Short: {save,restore}_variable()
From: Dave Setty <garpoz@locallink.net>
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 02:03:04 -0500
Type: Feature
State: Done - implemented in 3.2.8-dev.150

3) Something like the MudOS functions save_variable() and
   restore_variable(). (I like save_value() and restore_value() better,
   but that's just me...).  It would make the Intermud3 implementation
   a bit less ugly, although I think there's some kinda incompatibility
   between MudOS and Amylaar save format. I might even have code for
   this stuff laying around someplace, if I can find it.

Matthew Julius advocates:

string save_value(mixed)
  Return the string equivalent of the lpc value.  Similar to how
  save_object() saves data.

mixed restore_value(string)
  restore_value(save_value(([ 1: ({ }), ]))) returns ([ 1: ({ }), ])

I dislike the names save_variable() and restore_variable() for various
reasons.  The two following functions are just a more thorough version of
save_value() and restore_value() ...