An Introduction to Squirrel: Difference between revisions

From SigMod
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 13: Line 13:
* [https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Team_Fortress_2/Scripting/VScript_Examples/en VScript Examples]
* [https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Team_Fortress_2/Scripting/VScript_Examples/en VScript Examples]


To get set up, navigate to your /tf directory and add a scripts/vscripts folder if it doesn't already exist and create a file with any name with the extension .nut.
To get set up, navigate to your tf/ directory and add a scripts/vscripts folder if it doesn't already exist and create a file with any name with the extension .nut.
You should have a location something like this: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\tf\scripts\vscripts\testing.nut
You should have a location something like this: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\tf\scripts\vscripts\testing.nut



Revision as of 02:30, 26 October 2023

Overview

This is a relatively brief beginner's guide to the Squirrel language (v3.2) aimed at people with no programming experience interested in trying their hand at VScript. The only prerequisite knowledge you are expected to have is basic knowledge of the Source engine. While in theory this guide is not technically specific to any Source game in particular, it is for version 3.2 which is unique as TF2's version of Squirrel. L4D2, Portal, and other Source games run on older versions, so in practice this guide is directed at TF2 players. If you're following this guide for another Source game that's perfectly fine, just be aware that some features may not function, or they might behave differently in your game's version of Squirrel. You'll also need to store your .nut files in the appropriate place of whatever game you're using, rather than the tf/scripts/vscripts folder.

If you already have experience with C-like languages or programming in general I would recommend you visit the Squirrel Reference Manual for a more expedient learning experience more aimed at developers.


Getting Started

While it's possible to compile the Squirrel source code into binaries with which you can test your code outside of a Source game, simply launching a game and executing your script is much simpler and allows us to test game specific code, so that's what we'll do for the duration of the guide. For guides on VScript itself, the VDC has an excellent collection:

To get set up, navigate to your tf/ directory and add a scripts/vscripts folder if it doesn't already exist and create a file with any name with the extension .nut. You should have a location something like this: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\tf\scripts\vscripts\testing.nut

Go ahead and launch your favorite Source game which supports VScript and load into any map on a local server, then bind any key to "script_execute testing". For example: bind 5 "script_execute testing"

Tab out of your game, open your .nut file and type: printl("Hello World!"); then save the file. Go back in game and press your bind, you should see your text in console!

Keywords and Identifiers

Constants

Comments

Data Types

Literals and Operators

Expressions

Intro to Functions

Intro to Objects

Scope

Control Flow

Exceptions

Enums

Arrays

Tables

Functions

Generators

Delegation

Weak References

Classes

Inheritance

Metamethods