execVM: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 17:44, 4 January 2023

1.00

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Description

Description:

Compiles and adds an SQF script to the scheduler queue and returns script handle (see also Example 4). The script does not execute immediately upon running execVM command but with some delay depending on the VM's scripts queue and engine load.

ⓘ

If the same script is to be executed more than one time, declaring it as a Function is recommended to avoid recompiling and wasting performance with every execution.
The script is searched for in the following directories in that order:
- mission directory
- campaign scripts directory
- global scripts directory.
To see what VM scripts are currently in the scheduler, use diag_activeSQFScripts command.

⚠

The .sqf file extension is not mandatory but is strongly recommended as using non-standard extensions may cause problems during binarisation
If the script file is not prepared using UTF-8 encoding and contains some characters with codes > 127, they might convert incorrectly.

Groups:

Program Flow

Syntax

Syntax:: arguments execVM filename
Parameters:: arguments: Anything - arguments accessible as _this in the script
: filename: String - path to the SQF script file
Return Value:: Script Handle

Alternative Syntax

Syntax:: execVM filename
Parameters:: filename: String - path to the SQF script file
Return Value:: Script Handle

Examples

Example 1:: execVM "test.sqf";
Example 2:: _handle = player execVM "test.sqf"; waitUntil { scriptDone _handle };
The following is also possible in Arma 3:
private _handle = execVM "123.sqf"; waitUntil { isNull _handle };
Example 3:: [player, 0.75] execVM "setDamage.sqf";
setDamage.sqf:
params ["_unit", "_damage"]; _unit setDamage _damage;
Example 4:: execVM equivalence:
private _handle = _args execVM "someFile.sqf"; // is practically identical to private _handle = _args spawn compile preprocessFileLineNumbers "someFile.sqf";

Additional Information

See also:: call spawn exec execFSM scriptDone scriptNull terminate sleep uiSleep waitUntil canSuspend diag_activeScripts diag_activeSQFScripts SQF Syntax Control Structures

Notes

: Report bugs on the Feedback Tracker and/or discuss them on the Arma Discord or on the Forums.
Only post proven facts here! Add Note

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{RV|type=command
-| arma1
+|game1= arma1
+|version1= 1.00
-|gr1= Program Flow
+|game2= arma2
+|version2= 1.00
-|1.00
+|game3= arma2oa
+|version3= 1.50
-| Compiles and adds [[SQF Syntax|SQF]] [[Script]] to the [[Scheduler|scheduler]] queue and returns script handle. The script is first searched for in the mission folder, then in the campaign scripts folder and finally in the global scripts folder. The script does not execute immediately upon running [[execVM]] command, but with some delay. How much delay is unknown as it largely depends on how many other scripts there are in the queue and how busy is VM. The optional argument is passed to the script in [[private]] variable <tt>_this</tt>. In Arma 3 the script handle is also passed to the script in <tt>_thisScript</tt> variable.
+|game4= tkoh
-<br><br>In order to understand [[execVM]] consider the following comparison:
+|version4= 1.00
-<code>[[private]] _handle {{=}} _args [[execVM]] "someFile.sqf";
-{{cc|is practically identical to}}
-[[private]] _handle {{=}} _args [[spawn]] [[compile]] [[preprocessFileLineNumbers]] "someFile.sqf";</code>
-So if you need multiple execution of the same file, you might want to store it in a function ([[Functions_Library_(Arma_3)|Functions Library]]), otherwise, for a single execution, [[execVM]] is a good choice.<br><br>
-To see what VM scripts are currently in the scheduler, use [[diag_activeSQFScripts]] command.{{Feature | Warning | If the file you are executing is not prepared using UTF-8 encoding and contains some characters [[toArray | with codes]] > 127, they might convert incorrectly}}
+|game5= arma3
+|version5= 0.50
-|s1=  arguments [[execVM]] filename
+|arg= global
+|eff= local
-|p1= arguments: [[Anything]] - arguments accessible as <tt>[[Magic Variables#this|_this]]</tt> in the script
+|gr1= Program Flow
-|p2= filename: [[String]] - file with sqf code (doesn't have to have .sqf extension, but not using standard extensions may cause problems later during binarisation)
+|descr= Compiles and adds an [[SQF Syntax|SQF]] [[Script Handle|script]] to the [[Scheduler|scheduler]] queue and returns script handle (see also {{Link|#Example 4}}).
+The script does not execute immediately upon running [[execVM]] command but with some delay depending on the VM's scripts queue and engine load.
-| [[Script]] - script handle, can be used to determine (via [[scriptDone]] (also via [[isNull]] in Arma 3)) when the execVMed script has finished. In Arma 3, the handle is also available inside the execVMed script in <tt>_thisScript</tt> variable.
+{{Feature|informative|
+* If the same script is to be executed more than one time, declaring it as a [[Arma 3: Functions Library|Function]] is recommended to avoid recompiling and wasting performance with every execution.
+* The script is searched for in the following directories in that order:
+** mission directory
+** campaign scripts directory
+** global scripts directory.
+* To see what VM scripts are currently in the scheduler, use [[diag_activeSQFScripts]] command.
+}}
-|s2= [[execVM]] filename
+{{Feature|important|
+* The {{hl|.sqf}} file extension is not mandatory but is strongly recommended as using non-standard extensions may cause problems during binarisation
+* If the script file is not prepared using UTF-8 encoding and contains some characters [[toArray|with codes]] > 127, they might convert incorrectly.
+}}
-|p21= filename: [[String]] - file with sqf code (doesn't have to have .sqf extension, but not using standard extensions may cause problems later, during binarisation)
+|s1= arguments [[execVM]] filename
-|r2= [[Script]] - script handle, can be used to determine (via [[scriptDone]] (also via [[isNull]] in Arma 3)) when the execVMed script has finished. In Arma 3, the handle is also available inside the execVMed script in <tt>_thisScript</tt> variable.
+|p1= arguments: [[Anything]] - arguments accessible as {{hl|[[Magic Variables#this|_this]]}} in the script
-|x1= <code>_handle = [[execVM]] "test.sqf";</code>
+|p2= filename: [[String]] - path to the [[SQF Syntax|SQF]] script file
-|x2= <code>_handle = [[player]] [[execVM]] "test.sqf";
+|r1= [[Script Handle]]
-[[waitUntil]] { [[scriptDone]] _handle };</code>
-|x3= In Arma 3 this is also possible:
+|s2= [[execVM]] filename
-<code>_handle = [[execVM]] "123.sqf";
-[[waitUntil]] { [[isNull]] _handle };</code>
-|x4= <code>[4] [[execVM]] "showDamage.sqf";
+|p21= filename: [[String]] - path to the [[SQF Syntax|SQF]] script file
-{{cc|showDamage.sqf}}
-[[private]] _damage = _this [[select]] 0;
-[[hint]] [[format]] ["%1", _damage];</code>
-|seealso= [[call]], [[spawn]], [[exec]], [[execFSM]], [[scriptDone]], [[scriptNull]], [[terminate]], [[sleep]], [[uiSleep]], [[waitUntil]], [[canSuspend]], [[diag_activeScripts]], [[diag_activeSQFScripts]], [[SQF Syntax]], [[Control Structures]]
+|r2= [[Script Handle]]
-}}
-<dl class="command_description">
+|x1= <sqf>execVM "test.sqf";</sqf>
-<dt><dt>
+|x2= <sqf>
-<dd class="notedate">Posted on November 23, 2010 - 15:56</dd>
+_handle = player execVM "test.sqf";
-<dt class="note">[[User:Kabilen|Kabilen]]</dt>
+waitUntil { scriptDone _handle };
-<dd class="note">Passing variables to the script file''
+</sqf>
+The following is also possible in {{arma3}}:
+<sqf>
+private _handle = execVM "123.sqf";
+waitUntil { isNull _handle };
+</sqf>
-To pass multiple variables to the script file, use an array e.g:
+|x3= <sqf>[player, 0.75] execVM "setDamage.sqf";</sqf>
+setDamage.sqf:
+<sqf>
+params ["_unit", "_damage"];
+_unit setDamage _damage;
+</sqf>
-'''null = [myunit,1234] execVM "test.sqf";'''
+|x4= [[execVM]] equivalence:
+<sqf>
+private _handle = _args execVM "someFile.sqf";
+// is practically identical to
+private _handle = _args spawn compile preprocessFileLineNumbers "someFile.sqf";
+</sqf>
-Now within test.sqf to access the elements, use the following:
+|seealso= [[call]] [[spawn]] [[exec]] [[execFSM]] [[scriptDone]] [[scriptNull]] [[terminate]] [[sleep]] [[uiSleep]] [[waitUntil]] [[canSuspend]] [[diag_activeScripts]] [[diag_activeSQFScripts]] [[SQF Syntax]] [[Control Structures]]
+}}
-'''_myunit = _this select 0;'''<br>
-'''_myvar = _this select 1;'''
-</dl>
-{{GameCategory|arma1|Scripting Commands}}
-{{GameCategory|arma2|Scripting Commands}}
-{{GameCategory|arma3|Scripting Commands}}
-{{GameCategory|tkoh|Scripting Commands}}