How to run a widget with the same name as a $variable

Question

Hello, everybody!  So I have this widget, which helps an NPC decide what to do.

<<widget "npcdecision">>
  <<set _d100 to random (1,100)>>
  <<if _d100 gte 66>>
    <<set $npcDecision to "npc_attack">>
    <<elseif _d100 gte 33>>
    <<set $npcDecision to "npc_defend">>
    <<else>>
    <<set $npcDecision to "npc_surrender">>
<</widget>>

I'd now like to run another widget, named either npc_attack, npc_defend, or npc_surrender as appropriate.

I know I could achieve this using <<if>> statements like so:

<<if $npcDecision eq "npc_attack">>
  <<npc_attack>>
  <<elseif $npcDecision eq "npc_defend">>
  <<npc_defend>>
  <<elseif $npcDecision eq "npc_surrender">>
  <<npc_surrender>>
<</if>>

However, this seems inelegant.  It would be really good if I could just make the game run the widget with the same name as $npcDecision.  However, when I tried:

<<$npcDecision>>

It just prints the value of $npcDecision enclosed in << >>s.

Is it possible to do what I want, or should I just stick to the <<if>> statements?

Answer 1

Not directly, no.  I'd suggest using either the <<switch>> macro, rather than <<if>>, or the Stupid Print Trick™.

 

Example for <<switch>>:

<<switch $npcDecision>>
<<case "npc_attack">><<npc_attack>>\
<<case "npc_defend">><<npc_defend>>\
<<case "npc_surrender">><<npc_surrender>>\
<</switch>>

 

Example for the Stupid Print Trick™:

<<= '<<' + $npcDecision + '>>'>>

That works because you're concatenating the necessary angle brackets to the value of $npcDecision before it's output by the <<print>> macro (via its <<=>> shortcut), the output of which is also processed as markup which is what allows the trick to work.

Comments

That should be called the Awesome Print Trick(TM).  Thanks, Exile.