llMessageLinked(integer linknum, integer num, string str, key id)
Sends
num,
str, and
id to
linknum (the specific
prim in the
linked set).
The
value for
linknum can be the link number of the desired prim (use
llGetLinkNumber to get the prim's link number containing the
script) or one of the
constants for linked sets.
Constants
| Constant | Value | Description |
| LINK_ROOT | 1 | root prim in linked set (but not in a single prim, which is 0) |
| LINK_SET | -1 | all prims in object |
| LINK_ALL_OTHERS | -2 | all other prims in object besides prim function is in |
| LINK_ALL_CHILDREN | -3 | all child prims in object |
| LINK_THIS | -4 | prim script is in |
In objects with only 1 prim,
linknum is
0. In objects with multiple prims, the
linknum count starts at
1. (So in a 2-prim object,
llGetLinkNumber would
return 1 in the
parent and
2 in the child.
num can be any valid
integer. Depending on the filter setup for
link_message,
num may not be necessary.
str and
id may be blank, (
"") or as long as desired.
str and
id are only limited by the amount of available
memory.
Notes:
- Because id is a key, and keys are just special strings, it can be typecast to a string (see hacks).
- Multiple attachments worn by the same avatar can't communicate using llMessageLinked. (Attachments are still treated as individual objects.) The only way attachments can communicate with each other is via email or chat, chat obviously being the faster and less resource-intensive of the two options. Multiple scripts are still able to communicate within a single attachment, of course.
llMessageLinked triggers the
link_message event handler in scripts receiving
link messages.
Example:
See
ExampleLinkMessage.
Q: I don't get it. Why not just use chat?
A: Aside from the fact that an object can't listen to itself, link messages are much faster than using chat functions as well as being private. They're higher-capacity, avoiding chat's 255-character limitations, and use fewer prims. Also, if you tend to have memory overflow problems in a single script, you can use link messages to communicate between scripts in the same object, thus enabling separate storage or even pseudo-multithreading. And finally, as any type can be cast to a string, link messages can transfer all types of data.
Additional testing on 2/1/2005 has shown link messages to be up to 40% faster than
llWhisper calls.
This is because llSay, llShout, and llWhisper all have penalties built into them, llMessageLinked does not. -- IceQ: Can I use llMessageLinked to send a message within only one script?
A: Yes, though there are better ways to communicate within a single script. Note that your link_message event will trigger on all link messages the prim receives, so your script may end up talking to itself if you're not careful.
Q: Do I need to specify a value for num, str, and id, or can I use a null string or key?
A: No, you can give llMessageLinked empty values of 0, "" and NULL_KEY, respectively.
Q: Can I use link messages to communicate between two attachments, or an attachment and the object the avatar is sitting on?
A: No, they're not truly linked in this case. You'll need to use chat instead.
Functions |
Communications |
Link