Actions: Detail view  Back to full view A single action in detail. About the action rulebooks

Standard actions concerning other people
Giving it to , Showing it to , Waking , Throwing it at , Attacking , Kissing , Answering it that , Telling it about , Asking it about , Asking it for 

Giving something to something (past tense given it to)

This action is indexed by Inform under 'Actions concerning other people', but it could just as easily have gone under 'Actions concerning the actor's possessions' because - like dropping, putting it on or inserting it into - this is an action which gets rid of something being carried.

The Standard Rules implement this action fully - if it reaches the carry out and report rulebooks, then the item is indeed transferred to the recipient, and this is properly reported. But giving something to somebody is not like putting something on a shelf: the recipient has to agree. The final check rule, the 'block giving rule', assumes that the recipient does not consent - so the gift fails to happen. The way to make the giving action use its abilities fully is to replace the block giving rule with a rule which makes a more sophisticated decision about who will accept what from whom, and only blocks some attempts, letting others run on into the carry out and report rules.

Typed commands leading to this action

"give [something preferably held] to [someone]"

"give [someone] [something preferably held]" reversed

Rules controlling this action

before    giving something to someone when the second noun is not the current interlocutor  giving needs an interlocutor rule   name  unlist 

before    asking someone to try doing something when the person asked is not the current interlocutor  giving orders needs an interlocutor rule   name  unlist 

NB: the change greeting command to greeting rule is listed before the giving orders needs an interlocutor rule in the before rules 

NB: the check going during convnode rule is listed before the say goodbye when moving rule in the before rules 

instead of    giving the stuffed toy to the boy   

instead of    giving the medicine to the boy   

instead of    giving the can of beer to the boy   

check    when the node of the second noun is closed  nodal give response rule   name  unlist 

check    giving the can of beer to the boy   

check    an actor giving something to  can't give what you haven't got rule   name  unlist

check    an actor giving something to  can't give to yourself rule   name  unlist

check    an actor giving something to  can't give to a non-person rule   name  unlist

report    open node response rule   name  unlist 

report    standard response rule   name  unlist 

report    giving something to someone  default giving rule   name  unlist