Make ic command better handle multiple-matches.

Resolves #1923. This changes the `ic` command so non-privileged
users will search through their `_playable_characters` Attribute list.

Privileged (Builder+) users will use their `_playable_characters` list,
but if they are already puppeting a char in the same location as an
object with the given name, this will be used instead. Only if no match
is found neither in `_playable_characters` nor in the current location
will a global search for a puppetable target be done (and only for
Builders+)

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@ without arguments starts a full interactive Python console.
 - Make `Object/Room/Exit.create`'s `account` argument optional. If not given, will set perms
   to that of the object itself (along with normal Admin/Dev permission).
 - Make `INLINEFUNC_STACK_MAXSIZE` default visible in `settings_default.py`.
+- Change how `ic` finds puppets; non-priveleged users will use `_playable_characters` list as
+  candidates, Builders+ will use list, local search and only global search if no match found.
 
 
 ## Evennia 0.9 (2018-2019)

evennia/accounts/accounts.py

@@ -941,6 +941,7 @@ class DefaultAccount(AccountDB, metaclass=TypeclassBase):
         nofound_string=None,
         multimatch_string=None,
         use_nicks=True,
+        quiet=False,
         **kwargs,
     ):
         """
@@ -967,9 +968,13 @@ class DefaultAccount(AccountDB, metaclass=TypeclassBase):
                 message to echo if `searchdata` leads to multiple matches.
                 If not given, will fall back to the default handler.
             use_nicks (bool, optional): Use account-level nick replacement.
+            quiet (bool, optional): If set, will not show any error to the user,
+                and will also lead to returning a list of matches.
 
         Return:
             match (Account, Object or None): A single Account or Object match.
+            list: If `quiet=True` this is a list of 0, 1 or more Account or Object matches.
+
         Notes:
             Extra keywords are ignored, but are allowed in call in
             order to make API more consistent with
@@ -981,16 +986,21 @@ class DefaultAccount(AccountDB, metaclass=TypeclassBase):
             # handle wrapping of common terms
             if searchdata.lower() in ("me", "*me", "self", "*self"):
                 return self
-        if search_object:
-            matches = ObjectDB.objects.object_search(
-                searchdata, typeclass=typeclass, use_nicks=use_nicks
-            )
-        else:
         searchdata = self.nicks.nickreplace(
             searchdata, categories=("account",), include_account=False
         )
-
+        if search_object:
+            matches = ObjectDB.objects.object_search(
+                searchdata, typeclass=typeclass
+            )
+        else:
             matches = AccountDB.objects.account_search(searchdata, typeclass=typeclass)
+
+        if quiet:
+            matches = list(matches)
+            if return_puppet:
+                matches = [match.puppet for match in matches]
+        else:
             matches = _AT_SEARCH_RESULT(
                 matches,
                 self,
@@ -1000,7 +1010,7 @@ class DefaultAccount(AccountDB, metaclass=TypeclassBase):
             )
             if matches and return_puppet:
                 try:
-                return matches.puppet
+                    matches = matches.puppet
                 except AttributeError:
                     return None
         return matches

evennia/commands/default/account.py

@@ -301,27 +301,60 @@ class CmdIC(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
         session = self.session
 
         new_character = None
+        character_candidates = []
+
         if not self.args:
-            new_character = account.db._last_puppet
+            character_candidates = [account.db._last_puppet] or []
-            if not new_character:
+            if not character_candidates:
                 self.msg("Usage: ic <character>")
                 return
-        if not new_character:
+        else:
-            # search for a matching character
+            # argument given
-            new_character = [
+
-                char for char in search.object_search(self.args) if char.access(account, "puppet")
+            if account.db._playable_characters:
+                # look at the playable_characters list first
+                character_candidates.extend(
+                    account.search(self.args, candidates=account.db._playable_characters,
+                                   search_object=True, quiet=True)
+                )
+
+            if account.locks.check_lockstring(account, "perm(Builder)"):
+                # builders and higher should be able to puppet more than their
+                # playable characters.
+                if session.puppet:
+                    # start by local search - this helps to avoid the user
+                    # getting locked into their playable characters should one
+                    # happen to be named the same as another. We replace the suggestion
+                    # from playable_characters here - this allows builders to puppet objects
+                    # with the same name as their playable chars should it be necessary
+                    # (by going to the same location).
+                    character_candidates = [
+                        char
+                        for char in session.puppet.search(self.args, quiet=True)
+                        if char.access(account, "puppet")
                     ]
-            if not new_character:
+                if not character_candidates:
+                    # fall back to global search only if Builder+ has no
+                    # playable_characers in list and is not standing in a room
+                    # with a matching char.
+                    character_candidates.extend([
+                        char for char in search.object_search(self.args) if char.access(account, "puppet")]
+                    )
+
+        # handle possible candidates
+        if not character_candidates:
             self.msg("That is not a valid character choice.")
             return
-            if len(new_character) > 1:
+        if len(character_candidates) > 1:
             self.msg(
                 "Multiple targets with the same name:\n %s"
-                    % ", ".join("%s(#%s)" % (obj.key, obj.id) for obj in new_character)
+                % ", ".join("%s(#%s)" % (obj.key, obj.id) for obj in character_candidates)
             )
             return
         else:
-                new_character = new_character[0]
+            new_character = character_candidates[0]
+
+        # do the puppet puppet
         try:
             account.puppet_object(session, new_character)
             account.db._last_puppet = new_character

evennia/commands/default/tests.py

@@ -353,11 +353,27 @@ class TestAccount(CommandTest):
         self.call(account.CmdOOC(), "", "You go OOC.", caller=self.account)
 
     def test_ic(self):
+        self.account.db._playable_characters = [self.char1]
         self.account.unpuppet_object(self.session)
         self.call(
             account.CmdIC(), "Char", "You become Char.", caller=self.account, receiver=self.char1
         )
 
+    def test_ic__other_object(self):
+        self.account.db._playable_characters = [self.obj1]
+        self.account.unpuppet_object(self.session)
+        self.call(
+            account.CmdIC(), "Obj", "You become Obj.", caller=self.account, receiver=self.obj1
+        )
+
+    def test_ic__nonaccess(self):
+        self.account.unpuppet_object(self.session)
+        self.call(
+            account.CmdIC(), "Nonexistent", "That is not a valid character choice.",
+            caller=self.account, receiver=self.account
+        )
+
+
     def test_password(self):
         self.call(
             account.CmdPassword(),

evennia/objects/objects.py

@@ -389,8 +389,7 @@ class DefaultObject(ObjectDB, metaclass=TypeclassBase):
                 - `me,self`: self-reference to this object
                 - `<num>-<string>` - can be used to differentiate
                    between multiple same-named matches
-            global_search (bool): Search all objects globally. This is overruled
+            global_search (bool): Search all objects globally. This overrules 'location' data.
-                by `location` keyword.
             use_nicks (bool): Use nickname-replace (nicktype "object") on `searchdata`.
             typeclass (str or Typeclass, or list of either): Limit search only
                 to `Objects` with this typeclass. May be a list of typeclasses