Where to learn coding synthax

[Anarcho-paladin]

Hey there, another newbie question here...

I was wondering where I could learn some basics in synthax coding; I'm presently trying to implement Yanfly's Counter Control plugin in my project, but I'm having a hard time understanding how to use the notetags correctly.

Sorry for asking; I know I could just google this, but being relatively new to "serious" rpg making, having no experience or knowledge whatsoever in programming, and doing this primarily as a hobby (ie, after work days...), I feel submerged by the quantity of information available, like I could read for years before starting to do anything.

So, I guessed someone here could lead me to a simple introduction, rpg maker mv oriented...

Thanks!

 

[Andar]

It depends on the maker, but for MV the language is javascript.
so just go to one of the zillion websites that teaches javascript.

the only thing you can find on this forum (for exactly that reason that nothing else is needed) are the lists for the most often used functions in the engine, but nothing on syntax.

 

[mmgfrcs]

Well, look no further than the above's signature! "A starting point for new users"
In a more serious note, I don't get what you're trying to learn. Do you want to learn about javascript's syntax, or do you want to learn about the notetags? I'm going to assume you wanted to do both.

If you wanted to learn the basics of RPG Maker, just look around this forum. A few, like Andar above, has made tutorials about starting out, so I would suggest you to start there. For scripting, adding to what Andar said above, I suggest you to start slow and make something simple. Instead of thinking to make some huge system out of other RPG games, think small and make some adjustments instead. For notetags, there are quite a lot of examples in the Plugin/Javascript support on this forum, so just ask around.

 

[Anarcho-paladin]

Hummm... See? I'm that a noob; I thought notetags were the same as synthax... Anyway, I'm not looking for a way to program new scripts (I'm not there yet...). It's just that I want to use

Yanfly's Counter Control plugin in my project, but I'm having a hard time understanding how to use the notetags correctly.

Well... I wanted to quote some parts of the plugin's help file to illustrate what I don't get, and maybe receive an explanation from you guys, but I think I'm starting to understand by myself, just by trying to explain what I don't understand... Does it make any sense? Anyway, I'll give it another try and will be back if I can't get through this by myself.

Thanks!

Edit: some minor editing for this to look better.

 

[Andar]

@Anarcho-paladin
OK, then a bit more for explaining about notetags.

First, by themselves notetags are absolutely without function. The original purpose of the notebox was exactly that, a field where the developer could store any notes on why he did something. This still works as well, as you can see from the default notes in Skill ID #1 and #2 in any new project.

However, because that text is stored in the project and thereby accessable by script commands, a lot of programmers have used the notebox to add their own data to the database. That is what the notetags are: specially formatted strings that can be detected by a script or plugin to do whatever the plugin writer wants to do.

However, there are two different types of notetags - basic notetags and eval-type notetags (sometimes also called "lunatic type notetags").
The basic notetag does what the plugin writer tells it to be. The ONLY place where you find the description of such notetags is on the help section of the plugin or on the plugin writers website. There is no other place where anything describes these specific notetags, and if you don't understand them after reading the help section of the plugin, then you can only ask around with a link to the specific plugin you have problems with.

Now the eval-type notetag works differently. That contains real code that is eval'd by the engine, and that means that this code has to follow the syntax of the language used by the engine.
In case of MV, that is javascript - and if you want to write notetags to be eval'd for the functions you'll need in your specific project, then you'll need the basics of javascript.
The same also counts for the script lines in conditional branch or control variable, for the damage formula field in skills and the script command in events - they all use the eval function and all require knowledge of javascript if you want to use them for more than basic mathematics.

 

[Anarcho-paladin]

Cool, thanks for the info. I had been wondering about this "lunatic code" I heard about once in a while...

As for Yanfly's Counter Control plugin, I think I got it, though more testing is required in order to be sure.

 

[eishirukofuko]

Newbie there! I want to share with you my experience regarding coding. I thought this is the appropriate thread. Who is interested? Maybe smb will make a future career in IT.

 

[slimmmeiske2]

@eishirukofuko, please refrain from necro-posting in a thread. Necro-posting is posting in a thread that has not had posting activity in over 30 days. You can review our forum rules here. Thank you.