Text Input With Pluggy

This is an update of the script given in Text Input With TSFC, using Pluggy string functions. By using Pluggy for the input, you now have the option to easily retain or save data for later use.

This code will accept text input from the player, storing the data in a Pluggy string. All regular keyboard characters are supported except tilde(~). Shift and Backspace may be used normally. Text is shown as typed via MessageBoxes, which also have buttons for the player to end their input or clear all input.

Requirements

• Oblivion Script Extender
• Pluggy
• DXtoToken

Setup

If you haven't set up DXtoToken, set it up now following the instructions in that article. This script uses the names recommended in that article for the activator.

As presented, this script is intended to run as a quest script and will use the player's input to rename an item. It could however be modified to use the input in a different way, or to run in an object's script.

After creating a quest for the script to run on, find the line "StopQuest TextInput" and replace "TextInput" with the name of your quest.

You'll then need to use the following snippet of code in another script when you're ready to get the player's input, assuming that you used the quest name TextInput.

set TextInput.item to myItem  ; Must tell the script which item to rename
StartQuest TextInput

Limitations

• It is impossible to support the tilde(~) or accent(`) keys.
• Caps Lock is ignored, since most players will use it to toggle run. It would be possible to add support for it, but it's not recommended.
• While the script can respond quickly, allowing the player to type at a fairly normal pace, if multiple keys are pressed at the same time only one of them will be recognized.
• If the typed text overflows to multiple lines on the MessageBox, a dash(-) will be shown at the end of each line (per normal grammar rules). This is a function of the game engine, and the actual text is not modified.

Functions & Scripting Concepts Used

• Activate
• CreateString
• DestroyString
• fQuestDelayTime
• GetButtonPressed
• GetKeyPress
• GetNumKeysPressed
• isKeyPressed2
• MenuMode
• SetString
• StopQuest
• StringCat
• StringLen
• StringMsgBox
• StringSetName

The Code

scn TextInputScript

ref item

float fQuestDelayTime
short control
short button
short console

long key
long shift

long name
long prompt
long clear
long done

long temp

begin menumode 1001
  if ((isKeyPressed2 key) && (key != 42) && (key != 54))
    return    
  else
    set key to GetKeyPress 0
    if (GetNumKeysPressed > 1)
      set shift to GetKeyPress 1
      if ((key == 42) || (key == 54))
        set key to shift
        set shift to 1
      elseif ((shift == 42) || (shift == 54))
        set shift to 1
      else 
        set shift to 0
      endif
    else
      set shift to 0
    endif
  endif
  
  if ((key == 1) || (key == 42) || (key == 54) || (key > 57))
  elseif (key == 41)  ; Open/close console
    if (console)
      set console to 0
    else
      set console to 1
    endif
  elseif (console)  
  elseif (key == 14)  ; Backspace
    if (StringLen name)
      set temp to (StringLen name) - 1
      StringLen name temp
    endif
    SetString prompt "Name: "
    StringCat prompt name
    StringMsgBox prompt clear done    
  elseif (key)
    set DXtoToken.dxKey to key
    set DXtoToken.shift to shift
    DXtoToken.activate player 1
    set temp to DXtoToken.sToken
    StringCat name temp
    SetString prompt "Name: "
    StringCat prompt name
    StringMsgBox prompt clear done
  endif
end

begin gamemode
  set fquestdelaytime to 0.01
  
  if (control)
    set button to getbuttonpressed
    if (button == 0)
      StringLen name 0
      SetString prompt "Name:"
      StringMsgBox prompt clear done
    elseif (button == 1)
      StringSetName item name
      DestroyString name
      DestroyString prompt
      DestroyString clear
      DestroyString done
      set control to 0
      stopquest TextInput
    endif
  elseif (control == 0)
    set name to CreateString -1 0 1
    StringLen name 0
    set prompt to CreateString -1 "Name:" 1
    set clear to CreateString -1 "Clear All" 1
    set done to CreateString -1 "Finish Input" 1
    StringMsgBox prompt clear done
    set control to 1    
  endif
end

See Also

• Text Input With OBSE - an alternative that does not require Pluggy.
• Text Input With TSFC - an alternative which uses TSFC.