newbie in-game assistance with Guidebook notation

Provide some command assistance for newbies, but
suppress it with !cmdassist in the config file.

If someone misinterprets the Guidebook ^D, ^T
type command notation, this will pop up some
further information to possibly assist them and
explain the notation.

src/cmd.c

@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@ static void NDECL(end_of_input);
 static const char* readchar_queue="";
 
 STATIC_DCL char *NDECL(parse);
+STATIC_DCL boolean FDECL(help_control, (CHAR_P, char *));
 
 #ifdef OVL1
 
@@ -1899,7 +1900,7 @@ const char *s;
 	    dirsym = readchar();
 	else
 #endif
-	    dirsym = yn_function (s ? s : "In what direction?",
+	    dirsym = yn_function ((s && *s != '^') ? s : "In what direction?",
 					(char *)0, '\0');
 #ifdef REDO
 	savech(dirsym);
@@ -1907,14 +1908,55 @@ const char *s;
 	if(dirsym == '.' || dirsym == 's')
 		u.dx = u.dy = u.dz = 0;
 	else if(!movecmd(dirsym) && !u.dz) {
-		if(!index(quitchars, dirsym))
-			pline("What a strange direction!");
+		boolean did_control = FALSE;
+		if(!index(quitchars, dirsym)) {
+		    if (s && *s == '^' && iflags.cmdassist)
+			did_control = help_control(dirsym, "Invalid direction key!");
+		    if (!did_control) pline("What a strange direction!");
+		}
 		return 0;
 	}
 	if(!u.dz && (Stunned || (Confusion && !rn2(5)))) confdir();
 	return 1;
 }
 
+STATIC_OVL boolean
+help_control(sym, msg)
+char sym;
+char *msg;
+{
+	char ctrl;
+	winid win;
+	char buf[BUFSZ], buf2[BUFSZ], *expl;
+	if (letter(sym)) { 
+	    sym = highc(sym);
+	    ctrl = (sym - 'A') + 1;
+	    if ((expl = dowhatdoes_core(ctrl, buf2))) {
+		win = create_nhwindow(NHW_TEXT);
+		putstr(win, 0, "cmdassist");
+		if (msg) putstr(win, 0, msg);
+		putstr(win, 0, "");
+		Sprintf(buf,
+			"Are you trying to use ^%c as specified in the Guidebook?",
+		    	sym);
+		putstr(win, 0, buf);
+		putstr(win, 0, "");
+		putstr(win, 0, expl);
+		putstr(win, 0, "");
+		putstr(win, 0, "To use that command, you press");
+		Sprintf(buf,
+			"the <Ctrl> key, and the <%c> key at the same time.", sym);
+		putstr(win, 0, buf);
+		putstr(win, 0, "");
+		putstr(win, 0, "(Suppress this message with !cmdassist in config file.)");
+		display_nhwindow(win, FALSE);
+		destroy_nhwindow(win);
+		return TRUE;
+	    }
+	}
+	return FALSE;
+}
+
 #endif /* OVL1 */
 #ifdef OVLB
 

src/options.c

@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ static struct Bool_Opt
 #else
 	{"checkspace", (boolean *)0, FALSE, SET_IN_FILE},
 #endif
+	{"cmdassist", &iflags.cmdassist, TRUE, SET_IN_GAME},
 # if defined(MICRO) || defined(WIN32)
 	{"color",         &iflags.wc_color,TRUE, SET_IN_GAME},		/*WC*/
 # else	/* systems that support multiple terminals, many monochrome */

src/pager.c

@@ -739,7 +739,7 @@ doidtrap()
 	register struct trap *trap;
 	int x, y, tt;
 
-	if (!getdir((char *)0)) return 0;
+	if (!getdir("^")) return 0;
 	x = u.ux + u.dx;
 	y = u.uy + u.dy;
 	for (trap = ftrap; trap; trap = trap->ntrap)
@@ -765,12 +765,14 @@ doidtrap()
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int
-dowhatdoes()
+char *
+dowhatdoes_core(q, cbuf)
+char q;
+char *cbuf;
 {
 	dlb *fp;
-	char bufr[BUFSZ+6];
-	register char *buf = &bufr[6], *ep, q, ctrl, meta;
+	char bufr[BUFSZ];
+	register char *buf = &bufr[6], *ep, ctrl, meta;
 
 	fp = dlb_fopen(CMDHELPFILE, "r");
 	if (!fp) {
@@ -778,16 +780,9 @@ dowhatdoes()
 		return 0;
 	}
 
-#if defined(UNIX) || defined(VMS)
-	introff();
-#endif
-	q = yn_function("What command?", (char *)0, '\0');
-#if defined(UNIX) || defined(VMS)
-	intron();
-#endif
-	ctrl = ((q <= '\033') ? (q - 1 + 'A') : 0);
+  	ctrl = ((q <= '\033') ? (q - 1 + 'A') : 0);
 	meta = ((0x80 & q) ? (0x7f & q) : 0);
-	while(dlb_fgets(buf,BUFSZ,fp))
+	while(dlb_fgets(buf,BUFSZ-6,fp)) {
 	    if ((ctrl && *buf=='^' && *(buf+1)==ctrl) ||
 		(meta && *buf=='M' && *(buf+1)=='-' && *(buf+2)==meta) ||
 		*buf==q) {
@@ -806,12 +801,33 @@ dowhatdoes()
 			buf[0] = q;
 			(void) strncpy(buf+1, "       ", 7);
 		}
-		pline("%s", buf);
 		(void) dlb_fclose(fp);
-		return 0;
+		Strcpy(cbuf, buf);
+		return cbuf;
 	    }
-	pline("I've never heard of such commands.");
+	}
 	(void) dlb_fclose(fp);
+	return (char *)0;
+}
+
+int
+dowhatdoes()
+{
+	char bufr[BUFSZ];
+	char q, *reslt;
+
+#if defined(UNIX) || defined(VMS)
+	introff();
+#endif
+	q = yn_function("What command?", (char *)0, '\0');
+#if defined(UNIX) || defined(VMS)
+	intron();
+#endif
+	reslt = dowhatdoes_core(q, bufr);
+	if (reslt)
+		pline("%s", reslt);
+	else
+		pline("I've never heard of such commands.");
 	return 0;
 }