[z-machine] Re: Z-machine digest, Vol 1 #69 - 2 msgs

[Richard Bos]

From: Andrew Plotkin <erkyrath@eblong.com>

> On Fri, 18 Mar 2005, Mose Wingert wrote:
> 
> > For instance, the dictionary section of the Z Machine spec says that
> > dictionary words can start with non-alpha characters...they give "#record" as
> > an example...okay...so we can change alphabets within a dictionary entry. But
> > then does that imply that "#record" is distinct from "#Record" and "#RECORD"
> > in the dictionary?  Since we're trying to match user input, that doesn't seem
> > to make much sense...but I don't see anything to stop it in the spec.
> 
> As far as I know, yes, you can have capital letters in a dictionary word.
> Nobody *does* it, and I expect the Inform compiler refuses to generate
> such a word, because the player's input was lowercased when it was read.
> So your '#Record' word would never match the input.

It would perhaps be useful as yet another way to create a fake action,
but possibly it isn't as distinctive as using a period. OTOH, an
action in ALL-CAPS does rather scream "this is not your usual action".

Richard