VWMUD Master 2026 - User Documentation

This replaces vwmudhelp.pdf (2006). It covers the same trigger/alias/scripting language the original documented, updated against the actual behavior of the 2026 .NET rebuild - and the new menu structure (File / Automation / Triggers & Functions / Mapping / Help) that replaced the placeholder View menu from earlier builds of this rebuild. Every command below was checked against the current source, not just carried over from the old file, so a few things have changed since 2006 - see What's Changed Since 2006 if you're coming from the old docs and something seems to behave differently than you remember.

Table of Contents

• Getting Started & the Main Window
• The Menus
• Triggers
• Aliases
• Variables & Math
• Conditional Commands
• Targeting
• Defense Condition
• Timers, Rescue & Idle
• Mapping
• File Handling
• Screen, Notify & Connection
• Automation Extras (Mail, Shell, History)
• The Settings Dialog
• What's Changed Since 2006
• Quick Command Reference

Getting Started & the Main Window

Opening a MUD and connecting

File > Open Mud File... loads a .mud profile (an INI-style config file holding your host/port, triggers file, aliases, settings and any saved custom variables). File > Connect... opens the connection; File > Disconnect drops it. The Connect/Linkdead button on the Common Actions panel does the same thing with one click - its caption switches to Linkdead once you're connected.

The main window, top to bottom

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The Menus

File

Automation

Triggers & Functions

Mapping

Help

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Triggers

Triggers are the core of the client. The MUD sends a line of text, the client checks it against every trigger pattern in order, and any match fires its action - which can be a plain command, an alias, another #-command, or a whole semicolon-separated command set.

#TRIGGER {%someone looks at you.}{wave %someone}
#TRIGGER {Sid looks at you.}{wave %someone}
#TRIGGER {%someone looks at you}{wave %someone}
#TRIGGER {[Harry looks at you.]}{wave %someone}
#TRIGGER {%someone looks %trash}{#IF [%someone = harry] say hi!}

If the MUD sends Harry looks at you.:

• Trigger 1 fires - %someone becomes harry, sends wave harry.
• Trigger 2 doesn't fire - Harry isn't Sid.
• Trigger 3 doesn't fire - it has no trailing period, the incoming text does. A classic gotcha.
• Trigger 4 fires - square brackets mean an exact match, no substitution possible, useful to stop other players' speech from accidentally triggering you (e.g. monster hit you vs. idiot says: monster hit you).
• Trigger 5 fires - %trash swallows the rest of the line; its contents are still available as %line even though it wasn't captured under its own name.

Triggers can contain aliases, commands, variables and full command sets - anything you could type on the command line. They live in a .tri file (named in your .mud file, editable in Settings > Files), read top to bottom, and can be edited with a text editor, on the command line with #TRIGGER, or through Triggers & Functions > Triggers.

#TRIGGER {pattern}{action}

Creates a trigger. Braces are required on the command line (the GUI form adds them for you). Also works typed directly as a command:

#TRIGGER {You arrive at your base}{#RESCUEOFF;#IDLEON}

#TRIGOFF

Turns off more than triggers: triggers, aliases, event handling, command-set handling (except the set currently running), #-command handling, and variable processing - effectively a dumb client. The only way back on is #TRIGON from inside the same command set, or the Triggers checkbox.

#TRIGGER {You arrive at base}{#TRIGOFF;drop all;#TRIGON}

#TRIG / #TRIGON

Turns triggers back on. #TRIGON only works as part of a command set that also contains the #TRIGOFF that disabled things - it can't be used standalone once everything is off. #TRIG is kept for old trigger files.

See also: #TRIGOFF

#FIRE trigger-text

Runs the full trigger-check pipeline against whatever text you give it, exactly as if the MUD had sent it - useful for indirection (calling a trigger like a subroutine) or for testing a trigger from the command line.

{%someone hit you}{#IF [%someone = harry] #FIRE ZZAP harry}
{ZZAP %someone}{#TARGET %someone;jumpkick %someone}

The first trigger checks who's attacking; if it's Harry, it fires the made-up word ZZAP harry back through the pipeline, which the second trigger picks up.

#REFRESH

Reloads triggers/aliases/switches from disk. Only needed if you hand-edit a trigger file with a text editor while connected - the GUI editors already refresh automatically. Same as Triggers & Functions > Refresh All.

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Aliases

An alias is a shortcut for a longer command set, invoked with /name.

#ALIAS name command1;command2;command3

#ALIAS is the one command that ignores semicolons in its own definition rather than splitting on them, so a whole command set can live in one alias:

#ALIAS happy say hi *h;jump;say the time is %time

Calling /happy runs all three in order. Equivalent to Triggers & Functions > Aliases.

Arguments

Extra words after the alias name are available inside the definition as $1, $2, etc. (the $ character is configurable under Alias/CharSub):

#ALIAS wallnog wall@ nogs in agreement with $1 .

Typing /wallnog Fred sends wall@ nogs in agreement with Fred .

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Variables & Math

Three kinds of variable: System (built-in, read-only, listed below), Temporary (a trigger's %captures - lost once the trigger finishes unless saved with #SET), and Custom (yours, persisted to the .mud file, editable under Triggers & Functions > Custom Variables or with the commands below).

System variables

View these live (with current values) under Triggers & Functions > System Variables.

#SET / #VAR name = value

Assigns a value to a custom variable, persisted to the .mud file. #VAR is the older name, kept for old trigger files.

#TRIGGER {%zz looks at you}{#SET keep = %zz;say hi %keep!}

Simple math is supported in square brackets, referencing other variables with %:

#SET hg = [1 + 2];say %hg
#SET hg = [%hg + 1];say %hg

#INC name / #DEC name

Increases or decreases a variable by 1.

See also: #ADD, #SUB

#ADD name value / #SUB name value

Increases or decreases a variable by an arbitrary amount.

#TRIGGER {you find %xx dollars.}{#ADD gold %xx}

#RND name maxvalue

Assigns a random integer from 1 to maxvalue.

#TRIGGER {says: pick a number}{#RND nn 10;say %nn}

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Conditional Commands

#IF [condition] command

The general-purpose conditional. If the bracketed condition is true, the command runs; either way, anything after it in the same command set still runs independently - so chain #FIRE calls if you want "otherwise, do this instead" behavior:

#IF [%xx = fred] #FIRE helloFred; #IF [%xx = bert] #FIRE helloBert

Older, single-purpose equivalents (kept for old trigger files - use #IF for new ones):

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Targeting

The Target Acquisition box on the main window auto-fills from configured "watch phrases" (Automation > Targetting Settings) - whoever's name appears right before one of those phrases becomes the target, and *h (or %target) resolves to it. Clicking a word in the output pane sets a second, independent value, *c - use it for "act on whatever I just clicked," separate from the auto-detected target.

#AUTOLOCK / #AUTOFREE

Locks or releases the target box (same as the Lock Target checkbox). Locking stops new watch-phrase matches from stealing the target mid-fight.

#TRIGGER {*h hit you.}{#AUTOLOCK;jumpkick *h}
#TRIGGER {*h died.}{#AUTOFREE}

#TARGET name (or #TARGET *h)

Sets and locks the target explicitly.

#TRIGGER {%yy hit you.}{#TARGET %yy;jumpkick %yy}

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Defense Condition

The colored button on the main window (and the 10-segment threat meter) reflects how much of your remaining HP the last hit took - crossing certain thresholds automatically raises Defcon and speeds up the client/MUD "heartbeat."

#DEFCON1 / #DEFCON2 / #DEFCON3

Forces a Defcon level directly. 1 is the most urgent (fastest heartbeat). Usually set automatically, but can be forced from a trigger.

#IFDEFCON1 / #IFDEFCON2 / #IFDEFCON3 action

Runs action only if the client is currently at that Defcon level.

#TRIGGER {%xx hit you.}{#IFDEFCON1 say This guy is mad!}

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Timers, Rescue & Idle

Triggers & Functions > Timers & Function Keys assigns command sets to F1-F24 and wires two of them up to automations:

• Rescue - when Hit Points reach a level you set, the assigned Fx fires once, then Rescue turns itself off.
• Action Timer - fires the assigned Fx repeatedly, every N seconds.

Both default to F1 if you haven't chosen an override. A separate Idle Timer tab watches for keyboard inactivity: after N minutes with no keystrokes, it can send a command set and optionally reset itself afterward as if you'd typed something.

#RESCUEON / #RESCUEOFF

Arms or disarms HP monitoring. Turning it on doesn't fire anything immediately - it just starts watching. Turn it off in safe zones, since a garbled HP reading from a dropped connection (HP: 100% truncated to HP: 10) can trigger it by mistake.

#TRIGGER {You arrive at your base}{#RESCUEOFF}

#TIMERON / #TIMEROFF

Starts or stops the periodic Action Timer.

#TRIGGER {You arrive at base}{#TIMERON}
#TRIGGER {You leave your base}{#TIMEROFF}

#IDLEON (#AWAY) / #IDLEOFF (#NOTAWAY)

Marks you idle/away, or clears it - same as the Away checkbox. #AWAY/ #NOTAWAY are the older names.

#IFIDLE action / #IFNOTIDLE action

Runs action only if you are (or aren't) currently marked idle.

#TRIGGER {%ss tells you: hi}{#IFIDLE tell %ss I'm away}

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Mapping

Mapping records a path as you move, then saves it as a pair of aliases (outbound + computed reverse) so you don't have to keep retyping s;e;e;e;w;u. It can be driven from the Mapping menu or directly from the command line with the same underlying commands.

1. Start recording (Mapping > Start Mapping or #MARK)
2. Move around - every recognized direction you send gets appended automatically
3. Stop and save (Mapping > Stop Mapping, or #MARK again)

Which raw commands count as "a direction," and what each one's reverse is, is configured under Mapping > Configure Mapping (a table of pairs like n↔s, e↔w).

#MARK

Starts mapping if it's off, or stops it (prompting to save, if anything was recorded) if it's already on.

#PATH

Shows the currently-unsaved path on the status bar. Empty means either mapping isn't active or nothing's been recorded yet.

#MAP direction

Adds a direction to the path without actually sending it - useful for a step you know is hazardous and want to map without walking through it right now.

#RETURN

Plays the current path backwards to get you out quickly. Not all paths are guaranteed reversible (MUD-side one-way doors, traps, etc.) - directions sent by #RETURN aren't themselves re-recorded into the path.

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File Handling

#LOGFILE filename (or *AUTO)

Sets the log file name and turns logging on. *AUTO uses a daily file named autolog-yyyy-mm-dd.txt.

#LOG / #LOGENABLE - #LOGDISABLE / #LOGDISABLED

Turns logging on/off - same as the Logging checkbox.

#READ filename

Loads a text file into memory. Individual lines become available as %line1, %line2, etc., plus %linernd for a random one.

#FLUSH

Clears whatever #READ loaded from memory.

#TYPE filename

Prints a file's contents to your own screen only - nothing is sent anywhere.

#WRITE (optional line number)

Sends the file currently in memory (via #READ) to the MUD, line by line - or, given a number, just that one line. (In the original 2006 client this command's real behavior always matched what its own documentation called #LIST - the actual #LIST case had already been retired in favor of the Aliases dropdown even then. This rebuild keeps the behavior that was actually shipped.)

#APPEND filename text

Appends a line of text (with variables resolved) to a file, creating it if needed.

#APPEND kill.log Killed %target at %time

#PLAY filename

Sends a file to the MUD raw, line by line, with triggers off for the duration and no variable substitution at all - independent of #READ.

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Screen, Notify & Connection

#ECHO text

Writes a line to the status bar (not the MUD or the main output pane).

#CAPTION text

Sets the caption line under the Target Acquisition box - handy for a running commentary on your opponent's condition:

{is in good shape.}{#COLOR green,chartreuse;#CAPTION Good Shape}
{is in bad shape.}{#COLOR magenta,black;#CAPTION Bad Shape}

#COLOR backcolor,forecolor

Sets the Target Acquisition box's colors (any standard HTML color name).

#SCREEN backcolor,forecolor

Sets the main output pane's colors. ANSI handling, if on, overrides this.

#ANSION / #ANSIOFF

Turns ANSI color interpretation on/off - same as the ANSI checkbox. Turn it off if you see stray codes like [1;32m around words.

#NOTIFY message

Pops up a message box, even while minimized to the tray. Blocks further MUD activity until dismissed - use sparingly, it can cause you to idle out.

#INPUT

While minimized, pops up a small window with the recent screen text and an input box, so you can react without restoring the full client.

#LINKDEAD

Drops the connection immediately - same as the Connect/Linkdead button. Useful as a last-resort "get me off the server right now."

#BOUNCE (optional seconds, default 5)

Drops the connection and reconnects after a delay - handy for a MUD reboot you know takes roughly that long.

#TRIGGER {MudOS Driver Shutting Down!}{#BOUNCE 20}

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Automation Extras

#MAIL address message

Sends an email (or an SMS via a carrier's email-to-text gateway) using the SMTP settings under Settings. No STARTTLS support - use a server that accepts plain or AUTH PLAIN authentication.

#TRIGGER {%xx says: hey geek}{#MAIL geekme@myaddress.com %xx says hi}

#SHELL command line

Runs an external program or script.

#TRIGGER {%xx says: hey geek}{#SHELL cscript geek.vbs %xx says hi}

#SHELLSTYLE 1-5

Sets the window style external commands launched by #SHELL use.

#DOHIST index

Re-runs a recent command from your history, where 0 is the last command you sent, 1 the one before that, and so on.

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The Settings Dialog

Triggers & Functions > Settings (or Automation > Targetting/Health Value Settings to jump straight to the relevant tab) is one tabbed dialog covering everything the original split across four separate windows:

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What's Changed Since 2006

The 2026 rebuild is checked against the real, shipped 2006 client's actual behavior - not always the same thing the old documentation claimed. Where they disagreed, the code (not the prose) was treated as the spec of record. Here's the honest diff:

Genuinely new

• #FIRE - documented in 2006 but never actually wired up even then; implemented for real in this rebuild.
• #MAIL - documented and used by real trigger files, but also missing from the 2006 client's actual command table; implemented for real here.
• Click-to-target (*c) - click any word in the output pane to set it, without needing a trigger.
• The Common Actions, System Variables, and Set Direction Keys dialogs - all existed in spirit in 2006 but through smaller, separate windows; consolidated/rebuilt here.

Documented in 2006 but never actually implemented, in either version

These appeared in the old PDF but had no corresponding code even in the original 2006 client - they're not available here either:

#QUIT, #RESTART, #MAXIMIZE, #MINIMIZE, #RESET, #PIC, #LIST

%rnddir, %cmdline, %linenext

Renamed / reorganized, not removed

• The View menu from earlier 2026 builds is gone - its items now live under the restored Automation, Triggers & Functions, and Mapping menus, matching the original 2006 layout.
• frmTarget and frmHealth (separate 2006 dialogs) are now tabs inside one Settings dialog, reachable directly from the Automation menu.

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Quick Command Reference

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