parent_type var

Default value

The path of the object definition that contains this one.

This variable is set at compile-time to specify the inheritance of an object type. Normally, a new type of object inherits its variables and procedures from the object type that contains it. For example:

obj
   var
      weight
      color
   sword //parent type of 'sword' defaults to /obj
      weight = 30
      color = "black"

Explicitly setting the parent type allows you to put the object definition any place you want. That often means putting it at the top “root” level. Example:

Armor
   parent_type = /obj
   var
      strength
   plate //parent type is /Armor, which in turn inherits from /obj
      weight = 100
      color = "rusty"
      strength = 10

If you don’t specify the parent_type for an object defined at the top level, it defaults to datum, which (with just a couple exceptions) is the ultimate ancestor of all object types. You could use that fact to define procedures or variables that you need all of your objects to share.

datum
   proc/Copy(datum/O)
 
MyType
   var
      foo
   Copy(MyType/O)
      foo = O.foo
      return ..()