.\"give a string with replaced calldescriptions
.TH process_string 3 "5 Sep 1994" MudOS "LPC Library Functions"
 
.SH NAME
process_string() - give a string with replaced calldescriptions
 
.SH SYNOPSIS
string process_string( string combinestring );
 
.SH DESCRIPTION
Processes a string by replacing specific syntactic patterns with
what is returned when the pattern is interpreted as a function
call description.
.PP
The syntactic patterns are on the form:
.IP
  "@@function[:filename][|arg1|arg2....|argN]@@"
.PP
This is interpreted as a call:
.IP
   filename->function(arg1, arg2, ....., argN)
.PP
Note that process_string does not recurse over returned
replacement values. If a function returns another syntactic
pattern, that description will not be replaced.
.PP
All such occurrences in 'combinestring' is processed and replaced if
the return value is a string. If the return value is not a string
the pattern will remain unreplaced.
.PP
Note that both object and arguments are marked optional with the
brackets and that the brackets are not included in the actual pattern.
 
.SH SEE ALSO
process_value(3)
 
.SH CAVEAT
This is usually used to support 'value by function call' in the mudlib.
It is wise to set the effuserid of the object to 0 before using
process_value as any function in any object can be called with almost
any arguments.
 
.SH EXAMPLE
A string:       
.nf
    "You are chased by @@query_the_name:/obj/monster#123@@ eastward."
.PP
is replaced by: 
.nf
    "You are chased by the orc eastward."
.PP
Assuming that query_the_name in monster#123 returns "the orc".