PrintToConsole
From The Elder Scrolls Construction Set Wiki
A command for Oblivion Script Extender
Syntax:
PrintToConsole "Message text", [var1], [var2], etc
PrintC "Message text", [var1], [var2], etc
Prints a formatted string to console. Uses the same syntax as Message and MessageBox. Mainly useful for debugging purposes.
[edit] Notes
- This function works in conjunction with the console function ToggleDebugText. When PrintToConsole is called while TDT is active, console messages will be visible during normal gameplay. Useful for debugging when a lot of messages need to be displayed.
- If using an OBSE version prior to v0013, GetInventoryObject and GetNumItems will also return messages to the console (1 message for each item). As the number of console lines is limited, use caution with these and PrintToConsole.
- You can increase the number of lines in the console by increasing the iConsoleVisibleLines setting in the config file, found at
..\Documents and Settings\"User Name"\My Documents\My Games\Oblivion\Oblivion.ini
- As of v0014, PrintToConsole accepts the "EX" formatting specifiers.
- With v0015 it is possible to print colored console text via the %a identifier. Use 2 to turn blue text on and 3 to turn it off.
PrintToConsole "I like to eat %ablue%aberries" 2 3
[edit] Style Suggestions
For modders using PrintToConsole to print debug info in a 'released' version of a mod, it is a good idea to add an identifying tag to the beginning of the text. For example, if the mod is named Random Modder's Mod, do the following:
printc "RMM: some debug info goes here"
If the mod is complex with several scripts running simultaneously, it can be a good idea to identify the script as well, in order to easily identify where a message is coming from, such as:
printc "RMM|OptionsMenu: the player closed the menu"
By following the above suggestions you also help the end-user of your mod determine where possible bugs are occuring, as well as to be able to distinguish which mod is printing the various console messages that show up when running multiple mods.
[edit] Displaying Variables
[edit] Formatting notation
%.2f - This means format the variable with 2 decimal places.
%.0f - This will format the variable with 0 decimal places, so is the normal choice for integers.
%5.0f - The number in front of the point specifies the minimum width of the number. In this case, there will always be enough space in front of the number for 5 digits:
Number 12 wins Number 1234 wins
[edit] Formating switches
The following formatting switches can be used in Oblivion. Put them in any sequence right after the '%'
| Switch | Function |
|---|---|
| + | Display + in front of positive numbers |
| <Space> | Leave a leading space in front of positive numbers |
| - | Use left-aligned formation instead of right alligned. |
| 0 | The filling-char used for formatting is '0' instead of ' ' |
[edit] Other Functions
%g - This usually works just like "%.0f", displaying 0 decimal places. When the number is 1000000 or larger, though, the game diplays it in scientific notation (1E+006)
%.3e - Shows numbers in scientific notation (123000 = 1.23E+005)
%% - Use this to display a percent-sign in the message
[edit] OBSE Format Specifiers
In addition to the format specifiers supported by Oblivion's Message and MessageBox functions, OBSE functions understand additional specifiers.
%r - Prints a carriage return, ending the current line and starting at the next.
%n - Prints the name of the specified reference or object.
- In OBSE versions prior to v0014a, %n can crash if the object's name contains a percent sign.
%i - Prints the formID of the specified reference or object.
%k - Prints the name of the key for the specified DirectInput scancode, such as those used for IsKeyPressed2.
%c - Prints the specified component of the specified reference or object. Takes two arguments - a reference variable set to the spell or faction, and an index. Behaves differently depending on the passed reference:
- Faction: Prints the nth male rank title
- Magic Item: Prints the nth Magic Effect
- Prior to OBSE v0015, magic effects using actor values (such as Restore Agility) would not display the specific actor value.
- Actor values may not display correctly for non-English versions of Oblivion.
%p - Displays a pronoun based on the gender of the object parameter:
- %po - objective (him, her, it)
- %pp - possessive (his, her, its)
- %ps - subjective (he, she, it)
%q - Prints a double quote character.
%a - Prints the character corresponding to the specified ASCII code. Passing codes for unprintable characters (such as 0) may have unpredictable (though occassionally useful) results. Passing the code for a percent sign will most likely crash the game as literal percent signs must come in pairs.
%v - Prints the actor value (i.e. an attribute or skill) associated with the passed actor value code.
%e - Provides a workaround for the script compiler's refusal to accept an empty string as a command argument.
- Example:
SetNameEx "" object ; attempts to remove an object's name, but won't compile SetNameEx "%e" object ; sets the name to an empty string
%{...%} - Conditionally displays or omits the bracketed portion of the format string based on a boolean value. Accepts a variable - if the value of the variable is zero, all text and parameters up to the matching right bracket will be ignored. Otherwise the bracketed text will be displayed.
- Example (should be single-line, line-breaks added for Wiki)
MBoxEX "Doom comes%{ for you%}. What will you do?
|Dig a hole, hide
%{|Find someone, offer as sacrifice|Find someone, use as shield%}
|Enjoy your final 15 minutes" bDisplay bDisplay
If bDisplay is 0 this will print out
Doom comes. What will you do? [Dig a hole, hide] [Enjoy your final 15 minutes]
If bDisplay is 1 this will print out
Doom comes for you. What will you do? [Dig a hole, hide] [Find someone, offer as sacrifice] [Find someone, use as shield] [Enjoy your final 15 minutes]
- Note: When using GetButtonPressed with messageboxes that can have a avariable number of buttons displayed using %{...%}, the return value will be relative to the actual number of buttons displayed and will not include buttons hidden by %{...%}.
