Modifications to the @create and @parent commands, to safeguard against erroneous scriptlink names as well as allowing to define parent upon @creation. The @parent command calls at_object_creation(), seems that behaviour is the intuitive one.

src/commands/objmanip.py

@@ -264,27 +264,50 @@ GLOBAL_CMD_TABLE.add_command("@find", cmd_find,
 
 def cmd_create(command):
     """
-    Creates a new object of type 'THING'.
+    @create
+
+    Usage: @create objname [=parent]
+
+    Creates a new object. If parent is given, the object is created as a child of this
+    parent. The parent script is assumed to be located under game/gamesrc/parents
+    and any further directory structure is given in Python notation. So if you
+    have a correct parent object defined in parents/examples/red_button.py, you could
+    load create a new object inheriting from this parent like this:
+       @create button=example.red_button       
     """
     source_object = command.source_object
     
     if not command.command_argument:
         source_object.emit_to("You must supply a name!")
-    else:
+        return
+    
+    eq_args = command.command_argument.split('=', 1)
+    target_name = eq_args[0]
+    
     # Create and set the object up.
     # TODO: This dictionary stuff is silly. Feex.
-        odat = {"name": command.command_argument, 
+    odat = {"name": target_name, 
             "type": 3, 
             "location": source_object, 
             "owner": source_object}
     new_object = Object.objects.create_object(odat)
 
+    if len(eq_args)>1:
+        parent_str = eq_args[1]
+        if parent_str and new_object.set_script_parent(parent_str):
+            source_object.emit_to("You create %s as a child of %s." %
+                                  (new_object, parent_str))
+        else:                
+            source_object.emit_to("'%s' is not a valid parent. Using default." %
+                                  parent_str)
+    else:        
         source_object.emit_to("You create a new thing: %s" % (new_object,))
 
     # Trigger stuff to happen after said object is created.
     new_object.scriptlink.at_object_creation()
+
 GLOBAL_CMD_TABLE.add_command("@create", cmd_create,
-                             priv_tuple=("genperms.builder"))
+                             priv_tuple=("genperms.builder"),auto_help=True)
     
 def cmd_cpattr(command):
     """

src/commands/parents.py

@@ -27,40 +27,54 @@ def cmd_parent(command):
     source_object = command.source_object
 
     if not command.command_argument:
-        source_object.emit_to("Change the parent of what?")
+        source_object.emit_to("Change/check the parent of what?")
         return
 
     eq_args = command.command_argument.split('=', 1)
     target_name = eq_args[0]
-    parent_name = eq_args[1]    
-
-    if len(target_name) == 0:
-        source_object.emit_to("Change the parent of what?")
-        return
-
-    if len(eq_args) > 1:
     target_obj = source_object.search_for_object(target_name)
-        # Use search_for_object to handle duplicate/nonexistant results.
+
     if not target_obj:
         return
 
+    if len(eq_args) > 1:
+        #if we gave a command of the form @parent obj=something we want to
+        #somehow affect the parent.
+
+        parent_name = eq_args[1]    
+
+        #check permissions
         if not source_object.controls_other(target_obj):
             source_object.emit_to(defines_global.NOCONTROL_MSG)
             return
 
-        # Allow the clearing of a zone
+        # Clear parent if command was @parent obj= or obj=none
-        if parent_name.lower() == "none":
+        if not parent_name or parent_name.lower() == "none":
             target_obj.set_script_parent(None)
-            source_object.emit_to("%s reverted to default parent." % (target_obj))
+            new_parent = target_obj.scriptlink()
+            source_object.emit_to("%s reverted to its default parent (%s)." %
+                                  (target_obj, new_parent))
             return        
 
-        target_obj.set_script_parent(parent_name)
+        # If we reach this point, attempt to change parent.
-        source_object.emit_to("%s is now a child of %s." % (target_obj, parent_name))
+        
+        former_parent = target_obj.get_scriptlink()
+        if target_obj.set_script_parent(parent_name):
+            #new script path added; initialize the parent
+            target_obj.scriptlink.at_object_creation()
+            s = "%s's parent is now %s (instead of %s).\n\r"
+            s += "Note that the new parent type could have overwritten "
+            s += "same-named attributes on the existing object."            
+            source_object.emit_to(s)
+        else:
+            source_object.emit_to("'%s' is not a valid parent path." % parent_name)
 
     else:
-        # We haven't provided a target zone.
+        # We haven't provided a target; list the current parent
-        source_object.emit_to("What should the object's parent be set to?")
+        current_parent = target_obj.get_scriptlink()
-        return
+        source_object.emit_to("Current parent of %s is %s." %
+                              (target_obj,current_parent)) 
+        
 GLOBAL_CMD_TABLE.add_command("@parent", cmd_parent,
                              priv_tuple=("genperms.builder"))