Inform 7 Tips

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Factoids, frivolity, flimflam, flotsam, and folderol about Inform 7 and sometimes IF at large.

Guaranteed 100% unofficial.

by @zedlopez

I7 Docs & Resourceshttps://intfiction.org/t/inform-7-documentation-and-resources/3311
I7 Language Docs w/ playable examples (unofficial)https://zedlopez.github.io/i7doc/
I7 Standard Rules Action Referencehttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aZRQybbFQUmSTw9AQTO7qqQnEGlk6i-XVLrpSjrlCi8/view
I7 Tools and Literate Source (official)https://ganelson.github.io/inform/
Inform 7 TipsFeb 22

IronChIF is back and this time they're cooking with Inform!

https://intfiction.org/t/78122

Tune in to see challenger Lucian P. Smith take on Iron Chef Inform Ryan Veeder under the scrutiny of no less esteemed a panel of judges than @victorgijsbers, N. Cormier, JJ McC, Chandler Groover, and Brian Rushton. IronChIF creator OtisTDog returns as MC and the technical advisor (sort of the glue that holds it all together) is… yours truly!

My opener was this overview of Inform:

https://intfiction.org/t/78122/42

Iron ChIF: Season One Episode 1 (lpsmith vs. Afterward, using Inform 7)

The first episode of Season One will feature Challenger Lucian P. Smith (@lpsmith), author of The Edifice. The chosen platform is Inform 7, and the defending Iron Chef will be Ryan Veeder (@Afterward). The event will start at noon UTC on Friday, February 20th and last until noon UTC on Tuesday, March 3rd. The actual development period will be from noon Sunday, February 22nd through noon Friday, February 27th. Dishes will be released at the end of the development period, for audience play over...

The Interactive Fiction Community Forum
Inform 7 TipsFeb 10

David Kinder just released a freshly updated version of the Windows IDE for Inform 10.1.2.

https://intfiction.org/t/windows-inform-10-1-2-2026-update/78965

To be clear, the version of Inform it's built on hasn't changed; it's various aspects of the IDE that have been updated.

https://github.com/DavidKinder/Windows-Inform7/releases/tag/10_1_2_2026

Windows Inform 10.1.2, 2026 update

As there was some interest recently, I’ve created a new build of Windows Inform 10.1.2. For the moment this is only available from the Windows Inform Github releases page, until it’s had some more testing: Inform 10.1.2, 2026 update Note that this is exactly the same core Inform compiler toolchain as the original 2022 release. Only the Windows front-end has been updated. In addition to being recompiled with the latest Visual Studio, using the latest versions of all libraries, and some bug fixes...

The Interactive Fiction Community Forum
Show threadInform 7 TipsFeb 6

I never posted the Briggs interview itself...

https://cdm16903.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16903coll15/id/11/rec/1

AmyBriggsAccess

Inform 7 TipsFeb 6
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/from-infocom-to-80-days-an-oral-history-of-text-games-and-interactive-fiction/
From Infocom to 80 Days: An oral history of text games and interactive fiction

MUDs, Usenet, and open source all play a part in 50 years of IF history.

Ars Technica
Inform 7 TipsFeb 1
IFCompJan 31

IFComp has updated its rules for 2026.

You can see the updated rules page at https://ifcomp.org/rules/

You can read more about what went into this rule at https://www.tumblr.com/ifcomp/807273791356010496/ifcomp-2026-generative-ai-policy-update

Thank you to everyone who shared feedback that helped inform this update.

The Interactive Fiction Competition

Inform 7 TipsFeb 1

New #IFComp rule:

https://www.tumblr.com/ifcomp/807273791356010496/ifcomp-2026-generative-ai-policy-update

🙶All player-facing content in IFComp entries, including cover art, must be entirely created by humans.

Authors may continue to use tools of their choice, including generative AI tools, for development assistance such as editing, debugging, accessibility support, research, limited translation assistance, or coding. Entries may not require judges or players to interact with external AI or generative services during play.🙷

Post by @ifcomp · 13 images

💬 0  🔁 4  ❤️ 9 · IFComp 2026: Generative AI Policy Update · For IFComp 2026, we are introducing a new rule addressing the use of generative AI. The guiding principle is that judges and players sho…

Tumblr
Inform 7 TipsJan 11
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/counterfeit-monkey-is-so-magnificent-a-text-adventure-that-im-convinced-the-puzzle-genre-went-wrong-when-it-added-graphics/
Counterfeit Monkey is so magnificent a text adventure that I'm convinced the puzzle genre went wrong when it added graphics

The power of the written word can quite literally change nations in this sci-fi masterpiece.

PC Gamer
Show threadInform 7 TipsJan 7

>climb lab
Little is to be achieved by that.

>buy lab
Nothing is on sale.

>taste lab
You taste nothing unexpected.

>burn lab
This dangerous act would achieve little.

---

Nothing terrible there. There are a few cases of no output, though:

>consult lab about me
>push lab
>tie lab to lab
>

---

So be aware that an action `applying to a touchable thing` and a corresponding grammar line using the `[something]` token doesn't exclude rooms and be mindful when putting non-thing objects in scope.

Show threadInform 7 TipsJan 7

So it's by design that they might receive a room as their noun.

And the default responses are calculated to be as sensible as possible with arbitrary nouns.

>touch lab
You feel nothing unexpected.

>cut lab
Cutting it up would achieve little.

>squeeze lab
You achieve nothing by this.

>touch lab
You feel nothing unexpected.

>open lab
It isn't something you can open.

>search lab
You find nothing of interest.

>pull lab
Nothing obvious happens.

>turn lab
Nothing obvious happens.

Show threadInform 7 TipsJan 7

Since the parser will allow the location as `[something]` and Basic Accessibility will allow it as a touchable thing, there are now a lot of commands that'll make it at least as far as the actions' check rules.

The action may even succeed. For listening to and smelling, there are rules `for supplying a missing noun` that set the noun to the actor's "touchability ceiling", which is their location unless they're in a closed enterable container.