tintin-mode

A modern Emacs major mode for editing TinTin++ configuration files.

TinTin++ is a terminal-based MUD client that uses scripting files with .tin and .tt extensions. This mode provides comprehensive syntax highlighting, indentation, and editing support for TinTin++ scripts.

Features

• Syntax highlighting for TinTin++ commands, variables, functions, strings, and comments
• Theme-aware - inherits colors from your Emacs theme instead of hardcoded colors
• Command completion - tab completion for TinTin++ commands (type #ac + TAB ? #action)
• Smart indentation - automatic indentation with customizable offset
• Code navigation - Imenu integration for jumping to functions and variables
• Code folding - outline mode support for collapsing sections
• Function context - which-function-mode shows current function in mode line
• Electric pairs - automatic brace and parenthesis pairing
• Robust font-lock - handles complex variable syntax like *GMCP_PACKAGES[%*]

Installation

MELPA

The recommended way to install tintin-mode is through MELPA:

M-x package-install RET tintin-mode RET

Manual Installation

1. Download tintin-mode.el
2. Place it in your load-path
3. Add to your Emacs configuration:

(require 'tintin-mode)

Usage

tintin-mode automatically activates for files with .tin and .tt extensions.

Example TinTin++ Code

#nop This is a comment
#variable {hp} {100}
#variable {max_hp} {150}

#action {%0 tells you '%1'} {
    #if {"%1" == "hello"} {
        tell %0 Hello there!
    }
}

#function {heal} {
    #if {$hp < 50} {
        cast heal;
        #showme {Healing - HP: $hp/$max_hp}
    }
}

#foreach {*GMCP_PACKAGES[%*]} {package} {
    #if {$GMCP_PACKAGES[$package]} {
        #showme {Package $package is enabled}
    }
}

Key Bindings

Key	Function
C-c C-c	Comment region
C-c C-u	Uncomment region
C-c C-f	Jump to function/variable
C-c C-o	Toggle code folding
C-j	Newline and indent

Configuration

Indentation

Customize the indentation offset:

(setq tintin-indent-offset 4) ; Default is 2

Faces

All faces inherit from standard font-lock faces and automatically adapt to your theme. You can customize individual faces:

;; Customize variable highlighting
(set-face-attribute 'tintin-var-face nil :foreground "yellow" :weight 'bold)

Available faces:

• tintin-var-face - Variables (%var, $var, *var)
• tintin-var-def-face - Variable definitions (#variable)
• tintin-function-face - Function calls (@function)
• tintin-function-def-face - Function definitions (#function)
• tintin-conditional-face - Conditionals and loops (#if, #loop, etc.)
• tintin-comment-face - Comments (#nop)
• tintin-hash-face - TinTin++ commands (#action, #alias, etc.)
• tintin-ansi-face - ANSI color codes (<123>)
• tintin-symbol-face - Brackets and operators

Hooks

(add-hook 'tintin-mode-hook
          (lambda ()
            ;; Enable line numbers
            (display-line-numbers-mode 1)
            ;; Enable which-function-mode
            (which-function-mode 1)))

Supported TinTin++ Features

• Commands - All major TinTin++ commands with completion
• Variables - %var, $var, *var with array syntax [index]
• Functions - User-defined functions with @function{args} calls
• Conditionals - #if, #else, #elseif, #loop, #while, #foreach
• Comments - #nop, #no comments
• Strings - Double and single quoted strings
• ANSI Colors - <color_code> highlighting

Differences from Original Mode

This mode replaces the outdated tintin-mode linked from the TinTin++ website. Key improvements:

• Modern Emacs integration - uses define-derived-mode and inherits from prog-mode
• Theme compatibility - respects your color scheme instead of hardcoded colors
• Robust font-lock - doesn’t break on complex syntax or when scrolling
• Enhanced features - completion, navigation, folding, and indentation
• Better regex patterns - handles complex variable syntax and nested structures
• Active maintenance - built with modern Emacs best practices

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Submit a pull request

Report bugs or request features through the issue tracker.

License

GPL-3.0 or later. See LICENSE file for details.

Related Links

• TinTin++ Official Site
• TinTin++ Manual
• TinTin++ Source Code