Using the Find command in the Edit menu, you can search for rooms that match a pattern you specify. Enter words into the Room Name, Room Description, and Room Notes fields. Rooms that contain these words will be displayed when you click the Find button. You can search in the current zone (default), or All Zones or a specific zone that you select from the Zone drop down list.
After clicking the Find button, any rooms that match your specification will be displayed in a list. If you click on a room in this list to select it, the corresponding room on the map will be selected. You can select multiple rooms by holding down the Shift key to select a range, or the Ctrl key to select individual rooms. You can set the currently selected room to be the current location on the Map by double-clicking the room, or by clicking the Set button. To speedwalk to a room, select the room and click the Walk button. You can also display the properties for the selected rooms using the Property button.
Instead of editing the map graphically, you can select Spreadsheet Mode from the View menu to see your map as a list of rooms and link values. Each room has a unique room number (fixed by zMUD which may be different from the vnum value of the room) and is displayed on its own line. The standard exits defined in View/Directions are shown as columns. A link to another room is displayed as the destination room number in the column for the direction of the link. You can manually edit these link numbers to change the map. The graphical map will update automatically as you make changes.
You can delete links or set them to null links by right-clicking the cell and selecting from the menu. Note that links to other zones and non-standard exits cannot be edited in spreadsheet mode.
To create a normal, two-way link, double-click on the starting cell, then click on the destination cell. You can also drag cells and drop them to new locations to move links.
The room name that is displayed represents the label value for the room. Editing this cell is the same as editing the Label field for the room. Setting this cell to an empty value restores the display of the actual room name as the label.
Spreadsheet mode is most useful for creating maps of maze areas. In such cases you can set the room label to a unique value for the room. For example, drop a particular object in the room and set the label to that object name. Then, when you return to the room and see the object laying there, you will know what room of the maze you are really in.
While you can create non-standard exits (like enter, portal, etc) by manually creating a link and editing it's properties, you can also create one while walking around your MUD creating your map from the MUD command line. Simply prefix the non-standard direction with the MapDir character (defaults to >) and the mapper will create the new room as you move. So, for example, if one of the exits from the room is "enter", simply type ">enter" on the command line and a room will be created and linked with the Other exit called "enter". Normally the mapper will put the new room in a vacant spot near the original room. To force the room to be created a certain cardinal direction from the original room, put the cardinal direction after the other exit separated by another ">" character. So, for example, to create a new room to the east, you would type ">enter>e". This is only needed when you first need to create the room. Once the room is created, simply typing "enter" should follow the existing link to the room.
While the automapper works well on many MUDs, it might need some adjustment to properly map your MUD. There are three common adjustments that you will want to make to your mapper.
First, you need to keep the mapper in synch with the directions you are moving on your MUD. If you move in an invalid direction, or bump into a closed door, the mapper needs to be told about this. Otherwise it will still try to create a new room in the direction you originally went. You can see which direction the mapper is currently working on displayed in the lower-right corner of the map window. This is called the Direction Queue and shows you the direction that the next room will be created in.
To tell the mapper when you have moved in a wrong direction, use the #NODIR command in a trigger. For example:
#TRIGGER {You can't go that direction} {#NODIR}
#TRIGGER {The door is closed} {#NODIR}
The #NODIR command will remove the current direction from the Direction Queue. You can also clear the Direction Queue manually by double-clicking on it. Setting your location on the map manually will also clear this queue.
Next, you might need to tell the mapper to ignore certain lines from your MUD. The mapper can get very confused by lines that start with special characters such as brackets or parenthesis, since it will think that looks like your MUD prompt. To prevent a line from being seen by the mapper, use the #NOMAP command. For example, if your MUD displays the current weather in parenthesis, like
(It is raining)
you can tell the mapper to ignore these weather lines with the trigger
#TRIGGER {^~(*~)} {#NOMAP}
Finally, some MUDs implement day and night. When it is dark and you enter a room, it might display something like "It is pitch black". You need to tell the mapper that you have successfully entered a room since otherwise the mapper will wait until it sees the first line of the room description. To confirm the movement, use the #OK command, just like when slowwalking:
#TRIGGER {It is pitch black} {#OK}
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