goto-run.md

group
Flow

@goto and @run

By helping keep your story neat, and opening up more possibilites, @goto and @run are essential parts of Storymatic.

Overview

Both @goto and @run help you transition between blocks. There is a slight difference, which is that @goto goes to a block and exits the current one, while @run goes to a block, and when stopped, continues the current one.

You write them like this:

@goto {blockname}
@run {blockname}

Example

Remember our example from @menu? We can improve this by using seperate blocks.

start
  Welcome to the ice cream store!
  @menu What flavor would you like to buy?
    Chocolate
      @goto chocolate
    Vanilla
      You bought vanilla!
    Strawberry
      You bought strawberry!
  Goodbye!

chocolate
  @menu Would you like milk or dark chocolate?
    Dark Chocolate
      You bought dark chocolate!
    Milk Chocolate
      You bought milk chocolate!

In the example above, if the user selects Chocolate, we go to the state chocolate.

Goto vs. Run

In the example above, the user will not see Goodbye! if they selected Chocolate because we used goto, meaning that when the chocolate state ends, the story will end. However, in

start
  Welcome to the ice cream store!
  @menu What flavor would you like to buy?
    Chocolate
      @run chocolate
    Vanilla
      You bought vanilla!
    Strawberry
      You bought strawberry!
  Goodbye!

chocolate
  @menu Would you like milk or dark chocolate?
    Dark Chocolate
      You bought dark chocolate!
    Milk Chocolate
      You bought milk chocolate!

we use @run, so when the chocolate state ends, it will continue the current state, meaning it will show Goodbye!.