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(Continues on from the "TextAttribs" script - requires you to follow the previous section first)

Continuing on from your current script ...

• Insert a new TEXT command, anything you like.
• Insert EOL.

Did it come out the way you expected? Some of you are probably nodding, some are probably shaking their heads (some are probably staring wild-eyed at the screen, wondering what this is all about).

If you have been following instructions in sequence and carefully, it should have come out right-aligned again. But we didn't issue a Right ALIGN command this time! What gives? The parser remembered the current state, as the previous script commands left it.

This is fairly important to remember: a change in text state (colour, font, alignment, effects, banner, highlight, size) continues indefinitely until you explicitly change it back. This saves you constantly issuing commands to get a block of lines in the same state, which would be tedious and would generate a cluttered script.

Continuing with this script:

• Try inserting another Right ALIGN command.
• When you click Insert, observe the script. It didn't put in "ALIGN RIGHT", did it? Why not?

Because we are already right-aligned; it's still in effect from when we last set alignment, as proved by the previous line going to the right of its own accord. The editor / parser will not insert a script command if it has no effect on the current state, since that too would be pointless and cluttered. This one may take some time to get used to, but you will understand how useful it is eventually.