So I have been learning a lot about GSC and scripting as of late, but there's some things I can't get my head around when it comes to arrays (and maybe other things that may relate to it).

Let me take this piece of code as an example that Hitman done for my wall weapon light fx and break down what's confusing me:

bo2_weapon_light()
{
fx_1 = GetEntArray("weapon_upgrade","targetname");
 
wait 1;
for(i=0;i<fx_1.size;i++)
playFx(level._effect["wall_weapon_light"], fx_1[i].origin);
}

The first part I understand, getting the array of entities, etc. where I start to loose understanding his this:

wait 1;

Not really sure what this does at all and why it's there.

for(i=0;i<fx_1.size;i++)

I understand what for() is and why it's there, but what's inside the bratchets it what confuses me the most out of anything, what is i=0? Does it define what FX is played on? So if I said i=4 then the first 4 entites would not emit FX?

i<fx.size;

Not really sure, relating back to i=0 does it mean if I said i=4 then it will only play on only first 4 if I said i>fx.size?

i++

Not a single clue what this means or does...


Of couse I am new to this, don't have a great understanding of it atm and that's why I would throw this out for scripters to maybe give me an idea?

Any info is appreciated.

The wait 1; is pretty much useless. It just waits a second before playing the fx on each ent in the array.

Arrays in CodScript work, kind of two ways. I would compare them to a Python Dictionary and List behavior. Meaning they have order and indexes, as well as key > values.

Your probably thinking, thanks alot, that made no sense either, lol. Well here is the basic index set up that you are using.

The first index of the array is the 0th index.
The size of the array is how many key>value pairs it has.

bo2_weapon_light()
{
fx_1 = GetEntArray("weapon_upgrade","targetname");
 
wait 1;
for(i=0;i<fx_1.size;i++)
playFx(level._effect["wall_weapon_light"], fx_1[i].origin);
}

i=0 means it is initializing the variable i as 0.
i++ says that after each loop change this var by one
the i<fx_1.size says to run this loop while i is less than the size of the fx_1 array. (while this statement is true)



So, to step through this loop as if the size of the array is 3:
First loop:
For i=0
(is i < fx_1.size) if so then continue the loop
play fx on the 0th ent origin

Second loop:
i++, so i = 1 now
is i < fx_1.size, if so then continue the loop
play fx on the 1th ent origin

Third loop:
i++, so i = 2 now
is i < fx_1.size, if so then continue the loop
play fx on the 2th ent origin

Fourth loop:
i++, so i = 3 now
is i < fx_1.size, if so then continue the loop BUT IT ISN'T (i=3 and the size = 3 so this statement i<fx_1.size is no longer true)
so stop and continue the rest of the function or whatever, in this case it is finished.


So we covered the 0th, 1th, and 2th indexes of the array, which is a size of 3.
The array looks something like this:

fx_1{[0,ent],[1,ent],[2,ent]}

---

Key>Values work slightly differently. You don't iterate numerically. You use the string key you set up, like:

myarray = [];
myarray["test"] = "this is a test";
iprintlnbold(myarray["test"]);
myarray["test2"] = "this is only a test";
iprintlnbold(myarray["test2"]);

The array looks something like this:

myarray{["test","this is a test"],["test2","this is only a test"]}

*above this post*

I appreciate the amount of time and effort you have put into typing this up, this pretty much explains a lot for me, thanks.

I appreciate the amount of time and effort you have put into typing this up, this pretty much explains a lot for me, thanks.

No prob. Arrays are fun. Just wait until you get multidimensional arrays! (Arrays in arrays) Super fun.

No prob. Arrays are fun. Just wait until you get multidimensional arrays! (Arrays in arrays) Super fun.

I hope that was sarcasm. Those things can be total hell if they get big enough. Lol

The wait 1; is pretty much useless. It just waits a second before playing the fx on each ent in the array.

I added the wait line due to sometimes script messing up for me, if I didnt do wait line. I think you told me this like year ago, when I was asking why some script didnt work, lol

I hope that was sarcasm. Those things can be total hell if they get big enough. Lol

Lolol, no, I was totally serious. I really do enjoy them. 

I added the wait line due to sometimes script messing up for me, if I didnt do wait line. I think you told me this like year ago, when I was asking why some script didnt work, lol

Oh boy if I did, I am sorry, lol. So much learned in a year. In certain cases you do need a wait like that, but that is due to parallel threading or something like that, depending on how you scripted something (and obviously loops). Especially when using notifies, which I tend to avoid due to issues like that. In this case, you get the array and the script won't continue until the array is gathered, so immediately starting your for loop should not cause any issues. Your wait could go before getting the array, if you were spawning things or setting models or moving ents or something along those lines before this.

I added the wait line due to sometimes script messing up for me, if I didnt do wait line. I think you told me this like year ago, when I was asking why some script didnt work, lol

only need a wait in loops, and only if that loop doesnt already provide a wait

so

while( 1 )
{
    wait 1;
}

is a loop or

while( 1 )
{
    self waittill( "trigger", user );
}

doesnt need the wait, as the trigger itself has a delay on it anyway, which effectively is a wait

no wait would be required if doing this

while( 1 )
{
    self waittill( "notify" );
}

because it would only be triggered once, but if you "wanted" to be absolutely safe, best place to put it is just after

while( 1 )
{
    self waittill( "notify" );
    wait .1;
}