2024.13 manual

.github/workflows/build.yml

@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ jobs:
         shell: cmd
         working-directory: Manual       
       - name: Upload robohelp zip file
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with:
            name: YoYoStudioRoboHelp
            path: output\RoboHelp\*.zip

Manual/contents/Additional_Information/Errors/Compiler_Errors.htm

@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ <h1>Compile Errors</h1>
       </tr>
       <tr>
         <td>Cannot use an argument outside a script </td>
-        <td>The built in argument variables can only be used inside a script but you have tried to use them elsewhere</td>
+        <td>The built-in argument variables can only be used inside a script but you have tried to use them elsewhere</td>
       </tr>
       <tr>
         <td>No references to <span class="inline">argument[num]</span> but references <span class="inline">argument[num]</span></td>
@@ -203,8 +203,8 @@ <h1>Compile Errors</h1>
         <td>You have tried to set a variable that is read only</td>
       </tr>
       <tr>
-        <td>Cannot re-declare a built in variable</td>
-        <td>You have tried to declare a local variable using the same name as one of the built in variables</td>
+        <td>Cannot re-declare a built-in variable</td>
+        <td>You have tried to declare a local variable using the same name as one of the built-in variables</td>
       </tr>
       <tr>
         <td>Cannot use resource name for a variable</td>
@@ -483,7 +483,7 @@ <h1>Compile Errors</h1>
         <div style="float:right">Next: <a href="Runner_Errors.htm">Runner Errors</a></div>
       </div>
     </div>
-    <h5><span data-keyref="Copyright Notice">© Copyright YoYo Games Ltd. 2024 All Rights Reserved</span></h5>
+    <h5><span data-keyref="Copyright Notice">© Copyright YoYo Games Ltd. 2025 All Rights Reserved</span></h5>
   </div>
   <!-- KEYWORDS
 Compiler Errors

Manual/contents/Additional_Information/Guide_To_Using_Buffers.htm

@@ -16,46 +16,19 @@
   <!--<div class="body-scroll" style="top: 150px;">-->
   <h1><span data-field="title" data-format="default">Guide To Using Buffers</span></h1>
   <p>A buffer (in programming) is basically a space within the system memory that is used to store small packets of data for just about anything (for example: data transfer, collisions, colour data, etc.). Since it is held in system memory it is very fast to access, and a buffer would generally be used for very short-term storage, like receiving network information before processing it, or for storing a checkpoint in your game (this is explained in the example given further down the page).</p>
-  <p><img alt="Buffer Memory" class="center" src="../assets/Images/Scripting_Reference/Additional_Information/Buffer_Memory.png" />Buffers are created by allocating a space in the system memory, calculated in <a class="glossterm" data-glossterm="byte" href="#">byte</a> <span class="glossextra">s</span>, which is then reserved for your game as long as your game is running or until you delete the buffer using the appropriate function (you can find all the GML buffer functions listed <a href="../GameMaker_Language/GML_Reference/Buffers/Buffers.htm">here</a>). This means that even when your game is not in focus (for example, on a mobile device when you take a call the game will be put into the background) the buffer will still exist, however if the game is closed or re-started the buffer will be lost.</p>
+  <p><img alt="Buffer Memory" class="center" height="163" src="../assets/Images/Scripting_Reference/Additional_Information/Buffer_Memory.png" width="480" />Buffers are created by allocating a space in the system memory, calculated in <a class="glossterm" data-glossterm="byte" href="#">byte</a> <span class="glossextra">s</span>, which is then reserved for your game as long as your game is running or until you delete the buffer using the appropriate function (you can find all the GML buffer functions listed <a href="../GameMaker_Language/GML_Reference/Buffers/Buffers.htm">here</a>). This means that even when your game is not in focus (for example, on a mobile device when you take a call the game will be put into the background) the buffer will still exist, however if the game is closed or re-started the buffer will be lost.</p>
   <p class="note"><span data-conref="../assets/snippets/Tag_note.hts"> </span> Restarting the game will not clear or delete the buffer! But it will prevent any further access to the previously created buffer as the ID handle will have been lost, causing a memory leak which will crash your game eventually. So, when re-starting a game, remember to delete any buffers first.</p>
   <p><span data-keyref="GameMaker Name">GameMaker</span> permits the creation of four different buffer types. The reason for this is that buffers are designed to be a highly optimised temporary storage medium, and as such you should create a buffer that is appropriate to the type of data that you wish it to store, otherwise you could get errors or cause a bottleneck in your code. Before explaining this further, let&#39;s look at the four available buffer types (defined as <strong>constants </strong>in GML):</p>
   <p> </p>
-  <table>
-    <tbody>
-      <tr>
-        <th>Constant</th>
-        <th>Description</th>
-      </tr>
-      <tr>
-        <td><span class="inline">buffer_fixed</span></td>
-        <td><br />
-          A buffer of a fixed size in bytes. The size is set when the buffer is created and cannot be changed again.</td>
-      </tr>
-      <tr>
-        <td><span class="inline">buffer_grow</span></td>
-        <td><br />
-          A buffer that will <i>grow</i> dynamically as data is added. You create it with an initial size (which should be an approximation of the size of the data expected to be stored), and then it will expand to accept further data that overflows this initial size.</td>
-      </tr>
-      <tr>
-        <td><span class="inline">buffer_wrap</span></td>
-        <td><br />
-          A buffer where the data will <i>wrap</i>. When the data being added reaches the limit of the buffer size, the overwrite will be placed back at the start of the buffer, and further writing will continue from that point.</td>
-      </tr>
-      <tr>
-        <td><span class="inline">buffer_fast</span></td>
-        <td><br />
-          This is a special &quot;stripped down&quot; buffer that is extremely fast to read/write to. However it can only be used with <span class="inline"><span class="inline">buffer_u8</span></span> data types, and must be 1 byte aligned. (Information on <b>data types</b> and <b>byte alignment</b> can be found further down this page).</td>
-      </tr>
-    </tbody>
-  </table>
+  <div data-conref="../assets/snippets/Table_Buffer_Type_Constant.hts"> </div>
   <p> </p>
   <p>Those are the buffer types available to you when using <span data-keyref="GameMaker Name">GameMaker</span>, and which one you choose will greatly depend on the use you wish to put it to. For example, a grow buffer would be used for storing a &quot;snapshot&quot; of data to create a save game since you do not know the actual amount of data that is going to be placed in it, or a fast buffer would be used when you know that the values you are working with are all between 0 and 255 or -128 and 127, for example when processing <a class="glossterm" data-glossterm="ARGB" href="#">ARGB</a> data from an image.</p>
   <p><img alt="Buffer Types" class="center" src="../assets/Images/Scripting_Reference/Additional_Information/Buffer_Types.png" />When creating a buffer, you should always try to create it to a size that is appropriate to the type, with the general rule being that it should be created to accommodate the maximum size of data that it is to store, and if in doubt, use a grow buffer to prevent overwrite errors.</p>
   <p>The actual code to create a buffer would look something like this:</p>
   <p class="code">player_buffer = buffer_create(16384, buffer_fixed, 2);</p>
   <p><br />
     That would create a fixed buffer of 16384 bytes and byte-aligned to 2, with the function returning a buffer handle that is stored in a variable for later referencing of this buffer.</p>
-  <p>When reading and writing data to a buffer, you do it in &quot;chunks&quot; of data defined by their &quot;data type&quot;. The &quot;data type&quot; sets the number of bytes allocated within the buffer for the value being written, and it is essential that you get this correct otherwise you will get some very strange results (or even errors) for your code.</p>
+  <p>When reading and writing data to a buffer, you do it in &quot;chunks&quot; of data defined by their &quot;data type&quot;. The &quot;data type&quot; sets the number of bytes allocated within the buffer for the value being written, and it is essential that you get this correct, otherwise you will get some very strange results (or even errors) for your code.</p>
   <p>Buffers are written to (and read from) <strong>sequentially</strong>, in that one piece of data is written after another, with each piece of data being of a set type. This means that you should ideally be aware of what data you are writing to the buffer at all times. These data types are defined in GML by the following constants:</p>
   <div data-conref="../assets/snippets/buffer_data_type_constants.hts"> </div>
   <p>So, say you have created a buffer and you want to write information to it, then you would use something like the following code:</p>
@@ -136,7 +109,7 @@ <h1><span data-field="title" data-format="default">Guide To Using Buffers</span>
         <div style="float:right">Next: <a href="Bitwise_Operators.htm">Bitwise Operators</a></div>
       </div>
     </div>
-    <h5><span data-keyref="Copyright Notice">© Copyright YoYo Games Ltd. 2024 All Rights Reserved</span></h5>
+    <h5><span data-keyref="Copyright Notice">© Copyright YoYo Games Ltd. 2025 All Rights Reserved</span></h5>
   </div>
   <!-- KEYWORDS
 Buffers

Manual/contents/Additional_Information/Guide_To_Using_Particles.htm

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 <head>
   <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
   <title>Guide To Using Particles</title>
-  <meta name="generator" content="Adobe RoboHelp 2020" />
+  <meta name="generator" content="Adobe RoboHelp 2022" />
   <link rel="stylesheet" href="../assets/css/default.css" type="text/css" />
   <script src="../assets/scripts/main_script.js" type="module">
     //<![CDATA[
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ <h1><span data-field="title" data-format="default">Guide To Using Particles</spa
     <p class="dropspot"><img alt="Create Particle System" class="center" src="../assets/Images/Scripting_Reference/Additional_Information/Particles_DnD_CreateSystem.png" /></p>
     <p class="note"><span data-conref="../assets/snippets/Tag_note.hts"> </span> The layer name supplied must be a valid layer in the room where the system will be used, otherwise no particles will be visible. Also note that we set the <span class="inline2"><a data-xref="{title}" href="../GameMaker_Language/GML_Reference/Asset_Management/Instances/Instance_Variables/persistent.htm">persistent</a></span> flag (both in code and in <span data-keyref="GML_Visual">GML Visual</span>) to <span class="inline2">false</span>. A persistent particle system is one that will &quot;persist&quot; across rooms without the need to destroy and re-create it for each room. However, to keep things simple for this guide, we&#39;ll not be using persistence.</p>
     <p class="dropspot">So that&#39;s the system created, but what about the particles? We have to define them too or the system is useless and does nothing.</p>
-    <p class="dropspot">If you already have a <span data-keyref="Type_Asset_ParticleSystem"><a href="../../The_Asset_Editors/Particle_Systems.htm" target="_blank">Particle System Asset</a></span>, you can create it using the above function/action by passing the asset into the <span class="inline2">partsys</span>/&quot;System&quot; argument.</p>
+    <p class="dropspot">If you already have a <span data-keyref="Type_Asset_ParticleSystem"><a href="../The_Asset_Editors/Particle_Systems.htm" target="_blank">Particle System Asset</a></span>, you can create it using the above function/action by passing the asset into the <span class="inline2">partsys</span>/&quot;System&quot; argument.</p>
     <p class="dropspot"> </p>
   </div>
   <p><a class="dropspot" data-rhwidget="DropSpot" data-target="drop-down1" href="#">Defining A Particle Type</a></p>
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ <h1><span data-field="title" data-format="default">Guide To Using Particles</spa
     <p class="note"><span data-conref="../assets/snippets/Tag_note.hts"> </span> Using <span data-keyref="GML_Visual">GML Visual</span> we also tick the <strong>blend </strong>option. This enables <strong>additive blending</strong> for the particle, which we&#39;ll discuss a bit further down.</p>
     <p class="dropspot">You now have a system and a particle to put in it, but you&#39;re not ready yet to create your outstanding effects! You still have to define the properties of the particle, ie: how it looks - its speed, its rotation, its alpha, etc. There are a lot of details that can be used to define a particle effect, so below is an overview of the most important settings and then a snippet of code and <span data-keyref="GML_Visual">GML Visual</span> that uses all of them:</p>
     <ul class="dropspotlist">
-      <li class="dropspot"><strong>shape</strong>: The shape of the particle is the built in sprite that it will use, with the default being the constant <span class="inline">pt_shape_pixel</span>. There is also a function to add a custom particle if required - <span class="inline3_func"><a data-xref="{title}" href="../GameMaker_Language/GML_Reference/Drawing/Particles/Particle_Types/part_type_sprite.htm">part_type_sprite</a></span> - or the action <a data-xref="{title}" href="../Drag_And_Drop/Drag_And_Drop_Reference/Particles/Set_Particle_Sprite.htm">Set Particle Sprite</a>.</li>
+      <li class="dropspot"><strong>shape</strong>: The shape of the particle is the built-in sprite that it will use, with the default being the constant <span class="inline">pt_shape_pixel</span>. There is also a function to add a custom particle if required - <span class="inline3_func"><a data-xref="{title}" href="../GameMaker_Language/GML_Reference/Drawing/Particles/Particle_Types/part_type_sprite.htm">part_type_sprite</a></span> - or the action <a data-xref="{title}" href="../Drag_And_Drop/Drag_And_Drop_Reference/Particles/Set_Particle_Sprite.htm">Set Particle Sprite</a>.</li>
       <li class="dropspot"><strong>size</strong>: Sets the size parameters for the particle type. You specify the minimum starting size, the maximum starting size, and the size increase in each step (use a negative number for a decrease in size). This is a scalar value that will modify the base image x/y scale equally.</li>
       <li class="dropspot"><strong>colour</strong>: Sets the colour for the particle if a single colour is used. If two or three colours are supplied this will be the colour blend, blending from one to the other over its lifetime.</li>
       <li class="dropspot"><strong>alpha</strong>: Sets the alpha value for the particle between a value of 0 and 1. If a single value is passed in this will be the alpha of the particle, if two or three values are passed in then the alpha will blend between these over the lifetime of the particle.</li>
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ <h1><span data-field="title" data-format="default">Guide To Using Particles</spa
         <div style="float:right">Next: <a data-xref="{title}" href="Guide_To_Using_Shaders.htm">Guide To Using Shaders</a></div>
       </div>
     </div>
-    <h5><span data-keyref="Copyright Notice">© Copyright YoYo Games Ltd. 2023 All Rights Reserved</span></h5>
+    <h5><span data-keyref="Copyright Notice">© Copyright YoYo Games Ltd. 2025 All Rights Reserved</span></h5>
   </div>
   <!-- KEYWORDS
 Vectors

Manual/contents/Additional_Information/Obsolete_Functions.htm

@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@ <h1><span data-field="title" data-format="default">Obsolete Functions</span></h1
   </div>
   <p><a class="dropspot" data-rhwidget="DropSpot" data-target="drop-down6" href="#">3rd Party Support</a></p>
   <div class="droptext" data-targetname="drop-down6">
-    <p class="dropspot"><span data-keyref="GameMaker Name">GameMaker</span> moves a lot of built in functionality from previous versions into <a href="../The_Asset_Editors/Extensions.htm">extensions</a>, meaning that the following 3rd party support functions are considered obsolete:</p>
+    <p class="dropspot"><span data-keyref="GameMaker Name">GameMaker</span> moves a lot of built-in functionality from previous versions into <a href="../The_Asset_Editors/Extensions.htm">extensions</a>, meaning that the following 3rd party support functions are considered obsolete:</p>
     <table>
       <tbody>
         <tr>
@@ -919,7 +919,7 @@ <h1><span data-field="title" data-format="default">Obsolete Functions</span></h1
         <div style="float:right">Next: <a data-xref="{title}" href="../Introduction/The_Marketplace.htm">The Marketplace</a></div>
       </div>
     </div>
-    <h5><span data-keyref="Copyright Notice">© Copyright YoYo Games Ltd. 2024 All Rights Reserved</span></h5>
+    <h5><span data-keyref="Copyright Notice">© Copyright YoYo Games Ltd. 2025 All Rights Reserved</span></h5>
   </div>
   <!-- KEYWORDS
 Obsolete Functions

Manual/contents/Drag_And_Drop/Drag_And_Drop_Overview/Applying_Actions_To_Other_Instances.htm

@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ <h1>Applying Actions To Other Instances</h1>
   </div>
   <p><img alt="Object Icon" class="icon" src="../../assets/Images/Scripting_Reference/Drag_And_Drop/Overview/i_Scope_Object.png" /><a class="dropspot" data-rhwidget="DropSpot" data-target="drop-down3" href="#">Object</a></p>
   <div class="droptext" data-targetname="drop-down3">
-    <p class="dropspot">An action can also be given an <strong>object</strong> as it&#39;s scope. What this means is that all instances of the given object will run that action at the same time it is called. So if you have 100 enemy instances in the room, for example, and you want to set them all to point towards a specific point. You&#39;d call the <a href="../Drag_And_Drop_Reference/Movement/Set_Point_Direction.htm">Set Point Direction</a> and set the action scope to the object &quot;obj_Enemy&quot; and when it is called, all instances of that object will change direction.</p>
+    <p class="dropspot">An action can also be given an <strong>object</strong> as its scope. What this means is that all instances of the given object will run that action at the same time it is called. So if you have 100 enemy instances in the room, for example, and you want to set them all to point towards a specific point. You&#39;d call the <a href="../Drag_And_Drop_Reference/Movement/Set_Point_Direction.htm">Set Point Direction</a> and set the action scope to the object &quot;obj_Enemy&quot; and when it is called, all instances of that object will change direction.</p>
     <p class="dropspot"> </p>
   </div>
   <p><a class="dropspot" data-rhwidget="DropSpot" data-target="drop-down4" href="#">Expression</a></p>
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ <h1>Applying Actions To Other Instances</h1>
         <div style="float:right">Next: <a href="Action_Block_Functions.htm">Action Block Scripts</a></div>
       </div>
     </div>
-    <h5><span data-keyref="Copyright Notice">© Copyright YoYo Games Ltd. 2024 All Rights Reserved</span></h5>
+    <h5><span data-keyref="Copyright Notice">© Copyright YoYo Games Ltd. 2025 All Rights Reserved</span></h5>
   </div>
   <!-- KEYWORDS
 GML Visual Applying Actions