The variable is stored using the NPC's tag as the variable name.
    SetSkinString(oPC, GetTag( OBJECT_SELF), "we_met_before");
}


// NPC OnConversation script
#include "x3_inc_skin"

void main()
{
    // Find the player who is starting the conversation.
    object oPC = GetLastSpeaker();

    // If it isn't a PC, run the default OnConversation behavior and return.
    if(!GetIsPC(oPC))
    {
       ExecuteScript("x2_def_onconv", OBJECT_SELF);
       return;
    }

    // If the event fired due to a listening pattern being detected rather than the
    // NPC being clicked on by a player, then run the default behavior and return.
    if(GetListenPatternNumber() != -1)
    {
       ExecuteScript( "x2_def_onconv", OBJECT_SELF);
       return;
    }

    // Retrieve the name of the conversation to use from the player's skin variable.
    string sConversationName = GetSkinString(oPC, GetTag(OBJECT_SELF));

    // Start the conversation with the player.
    BeginConversation(sConversationName, oPC);
}

functions:	GetSkinString \| DeleteSkinString
categories:	Get Data Functions \| Get Data from Creature Functions \| Local Variables Functions