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Alias Feature Documentation

Overview

The alias feature allows you to create shortcuts for commonly used commands with parameter substitution. Similar to triggers, aliases can use variable placeholders like <target> that get replaced with actual values when you use the alias.

Basic Usage

Creating an Alias

Use the /alias command with the alias name and template:

/alias "name" "template"

Example:

/alias "gat" "give all <target>"

Now when you type gat mary, it will be expanded to give all mary and sent to the server.

Listing Aliases

To see all your defined aliases:

/aliases list

or simply:

/aliases

Removing an Alias

To remove an alias by its number:

/aliases remove <number>

Example:

/aliases remove 1

Parameter Substitution

Aliases support flexible parameter substitution based on the number of parameters in the template and the number of arguments provided.

Single Placeholder: <target>

When the template has only one placeholder, all arguments are joined with spaces and substituted:

Example:

/alias "k" "kill <target>"
k goblin              → kill goblin
k big scary goblin    → kill big scary goblin

Two Placeholders: <object> <target>

With two placeholders, the first argument goes to the first placeholder, the second to the second:

Example:

/alias "gt" "give <object> <target>"
gt sword mary    → give sword mary
gt bread bob     → give bread bob

Variable Arguments with <args>

Use <args> as a special placeholder to capture all remaining arguments:

Pattern: <target> <args>

Example:

/alias "tell" "tell <target> <args>"
tell mary hello there friend    → tell mary hello there friend

Pattern: <arg1> <arg2> <args>

Example:

/alias "action" "perform <arg1> <arg2> <args>"
action one two three four    → perform one two three four

Pattern: <target> <arg1> <arg2> <args>

Example:

/alias "complex" "cmd <target> <arg1> <arg2> <args>"
complex bob first second the rest    → cmd bob first second the rest

Complete Examples

Common MUD Aliases

# Quick kill
/alias "k" "kill <target>"

# Give all items to a player
/alias "gat" "give all <target>"

# Give specific item to a player
/alias "gt" "give <object> <target>"

# Quick casting
/alias "fb" "cast fireball <target>"

# Tell with automatic formatting
/alias "t" "tell <target> <args>"

# Quick movement aliases
/alias "n" "north"
/alias "s" "south"
/alias "e" "east"
/alias "w" "west"

Advanced Usage: Multiple Commands with Semicolons

Aliases can contain multiple commands separated by semicolons (;). Each command will be sent sequentially with a 1-second delay between them, allowing you to automate multi-step sequences.

# Multi-step command alias - sends 2 commands, one per second
/alias "prep" "get all from corpse;sacrifice corpse"

# Combat macro - bash followed by consider
/alias "combo" "bash <target>;consider <target>"

# Social interaction - bow then speak
/alias "greet" "bow <target>;say Hello, <target>!"

# Complex sequence - up to 5 actions
/alias "fullprep" "kill <target>;get all from corpse;sacrifice corpse;sit;rest"

Important Notes:

  • Commands are queued and sent one per second automatically
  • Use /stop command to cancel a queued sequence
  • Additional aliases or triggers will add to the end of the queue
  • This works the same way as the /go auto-walking feature

Persistence

Aliases are automatically saved to ~/.config/dikuclient/aliases.json (or $DIKUCLIENT_CONFIG_DIR/aliases.json if set) when you add or remove them. They will be loaded automatically the next time you start the client.

Comparison with Triggers

Feature Aliases Triggers
Activation User types the alias name Server output matches pattern
Purpose Command shortcuts Automated responses to game events
Parameters Flexible argument substitution Variable capture from pattern
Example /alias "k" "kill <target>" /trigger "hungry" "eat bread"

Tips

  1. Keep alias names short - The whole point is to save typing!
  2. Use consistent naming - Prefix related aliases (e.g., ga for "give all", gt for "give to")
  3. Document complex aliases - Use /aliases list to remind yourself what you've created
  4. Test your aliases - Try them with different arguments to ensure they work as expected

Troubleshooting

Alias doesn't work

  • Check that you created it correctly with /aliases list
  • Verify the alias name matches exactly (aliases are case-sensitive)
  • Ensure you're not using special characters in the alias name (only alphanumeric characters allowed)

Wrong expansion

  • Review the parameter substitution rules above
  • The number of placeholders determines how arguments are distributed
  • Use <args> as a placeholder to capture multiple remaining arguments

Can't create alias

  • Alias names must be alphanumeric (no spaces, hyphens, or special characters)
  • You cannot create an alias with the same name as an existing alias
  • Use /aliases remove to delete an existing alias first if you want to replace it